JS, History, 1838–1856, vol. C-1, created 24 Feb. 1845–3 July 1845; handwriting of , , Jonathan Grimshaw, and ; 512 pages, plus 24 pages of addenda; CHL. This is the third volume of a six-volume manuscript history of the church. This third volume covers the period from 2 Nov. 1838 to 31 July 1842; the remaining five volumes, labeled A-1, B-1, D-1, E-1 and F-1, continue through 8 Aug. 1844.
Historical Introduction
This document, “History, 1838–1856, volume C-1 [2 November 1838–31 July 1842],” is the third of six volumes of the “Manuscript History of the Church” (in The Joseph Smith Papers the “Manuscript History” bears the editorial title “History, 1838–1856”). The completed six-volume collection covers the period from 23 December 1805 to 8 August 1844. The narrative in this volume commences on 2 November 1838 with JS and other church leaders being held prisoner by the “’s forces” at , Missouri, and concludes with the death of Bishop at , Illinois, on 31 July 1842. For a more complete discussion of the entire six-volume work, see the general introduction to this history.
Volume C-1 was created beginning on or just after 24 February 1845 and its narrative was completed by 3 May 1845, although some additional work continued on the volume through 3 July of that year (Richards, Journal, 24 and 28 Feb. 1845; Historian’s Office, Journal, 3 May 1845; 3 and 4 July 1845). It is in the handwriting of and contains 512 pages of primary text, plus 24 pages of addenda. Additional addenda for this volume were created at a later date as a supplementary document and appear in this collection as “History, 1838-1856, volume C-1 Addenda.” Compilers and Thomas Bullock drew heavily from JS’s letters, discourses, and diary entries; meeting minutes; church and other periodicals and journals; and reminiscences, recollections, and letters of church members and other contacts. At JS’s behest, Richards maintained the first-person, chronological-narrative format established in previous volumes, as if JS were the author. , , , and others reviewed and modified the manuscript prior to its eventual publication in the Salt Lake City newspaper Deseret News.
The historical narrative recorded in volume C-1 continued the account of JS’s life as prophet and president of the church. Critical events occurring within the forty-five-month period covered by this text include the Mormon War; subsequent legal trials of church leaders; expulsion of the Saints from Missouri; missionary efforts in by the and others; attempts by JS to obtain federal redress for the Missouri depredations; publication of the LDS Millennial Star in England; the migration of English converts to ; missionary efforts in other nations; the death of church patriarch ; the establishment of the city charter; the commencement of construction of the Nauvoo ; the expedition that facilitated temple construction; the introduction of the doctrine of proxy baptism for deceased persons; the dedicatory prayer by on the Mount of Olives in Palestine; publication of the “Book of Abraham” in the Nauvoo Times and Seasons; publication of the JS history often referred to as the “Wentworth letter;” the organization of the Female Relief Society of Nauvoo; and the inception of Nauvoo-era temple endowment ceremonies.
<March 20 Letter of Joseph Smith in > in the midst of the Council of the Eternal God of all other Gods, before this world was, that should be reserved unto the finishing and the end thereof, when every man shall enter into his Eternal presence, and into his immortal rest, but I beg leave to say unto you Brethren that ignorance, superstition and bigotry placing itself where it ought not, is often times in the way of the prosperity of this Church like the torrent of rain from the mountains, that floods the most pure Chrystal Stream with mire, and [HC 3:296] dirt and filthiness, and obscures every thing that was clear before, and all hurls along in one general deluge but time weathers tide, and notwithstanding we are roled in for the time being by the Mire of the Flood, the next Surge peradventure, as time rolls on, may bring us to the fountain as clear as Chrystal, and as pure as Snow, while all the filthiness, flood wood and rubbish is left, and purged out by the way. How long can rolling waters remain impure, what power shall stay the heavens, as well might man stretch forth his puny arm to stop the in its decreed course or to turn it up Stream as to hinder the Almighty from pouring down Knowledge from Heaven upon the heads of the Latter Day Saints, what is or his murderous party but Wimbling Willows upon the shore to catch the flood wood, as well might we argue that Water is not Water because the Mountain torrents, send down Mire and Riles the Chrystal Stream altho afterwards renders it more pure than before, Or that Fire is not Fire because it is of a quenchable nature by poring on the flood, as to say that our Cause is down because renegadoes, liars, priests, thieves and murderers, who are all alike tenacious of their crafts and creeds have poured down from their Spiritual wickedness in high places and from their strong holds of the devil a flood of dirt and mire, and filthiness and vomit upon our heads, no God forbid. hell may pour forth its rage like the burning lava of Mount Vesuvius or of Etna, or of the most terrible of the burning mountains, and yet shall Mormonism stand, Water Fire, truth and god are all the same, truth is Mormonism, God is the Author of it, he is our shield, it is by him we received our birth, it was by his voice that we were called to a dispensation of his Gospel in the beginning of the fullness of times, it was by him we received the Book of Mormon, and it was by him that we remain unto this day, and by him we shall remain, if it shall be for our glory and in his Almighty name we are determined to endure tribulation as— good Soldiers unto the end, but brethren we shall continue to offer further reflections in our next epistle, you will learn by the time you have read this, and if you do not learn it you may learn it, that Walls and Irons, doors and creaking hinges, and half scared to death Guards and Jailors, grinning like some damned Spirit, lest an innocent man should make his escape to bring to light the damnable deeds of a murderous mob is calculated in its very nature to make the soul of an honest man feel stronger than the powers of hell. But we must bring our epistle to a close We send our respects to [HC 3:297] Fathers, Mothers, Wives, and Children, [p. 905]