, “Brief History,” Manuscript, ca. 6 April 1838– ca. 26 January 1839; handwriting of and an unidentified scribe; seventy pages numbered 20–90, plus three unnumbered pages; John Fletcher Darby Papers, Missouri History Museum Archives, St. Louis.
, a careful observer, had enjoyed a close association with Mormon leaders, and consequently his account provides valuable insights into the development and structure of the early church. He summarized many of the doctrines taught by JS and provided a detailed description of the conflict between the Latter-day Saints and other settlers. But his chronicle also related the story of a personal spiritual journey into and then out of the church as came to disapprove of the church’s course in 1838 in Missouri. Yet despite his estrangement from the church and his excommunication in 1839, he retained a degree of sympathy for the Saints and maintained some contact.
apparently began compiling portions of his account while serving as an officially appointed church historian in . He probably completed his narrative by 11 February 1839, when he secured a copyright with the district federal copyright office. He arranged for Thomas Watson & Son of to print A Brief History. The entire print run may have included up to twelve hundred copies.
The document presented here, ’s circa 1838–1839 rough draft of his history, is incomplete. It includes the title page, copyright notice, and preface but is missing twenty-one pages, including the nineteen pages that constitute chapters 1 through 6. The manuscript is almost entirely in Corrill’s handwriting, though some of the chapter summaries (added after he drafted the narrative) were written in a different hand, possibly that of the printer.
’s published version of A Brief History receives comprehensive treatment in volume 2 of the Histories series of The Joseph Smith Papers and is available on this website as part of the history series.
Page 72
made their escape in the night with their families, but were followed the next day by twenty horseman from without success. The Mormons were still collected at and at and a small company also collected at who lived in that section of the country. seeing the tumult and uproar called out the militia. The news of this pleased me, for I thought that if they turned out under authority they would of course observe good order, and it was also stated that ’s object was to investigate the affair and bring the guilty to punishment, and rescue the innocent. I was informed that the Mormons at made a covenant with the other citizens to let each other alone, and the Mormons were to remain at the . But in a short time two or three companies of Militia came upon them; from what cause I know not. A battle was the result, and some twenty or thirty Mormons were killed, but none of the Militia as I heard but some wounded. There were different reports about the number killed, but I heard one of the Militia tell that a well twenty or therity feet deep was filled up with their <dead bodies> to within three feet of the top. These troops I was told were from and and some from Carol [Carroll], but by what authority they fell upon these [p. 72]