Mormon Battalion
THE VALIANT
L TC Max W . Jamison, Publications Officer
www.mormonbattalion.com
F ALL 2009 I SSU E
Volume 14, No.3
COL Erekson’s Resignation
Accepted with Love & Gratitude
by LTC MAX JAM ISON , Publications Officer
ON 21 NOVEM BER 2009, THE EXECUTIVE COM M ITTEE
reluctantly accepted a letter of resignation from COL NORM AN
T. EREKSON , who has served as Commander of the Mormon
Battalion Association since 20 September 2003. Citing the
need to spend more time in his priesthood calling as an LDS
bishop, with his family, and doing family history, he said: “It
has been a wonderful six years of working as Commander with
and for you. Thank you for your support and help, but it is time
for me to move on. I will still be around as your Chief Advisor
and will try to do what I can. ...Thank you again for the honor
of leading such a great group of people, and may God bless and
prosper all.”
Section C.2 of the By-Laws states that members of the
national Executive Committee may serve up to four consecutive
two year terms in the same office. After completing the balance
of his predecessor’s term, COL EREKSON had completed over
half of his third two year elected term. Per Section C.1, “the
most recent, past Commander willing and able to serve on the
Executive Committee,” he will move over to the position of unelected Chief Advisor, with the right to vote on all Executive
Committee issues.
Per Section C.8, “If the Commander or President shall
resign or die, the Executive Officer or Executive Vice
President/President Pro Tempore shall be the new Commander
or President until the next regular election.” Executive Officer
LTC JEROM E G. GOURLEY assumed command immediately with
the rank of Colonel, and will fill out COL EREKSON ’s remaining
10 month term of office until the next regular elections in July
2010. He will be formally installed at the next regular meeting
of the Executive Committee on 16 January 2010.
COL EREKSON ’s wife, ANNIE P. EREKSON , reaffirmed her
intent to complete her fourth term as President of the Women’s
Auxiliary. In the last issue of The Valiant, she stated, “The next
national elections will be in September [July] 2010. After eight
years as President, I will be stepping down and a new national
Women’s Auxiliary Staff will be elected. Now is a great time
for women to have an enlightening experience by volunteering.”
Commander’s Message
“Finding the 500”
by COL JEROM E G. GOURLEY , Commander
JUDY AND I EXTEND TO YOU ALL OUR WARM EST WISHES for a
most enjoyable Holiday Season!
We anticipate another
successful year of growth
and renewal.
As we
welcome 2010, may we all
recommit ourselves to the
mission of remembering
the valiant men, women,
and children of the
Mormon Battalion.
It
should be no more difficult
for us, as an active,
participating organization,
to attract 500 “volunteers”
than it was for the original
Battalion. So, I suggest that we adopt, as our 2010 slogan:
“Finding The 500.” Our goals, objectives, and focus are all
well-meant, purposeful, and worthwhile, but it always comes
down to PEOPLE. We need people! Please, this year, commit
to invite friends, family, and others to join with you in
“enlisting” into this wonderful historical organization. Our
organization is a “grass roots” association, so it must be built
from the ground up. The foundation of our association is the
Company. Each Company is the basic building block of the
Mormon Battalion. Please join with me in helping to find an
additional 200 members this year, so that, like the Battalion of
1846, we may be at “full strength.” Have fun, enjoy your
meetings, parades, Eagle Scout neckerchief presentations,
firesides, displays, and service projects, and keep sharing your
wonderful strength and experience with all you come in contact
with. Our Battalion ancestors are closer than we might imagine
– they will help us “fill our ranks.”
"A s the Lord lives, you will never be forgotten... but will be held in honorable remembrance for ever and ever." – Brigham Young
Page 2
Mormon Battalion – THE VALIANT
Found - Father Pettegrew’s
Journals and Sword
by MAJ VAL JOHN HALFORD , National Public Relations Officer
A RECENT ACQUISITION by the LDS Church History Department
is of immense importance to Mormon Battalion Association
members and individuals interested in artifacts from the
Mexican War time period. A collection of journals written by
the Mormon Battalion religious leader DAVID PETTEGREW ,
along with his personal sword, were recently donated to the
LDS Church History Library by his descendant, DAVID
WILLIAM (BILL ) PETTEGREW of South Jordan, Utah. BRAD
WESTWOOD , Manager of the Library’s Collection Development
department informed several members of the Mormon Battalion
Association of this rare gift during last month’s meeting of the
Utah Westerners.
The DAVID PETTEGREW collection contains a number of
hardbound journals dating from 1840 to 1857 that provide a
wealth of information on his eventful and varied life as a father,
missionary, prisoner with PARLEY P. PRATT in the Richmond,
Missouri jail, soldier, territorial senator, chaplain to the Utah
legislature, and bishop of the historic Salt Lake 10th Ward. An
astute observer and prolific writer, PETTEGREW enlisted in
Company E of the Mormon Battalion in July, 1846 and, along
with LEVI WARD HANCOCK , acted as the Battalion’s
ecclesiastical authority and spiritual leader. His Battalion
comrades held him in fond regard, often referring to him as
“Father Pettegrew” because he was an older, middle-aged man
with a head of flowing silver-white hair that complimented his
pious nature.
Mustered into the ranks as a private, PETTEGREW was later
appointed the Battalion’s commissary sergeant and had the
responsibility of issuing rations each day to the five companies.
According to his account the duty, “released me from carrying
my knapsack, cartridge box, and gun, but I was under great
responsibility in making my returns every night and morning to
the commissary colonel and officer of the staff. This gave me
much opportunity to learn things.” Perhaps his most memorable
experience with the Battalion took place near Cow Springs,
New Mexico, in November 1846. Convinced that their
commander, COL PHILIP ST . GEORGE COOKE , was intent on
leading the Battalion into Mexico, HANCOCK and PETTEGREW
visited each tent and asked everyone to pray that he would
change his mind. The next day, 21 November, after marching
a few miles southward, Cooke abruptly stopped, assessed the
situation, and turned westward toward Arizona and eventually
Southern California. Also included in the collection are hand
written copies of patriarchal blessings, deeds, affidavits, and
even bound copies of the Nauvoo Times and Seasons with
PETTEGREW ’s observations noted in the margins.
Of particular interest to cultural historians is PETTEGREW ’s
personal sword, which is not standard U.S. Army issue. The
weapon appears to
be a rather rough
copy of a 1840
artillery officer’s
saber and has a
32-inch curved
blade, a brass
guard, hilt, and
pommel. The grip
is made from
carved wood and
is partially
DAVID PETTEGREW ’s Sword
covered with
leather held in place with what appears to be copper or brass
wire. The metal scabbard is made of heavy steel with crude
loops and rings and a small, almost nonexistent drag. The saber
might have been presented to PETTEGREW in 1853 while serving
as Captain of the Silver Grays Company of the Utah Territorial
Militia, or he may have purchased it himself. Perhaps an entry
in one of his journals
may help to shine some
light on the history
behind this interesting
and unique weapon, but
i t i s p r o mi n e n t l y
displayed in a period
portrait that shows
P E T T E G R E W in full
uniform. Unfortunately,
this family heirloom
appears to have later
been used as a theater
prop, with hilt and
scabbard painted silver.
According to BROTHER
WESTWOOD , the sword
will eventually find its
way to the LDS Church
History Museum to be
CAPT DAVID PETTEGREW of Utah
catalogued separately
Territorial Militia
and may, once it has
been restored to its original finish, be selected for permanent
display.
Hopefully, at some point in the not too far distant future,
Church librarians will digitally copy and transcribe each page
of PETTEGREW ’s extensive writings. This valuable information
will no doubt help supplement the meager 121-page typescript
of PETTEGREW ’s handwritten autobiography and diary, 18401861, that is currently available through a number of sources
including the HAROLD B. LEE Library on the BYU campus.
Any effort to publish, or simply make available for individual
reading and research, DAVID PETTEGREW ’s detailed account of
"A s the Lord lives, you will never be forgotten... but will be held in honorable remembrance for ever and ever." – Brigham Young
Mormon Battalion – THE VALIANT
his life, especially his experiences with the Mormon Battalion,
would be a welcome cause for celebration.
Part 1 – Officer’s Uniforms
Mexican-American War Uniforms
by MAJ VAL JOHN HALFORD , National Public Relations Officer
THE UNITED STATES ARM Y WENT TO WAR with Mexico in 1846
arrayed in a wide variety of uniform styles, militia attire,
frontiersmen garb, and even common civilian apparel. A
veritable hodgepodge of dress adorned the men who took active
part in our nation’s conflict with Mexico and its armed forces.
There are several reasons why uniforms varied during this
time period. In 1841, the U.S. Congress authorized relatively
few alterations in the U.S. Army’s uniform. However, the 1847
uniform regulations
mandated a number of
important changes for
regular regiments raised
and equipped for service
during the MexicanAmerican War. This
transition caught the
U.S. Army during
wartime switching from
one
unformed
appearance to another.
State militias and
volunteer units swelled
the ranks by the tens of
thousands wearing a
Appropriately attired infantry
great
assortment of
officers CAPT JARED CORNELL and
different non-regulation
STEVEN SORENSON wearing white
summer/campaign trousers, crimson uniforms, parts of
uniforms, and military
sashes, and 1839 forage caps
styled clothing. Ruffians,
frontier settlers, farmers, tradesmen, and other civilians anxious
to join the fight were often obliged to wear the clothing they
had on hand as there were not enough uniforms available for the
sudden influx of volunteers.
Officers
A good deal of variation existed in the uniformed officer ranks
of the U.S. Army in 1846-1848. A cursory examination of the
limited photographs of American officers during this time show
these men dressed in a wide array of uniforms, some with
significantly different cuts, styles, and adornment. An officer’s
uniform during the Mexican-American War was not issued by
the army, but rather was the responsibility of the individual
himself. As such, officers relied on local tailors located in
cosmopolitan urban shops, small towns, or plying their
specialized trade in the most rustic of conditions at a frontier
post. These tailors, each with his own skill level and material
on hand, based his client’s uniform on his own interpretation of
Page 3
U.S. Army regulations governing the appearance of officers.
Army specifications for an officer’s coat, trousers, buttons, hat,
epaulettes, tassels, sash, sword belt, boots, gloves, and even
spurs were often modified significantly. These changes were at
the discretion of the officer and his tailor, or forced by necessity
with what could be purchased from various stores or sutlers.
The type of uniform that was to be worn by officers during
the Mexican-American War was specified by circular entitled,
Regulations and Notes for the Uniform of the Army of the
United States - 1841. This same small booklet was published
with updated requirements in 1847. These regulations called
for both a “dress” and “undress” uniform for officers and
enlisted men of all ranks and branches of service.
The ”dress uniform” for general officers was an ornate
garment and consisted of a dark-blue, double breasted tail coat,
made with 16 to 20 ounce wool, with facings and linings of buff
cloth or cassimere,
the collar, cuffs,
and cross flaps
were embroidered
with an oak leaf
pattern, epaulettes
with gold bullion
fringe, and all
Officer’s ornate
topped off with a
black chapeau bras,
black chapeau
or cocked dress hat
bras or cocked hat,
ND
2 LT DANIEL J.
with silver eagle and
decorated with
SUTHERLAND wears black swan feather
black silk ribbons
the dark blue dress plume
ornamented with a
uniform complete
silver
spread
eagle
and
a beautiful black
with epaulettes,
swan
feather
plume.
The uniform
white gloves, and
regulations
further
specified
provisions
belt
for all ranks and branches of service.
The much more practical “undress
uniform,” also known as “fatigue” or
“campaign dress,” differed significantly
from that described above. The prescribed
dress for infantry officers was a dark blue,
single-breasted frock coat with “not less
than eight, nor more than ten large silver
or gilt regimental buttons down the front
at equal distances.” Toward the end of
1847, officers above company grade were
authorized to wear double-breasted coats.
Plain cuffs were fastened by two small
Dark blue single- buttons. The low stand-up collar was
breasted officer’s plain, with two large buttons attached to
each pocket in the skirts, one at the hip
undress frock for
campaign use per and the other at the fold at the bottom of
the pocket. The coat lining was blue.
1841 uniform
Rank was indicated on frock coats by
regulations
"A s the Lord lives, you will never be forgotten... but will be held in honorable remembrance for ever and ever." – Brigham Young
Page 4
Mormon Battalion – THE VALIANT
shoulder boards, with a silver embroidered edging around a
dark blue background. Winter season broad-fall trousers were
made of high quality sky-blue wool with one and a half inch
wide white seam stripes, while summer trousers were white
linen or cotton without seam stripes. Waist belts were either
white or black leather with a sliding frog and fastened in front
with an oval clasp or round buckle. Waist sashes were crimson
silk net, with silk bullion fringe ends. Shoulder belts, also
Officer sashes of the Mexican-American War time period
were of a much looser weave than those of the Civil War
known as sword baldrics, were two and a half inches wide with
an ornamental 1839 breast plate attached and held secure to the
body using the officer’s waist sash with the knot tied on the left
side. Infantry officers’ fatigue headgear consisted of the 1839
forage cap made of dark blue cloth without the “ear flap” that
was part of an enlisted man’s cap. Infantry buttons for all ranks
were of convex white metal or gilt with a spread eagle and
shield bearing the letter “I” in the center.
Memberships Received - 2009
by ERM A BULLOCK , Vice President of Membership
As part of our “Finding 500" membership program, we have
received the following new and renewal memberships since the
Summer 2008 issue of The Valiant:
LIFE MEMBERSHIPS
WAYNE K. BROWN , Riverdale, UT 84405
ELAINE EREKSON , Salt Lake City, UT 84124
THOMAS K. GRIGGS , Idaho Falls, ID 83401
ANTON JEPPESON , West Valley City, UT 84120
DOUGLAS G. MC LAWS , Deer Lodge, MT 59722
ROBERT F. PHILLIPS , Providence, UT 84332
PAUL SKEEN , Nyssa, OR 97913
BERT N. SM ITH , Layton, UT 84041
DAVID M. SM ITH , Mesa, AZ 85203
KATHRYN SM ITH , Layton, UT 84041
NEW ANNUAL MEMBERS
DONALD L. EASTM AN , Riverton, UT 84065
TIFFANY A. MC LAWS , Deer Lodge, MT 59722
KADEN P. MC LAWS , Deer Lodge, MT 59722
MASON D. MC LAWS , Deer Lodge, MT 59722
KEITH N. STEELE , Elk, WA 99009
THOM AS WINDLEY , Salt Lake City, UT 84117
RENEWING ANNUAL MEMBERS
TERRY BARNETT , Logan, UT 84321
BRENT BRYNER , Logan, UT 84321
DIXIE L. CAM ERON , Globe, AZ 85501
DEAN COOPER , Logan, UT 84321
LESLIE HANSEN , Logan, UT 84321
JACLYN JOHNSON , Santa Clarita, CA 91351
JOSEPH KOSTA , Logan, UT 84321
JENNIFER LARSON , Reston, VA 20194
ARLENE MILLER , Logan, UT 84321
LYNN MILLER , Logan, UT 84321
MERRILL PAGE , Logan, UT 84321
ALLAN THOM AS , Draper, UT 84020
BOB TINGEY , Enoch, UT 84720
DOUGLAS WILSON , Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
JOYE S. WYATT , West Jordan, UT 84088
Calendar of Events
by M AJ R IC H ARD B U LLO CK , Adjutant
(See www.mormonbattalion.com website also.)
December
17 [Th] Company ‘B’ Annual Holiday Dinner, 6:30 p.m., Johanna’s
Kitchen, 9725 S. State, Sandy, UT. CAPT LAVAR BURTON ,
Commander, 801-255-1629. [email protected].
January 2010
5 [Tu] Dixie Company Monthly Meeting. 7:00 p.m., Cottonmill Dance
Hall, 300 West Telegraph, Washington, UT. APT QUENTIN
HANSOM , Commander. [email protected].
16 [Sa] Battalion Executive and Advisory Committee Meeting. 9:30
a.m.; 420 S. 800 East, Salt Lake City, UT.
21 [Th] Company ‘B’ Monthly Meeting.
6:30 p.m., DUP Rock
Chapel, 1151 West 7800 South, West Jordan, UT. CAPT LAVAR
BURTON,
Commander,
801-255-1629.
[email protected].
28 [Th] Company ‘C’ Monthly Meeting. 7:00 p.m., Roy City Library,
1950 West 4800 South, Roy, UT. M AJ CLARK OLSEN ,
Commander, cell 801-391-6652 or home 801- 525-0227.
[email protected].
28 [Th] Company ‘D’ Monthly Meeting. 7:00 p.m., Tabernacle at
Wellsville, UT. CAPT JAMES HANSON , Commander. Contact 435752-5529, cell 435-890-8582, [email protected].
"A s the Lord lives, you will never be forgotten... but will be held in honorable remembrance for ever and ever." – Brigham Young
Mormon Battalion – THE VALIANT
Page 5
Preface, Part 11...
“Manifest Destiny vs.
Promised Land”
Editor's Note: This is the final installment of the serialization of the
Preface to LTC JAMISON’S book sponsored by the Battalion, Manifest
Destiny vs. Promised Land: Francis Moore, Jr.’s Annotated 1846
Mitchell Map; Deciphering an 1846-48 Chronicle of the MexicanAmerican War, the Mormon Battalion, the Gold Rush, the Alamo, and
Texas. Earlier in this issue, you will find Mexican-American War
Uniform, Part 1 – Officer’s Uniforms, by MAJ VAL JOHN HALFORD.
Beginning with the next issue, we will begin serialization of several
excellent illustrated follow-on articles he has written about the civilian
clothing, military uniforms, and accouterments worn by members of the
US Army and the Mormon Battalion from 1846 through 1848.
Sandstone inscriptions at Signature Rock, Oklahoma.
In April 2006, Sherman L. Fleek produced a monumental
new military history of the Mormon Battalion, citing the 152
year old primary sources about Lewis Dent I had brought to
light seven years earlier, and confirming them with his own
reference to the newly acquired journal of Dr. George B.
Sanderson, the oft-maligned non-Mormon surgeon assigned to
the Mormon Battalion. His work determined that, while Major
Cloud’s paymaster contingent regularly interacted with,
supported, and participated in many decisions of the Mormon
Battalion, it was actually part of a small detachment of General
Kearny’s parent Army of the West (including Dr. Sanderson
and 1Lt A. J. Smith) which caught up with the Battalion on 29
August 1846 at Council Grove, Kansas to travel "with" them for
protection and convenience. Evidence of the close symbiotic
relationship between the two groups is evidenced by the fact
that 1Lt Smith was given temporary command of the Battalion
until they reached Santa Fe, Dr. Sanderson became their
military physician, and Major Cloud acted as their paymaster.
Thus, while the St. Louis newspaper was incorrect in stating
that Lewis Dent was a military "officer," it did NOT state that
he was part of the Mormon Battalion, but was technically
correct in stating that he "was in the pay department [of the
Army of the West], now [traveling] with the battalion."
During his 2008 rehiking of the Mormon Battalion Trail,
Kevin Henson recognized the inscription "L Dent" etched in
Signature Rock, Oklahoma. This was the Battalion’s camp at
Cold Springs along the Cimarron Cutoff on 14 September 1846.
Nearby was etched " J C Dent," perhaps Lewis’ elder brother,
Capt. John Cromwell Dent (1816-1889), whom we know
arrived in California by 1850. Since most inscriptions on
Signature Rock were made before 1850 (nearby Autograph
Rock was commonly used after 1850), we believe that the close
physical and temporal proximity of the two etched names
(inscribed within 12 inches of each other before 1850) suggests
that brothers Lewis and John Cromwell Dent likely visited the
rock together sometime before, during, or after passage of the
Mormon Battalion through the area in 1846. We have yet to
determine whether John served the Battalion in any official
capacity, but we do know that he served as Commander of the
DeKalb Rangers (aka 2nd Missouri Mounted Rifles), Company
B, recruited in Florrisant and St. Louis Missouri, and served in
the Santa Fe, New Mexico area from late September 1846
through his discharge on 20 June 1847. Another older brother,
Capt. (later General) Frederick Tracy Dent, served in Secretary
of War William Marcy’s 35th Parallel Expedition to find the
best railroad route to California in 1849.
Potential for Future Research
As with many historical documents, this annotated map raises
far more questions than it answers. Norma Ricketts' words were
indeed prophetic. My work is only the prologue or harbinger to
future greater insights. The annotations on this map titillate the
observant analyst with clues to a pretext covering a far greater
intrigue. Achievement of a national “Manifest Destiny” was
no accident; it had been deliberately plotted at the highest
levels of government for years! Similarly, establishment of
the Mormon “Promised Land” was nothing short of
miraculous. It also had been planned for decades. It is the
context in which the map annotations are found that tells how
“Manifest Destiny” and “Promised Land” interacted. And it is
the actual text of the annotations that provides pertinent clues.
It has now been over 12 years since I first set eyes on the
annotated 1846 S. Augustus Mitchell map. To date, the
historical significance of the 190 handwritten annotations on
the map appears to have been largely underestimated,
overlooked, or forgotten. If anything, this book is a call for
further research by the academic community.
"A s the Lord lives, you will never be forgotten... but will be held in honorable remembrance for ever and ever." – Brigham Young
Page 6
Mormon Battalion – THE VALIANT
Mormon Battalion Association
THE VALIANT
P.O. Box 1983
Sandy, UT 84091-1983
Mormon Battalion – THE VALIANT
In This Issue:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
C OL Erekson’s Resignation Accepted with Love & Gratitude
Commander’s Message: “Finding the 500"
Found – Father Pettegrew’s Journals and Sword
Mexican-American War Uniforms, Part 1 – Officer’s Uniforms
Memberships Received
Calendar of Events
Manifest Destiny vs. Promised Land, Preface, Part 11 (Final)
Unless otherwise stated, © Copyright 2010 Mormon Battalion Association. All Rights Reserved.
"A s the Lord lives, you will never be forgotten... but will be held in honorable remembrance for ever and ever." – Brigham Young