Zion's Camp.Indd

Zion’s Camp at Fishing River Daviess County, Missouri, United States of America Zion’s Camp was organized on May 6, 1834 rians were amassing with the intent of killing “Joe near New Portage, Ohio in response to Mormon Smith and his army.” A tremendous storm soon persecution in Jackson County, Missouri. Earlier arose in which rain, hail, thunder and lighting came that year, on February 24, 1834, the Lord had com- down upon the mob and prevented them from at- manded the Prophet Joseph Smith to organize a tacking the members of the camp. Joseph and the group to aid the “brethren, who have been scat- others took refuge for the night in a small Church 1 tered on the land of Zion.” Many of the Saints not far away. had been forced out of their homes and fled into When Colonel Sconce met Joseph Smith Clay County to escape mob violence in late 1833. on June 21, he acknowledged “there is an Almighty Zion’s Camp was formed to bring aid and relief to power that protects this people, for I started from the suffering Saints and to reclaim their lands in Richmond, Ray county, with a company of armed Jackson County, Missouri, which Church members men, having a fixed determination to destroy you, viewed as the core of Zion. but was kept back by the storm, and was not able The camp began with just over 100 men, but to reach you.”5 by the time they reached Missouri, additional men However, due to the camp’s continuing met up with them bringing their number to over murmurings against the Prophet and disobedience 200. In total, the members of Zion’s Camp travel to the Lord’s commandments, cholera broke out more than 900 miles on foot between Kirtland and among them and 13 members of Zion’s Camp Missouri. They were organized into companies of died including Sidney A. Gilbert, part-owner of tens and fifties with a captain at the head of each the Gilbert Whitney Store in Independence. company. While at Fishing River, Joseph received The march of Zion’s Camp was a refin- Doctrine & Covenants 105 stating that “it is expe- ing period for many early leaders of the Church. dient in me that mine elders should wait for a little George A. Smith, future apostle and 16 year-old season for the redemption of Zion.”6 Subsequent- cousin of the Prophet Joseph Smith described ly, Zion’s camp was officially disbanded on July 3, that he was “so weary, hungry and sleepy that I 1834. Nevertheless, the instruction and experience dreamed while walking along the road of seeing a many of the early leaders of the Church received beautiful stream of water by a pleasant shade and during Zion’s Camp became invaluable to further a nice loaf of bread and a bottle of milk laid out establish the Church. All save three members of 2 on a cloth by the side of the spring.” the original Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and Members of Zion’s Camp endured a limited the original First Quorum of the Seventy partici- food and water supply, unsanitary conditions, trav- pated in Zion’s Camp. eling through humidity, rain, and mud for some- In speaking about his experience in Zion’s 3 times as many as 40 miles a day. The difficulties Camp, Brigham Young expressed that watching lead to some members of Zion’s Camp becoming Joseph’s leadership during Zion’s Camp was “the greatly discouraged and Joseph exhorted them “to starting point of my knowing how to lead Israel.”7 humble themselves before the Lord and become President Young would later lead the Saints out of 4 united, that they might not be scourged.” Missouri to Illinois while Joseph was incarcerated On June 19, the group had reached Daviess in Liberty Jail and eventually out of Illinois to the County and began to set up camp between the Lit- Salt Lake Valley. tle and Big Fishing Rivers. Five armed men rode into camp and told them that a group of Missou- 2 Zion’s Camp near Fishing River, Daviess County, Missouri, United States of America SOURCES set over the river, the scow in returning was met by a squall, and had great difficulty in reaching the 1 Doctrine & Covenants 103:1. Jackson side by dark. 2 When these five men were in our camp, George A. Smith, “Writings of Early Latter-day Saints,” Juvenile Instructor, 78. swearing vengeance, the wind, thunder, and ris- ing cloud indicated an approaching storm, and in 3 Alexander L. Baugh, “Joseph Smith and Zion’s Camp,” Ensign, a short time after they left the rain and hail be- (June 2005), 42. gan to fall. The storm was tremendous; wind and 4 Joseph Smith, History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day rain, hail and thunder met them in great wrath, and Saints, 7 vols., introduction and notes by B. H. Roberts [Salt soon softened their direful courage, and frustrated Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1932-1951], 2: 68. all their designs to ‘kill Joe Smith and his army.’ Instead of continuing a cannonading which 5 Ibid, 2:105-106. they commenced when the sun was about one hour high, they crawled under wagons, into hollow 6 Doctrine & Covenants 105:9. trees, and filled one old shanty, till the storm was 7 Quoted in Susan Evans McCloud, Brigham Young, A Personal over, when their ammunition was soaked, and the Portrait (American Fork, UT: Covenant Communications, forty in Clay county were extremely anxious in the 1996). morning to return to Jackson, having experienced the pitiless pelting of the storm all night; and as soon as arrangements could be made, this ‘forlorn The Miracle at Fishing River hope’ took the ‘back track’ for Independence, to join the main body of the mob, fully satisfied, as were those survivors of the company who were Joseph Smith1 drowned, that when Jehovah fights they would “This night we camped on an elevated piece rather be absent. The gratification is too terrible. of land between Little Fishing and Big Fishing riv- Very little hail fell in our camp, but from half ers, which streams were formed by seven small a mile to a mile around, the stones or lumps of ice streams or branches. cut down the crops of corn and vegetation gener- As we halted and were making preparations ally, even cutting limbs from trees, while the trees, for the night, five men armed with guns rode into themselves were twisted into withes by the wind. our camp, and told us we should ‘see hell before The lightning flashed incessantly, which caused it morning;’ and their accompanying oaths partook to be so light in our camp through the night, that of all the malice of demons. They told us that six- we could discern the most minute objects; and the ty men were coming from Richmond, Ray county, roaring of the thunder was tremendous. and seventy more from Clay county, to join the The earth trembled and quaked, the rain Jackson county mob, who had sworn our utter de- fell in torrents, and, united, it seemed as if the struction. mandate of vengeance had gone forth from the During this day, the Jackson county mob, to God of battles, to protect His servants from the the number of about two hundred, made arrange- destruction of their enemies, for the hail fell on ments to cross the Missouri river, above the mouth them and not on us, and we suffered no harm, ex- of Fishing river, at Williams’ ferry, into Clay coun- cept the blowing down of some of our tents, and ty, and be ready to meet the Richmond mob near getting wet; while our enemies had holes made in Fishing river ford, for our utter destruction; but their hats, and otherwise received damage, even after the first scow load of about forty had been the breaking of their rifle stocks, and the fleeing Zion’s Camp near Fishing River, Daviess County, Missouri, United States of America 3 of their horses through fear and pain. We were not able to hold them up; but Many of my little band sheltered in an old there being an old meeting house close at hand, meetinghouse through this night, and in the morn- many of us fled there to secure ourselves from ing the water in Big Fishing river was about forty the storm. Many trees were blown down, and oth- feet deep, where, the previous evening, it was no ers were twisted and wrung like a withe. The mob more than to our ankles, and our enemies swore came to the river two miles from us, but the river that the water rose thirty feet in thirty minutes in had risen to that height that they were obliged to the Little Fishing river. They reported that one of stop without crossing over. The hail fell so heav- their men was killed by lightning, and that anoth- ily upon them that it beat holes in their hats, and er had his hand torn off by his horse drawing his in some instances even broke the stocks off their hand between the logs of a corn crib while he was guns; their horses, being frightened, fled, leaving holding him on the inside. They declared that if the riders on the ground. Their powder was wet, that was the way God fought for the Mormons, and it was evident that the Almighty fought in our they might as well go about their business.” defense.

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