Doctrine and Covenants 103-105

<p>On February 22, 1834, Parley P. Pratt and Lyman Wight brought detailed affirmation to the Prophet Joseph Smith of Latter-day Saints being forced by relentless mobs to abandon their homes in Jackson County. Joseph cried, &ldquo;Oh my brethren my brethren. ... Oh! That I had been with you to have shared with you your trouble&mdash;My God My God what shall we [do] in such a case of trial.&rdquo;<a id="_ftnref1" class="see-footnote" title="" href="#_ftn1">[1]</a></p> <p>Two days later, the Kirtland High Council listened to the graphic commentary of Pratt and Wight on the lamentable circumstances of the exiled Saints of Jackson County, after which the Prophet Joseph declared that he was going to Missouri to redeem Zion and would ask for volunteers to go with him. He called upon the high council to sanction his decision, &ldquo;which was given without a dissenting voice.&rdquo;<a id="_ftnref2" class="see-footnote" title="" href="#_ftn2">[2]</a> The Prophet was then nominated and seconded by the high council as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armies of Israel&mdash;Zion&rsquo;s Camp.</p> <p>Later that same day, Joseph Smith received this confirming revelation in support of his plan to redeem Zion:</p> <blockquote> <p>Let my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., say unto the strength of my house, my young men and the middle aged&mdash;Gather yourselves together unto the land of Zion, upon the land which I have bought with money that has been consecrated unto me. ... Let no man be afraid to lay down his life for my sake; for whoso layeth down his life for my sake shall find it again. (D&amp;C 103:22, 27)</p> <p>Volunteers for Zion&rsquo;s Camp were drawn from the greater Kirtland area and from Church branches throughout the middle and eastern states. It took two months of recruiting before a sufficient number of volunteers and enough money had been gathered for the camp to begin to take shape. On May 5, 1834, forty volunteers began the march to Zion, with the main division led by the Prophet Joseph Smith and a smaller division of twenty men from Pontiac, Michigan, and northern Illinois led by Hyrum Smith and Lyman Wight.</p> <p>As the camp traveled from Ohio to Missouri, the purpose of the camp was withheld from observers. Yet there was nothing that could stop the curious from wondering why dozens of men were journeying together. For example, speculative reports of Zion&rsquo;s Camp reached Dayton, Ohio, before the men even entered the town. Not knowing the destination of what some called the &ldquo;Christian soldiers,&rdquo; anxiety ran high. About a dozen town leaders approached the camp to question the men. When asked where they were from, Brigham replied, &ldquo;From every place but this, and we will soon be from this.&rdquo; When an inquirer asked, &ldquo;Where are you going?&rdquo; he answered, &ldquo;To the West.&rdquo;<a id="_ftnref3" class="see-footnote" title="" href="#_ftn3">[3]</a></p> </blockquote> <p>On June 7, 1834, the Joseph Smith division of Zion&rsquo;s Camp arrived at the Allred Settlement. The Hyrum Smith and Lyman Wight contingent arrived the following day. At this point, Zion&rsquo;s Camp had a composition of 205 men under arms and a few women and children. They had not reached the requisite number of volunteers needed for victory:</p> <blockquote> <p>It is my will that my servant Parley P. Pratt and my servant Lyman Wight should not return to the land of their brethren, until they have obtained companies to go up unto the land of Zion, by tens, or by twenties, or by fifties, or by an hundred until they have obtained to the number of five hundred of the strength of my house. (D&amp;C 103:30)</p> </blockquote> <p>As days of marching extended to weeks, an attack of infectious cholera spread from man to man. &ldquo;The brethren were so violently attacked that it seemed impossible to render them any assistance,&rdquo; wrote the Prophet Joseph. &ldquo;The Heavens seemed sealed against us and every power that could render us any assistance shut within its gates.&rdquo;<a id="_ftnref4" class="see-footnote" title="" href="#_ftn4">[4]</a> When Joseph tried to halt the spreading plague, he &ldquo;learned by painful experience that when the Great Jehovah decrees destruction upon any people, and makes known His determination, man must not attempt to stay his hand.&rdquo;<a id="_ftnref5" class="see-footnote" title="" href="#_ftn5">[5]</a></p> <p>Sixty-eight men in the camp contracted cholera and thirteen died. Following the cholera epidemic, on July 3, 1834, the men of Zion&rsquo;s Camp were officially discharged by Lyman Wight as authorized by Joseph Smith.</p> <div class="footnotes"> <p class="footnote"><a id="_ftn1" class="footnote-label" title="" href="#_ftnref1">[1]</a> Lucy Mack Smith, History, 1844&ndash;1845, Document Transcript, Bk. 13, 8&ndash;9.</p> <p class="footnote"><a id="_ftn2" class="footnote-label" title="" href="#_ftnref2">[2]</a> Kirtland Council Minute Book, 35. Joseph Smith Papers.</p> <p class="footnote"><a id="_ftn3" class="footnote-label" title="" href="#_ftnref3">[3]</a> History, 1838&ndash;1856, volume A-1 [23 December 1805&ndash;30 August 1834], 7.</p> <p class="footnote"><a id="_ftn4" class="footnote-label" title="" href="#_ftnref4">[4]</a> Lucy Mack Smith, History, 1844&ndash;1845, Document Transcript, Bk. 13, 12.</p> <p class="footnote"><a id="_ftn5" class="footnote-label" title="" href="#_ftnref5">[5]</a> History, 1838&ndash;1856, volume A-1 [23 December 1805&ndash;30 August 1834], 505.</p> </div>

<p>The Lord identifies Joseph Smith as the servant referred to in the parable of the redemption of Zion (see D&C 101:55). Though the Lord told the Saints that the redemption of Zion would come “by power” (D&C 103:15), this phrase does not refer to violence on the part of the Saints. A quick review of the revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants will show that the Saints were continually instructed to purchase the lands in Zion (D&C 103:23) and obtain the land through peaceful and legal means (see D&C 42:5; 45:65–66; 48:4–5; 57:4–6; 58:49–42; 63:27–30; 101:70–71; 105:28–30). </p> <p>None of the men who chose to travel with Zion’s Camp was asked to fire a shot in anger. The most significant conflict the expedition experienced came when they arrived at Fishing River, just ten miles away from the beleaguered Missouri Saints. As the members of Zion’s Camp pitched their tents, five men rode into the camp. The visitors waved their weapons and announced that more than three hundred men were coming to destroy the Saints. Alarmed by this visit, Joseph posted guards around the area, and one member of the camp begged the Prophet to attack the mob first. Instead, Joseph told the group to “stand still and see the salvation of God.”<a href="#_ftn1" id="_ftnref1" title="" class="see-footnote">[1]</a></p> <p>Shortly after Joseph’s declaration, dark clouds gathered overhead. Nathan Baldwin, a member of the camp, recalls, “A small black cloud appeared in the west and increased in size until shortly the whole blue arch was draped in black, presenting a vengeful appearance, while the rain descended in torrents, the winds bellowed[,] and such vivid flashes of lightning and such peals of thunder are seldom seen and heard.”<a href="#_ftn2" id="_ftnref2" title="" class="see-footnote">[2]</a></p> <p>A rainstorm of overwhelming fury burst upon the camp, driving the members of Zion’s Camp from their tents in search of better shelter. Many of the camp members huddled in a small church nearby. As they huddled inside the building, Joseph Smith entered, shaking the water from his hat and clothes. He looked around and exclaimed with exuberance, “Boys, there is some meaning to this—God is in this storm!” As the storm continued to rage, the men remained huddled in the church, singing hymns throughout the night. Nathan Baldwin later wrote, “The Lord had previously said He would fight the battles of His saints, and it seemed as though the mandate had gone forth from His presence, to ply the artillery of Heaven in defense of His servants.”<a href="#_ftn3" id="_ftnref3" title="" class="see-footnote">[3]</a></p> <p>When they emerged in the morning, camp members found that their belongings were scattered, but nothing was damaged beyond repair. In addition, the river separating them from their enemies had risen dramatically overnight, cutting them off from a possible attack. In a later history, Joseph Smith recalls that their enemies “declared that if that was the way God fought for the Mormons, they might as well go about their business.”<a href="#_ftn4" id="_ftnref4" title="" class="see-footnote">[4]</a></p> <div class="footnotes"> <p class="footnote"><a href="#_ftnref1" id="_ftn1" title="" class="footnote-label">[1]</a> <em>Saints: The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days</em>,vol. 1,<em> The Standard of Truth, 1815–1846</em>,2018, 203–204.</p> <p class="footnote"><a href="#_ftnref2" id="_ftn2" title="" class="footnote-label">[2]</a> Matthew C. Godfrey, “The Acceptable Offering of Zion’s Camp,” in <em>Revelations in Context</em>,2016, 216. </p> <p class="footnote"><a href="#_ftnref3" id="_ftn3" title="" class="footnote-label">[3]</a> Godfrey, “Acceptable Offering,” 216. </p> <p class="footnote"><a href="#_ftnref4" id="_ftn4" title="" class="footnote-label">[4]</a> JS History, vol. A-1, pp. 15–16 [addenda], JSP. </p> </div>

<p>Though the Lord in verse 30 instructed Church leaders that they could recruit as many as 500 men for the expedition to Zion, in the end Zion’s Camp numbered about 205 men and approximately 25 women and children.<a href="#_ftn1" id="_ftnref1" title="" class="see-footnote">[1]</a> On May 3, 1834, Joseph Smith led the main party from Kirtland. A smaller group left the Michigan Territory on May 5 under the leadership of Lyman Wight and Hyrum Smith. </p> <p>Joseph Smith had faith in the Lord and the charge given to him to lead the camp, but he also worried over the size of their group. A month into the expedition he wrote to his wife, Emma, “All the Camp is in as good a situation as could be expected; but our numbers and means are altogether too small for the accomplishment of such a great enterprise.”<a href="#_ftn2" id="_ftnref2" title="" class="see-footnote">[2]</a> Still, Joseph had hope for a miracle to redeem Zion. “We believe the hand of the Lord is in it,” he wrote to Emma. “Now is the time for the Church abroad to come to Zion. It is our prayer day and night that God will open the heart of the Churches to pour in men and means to assist us, for the redemption and upbuilding of Zion.”<a href="#_ftn3" id="_ftnref3" title="" class="see-footnote">[3]</a></p> <div class="footnotes"> <p class="footnote"><a href="#_ftnref1" id="_ftn1" title="" class="footnote-label">[1]</a> Matthew C. Godfrey, “The Acceptable Offering of Zion’s Camp,” in <em>Revelations in Context</em>,2016, 214.</p> <p class="footnote"><a href="#_ftnref2" id="_ftn2" title="" class="footnote-label">[2]</a> Letter to Emma Smith, 4 June 1834, p. 57, JSP. </p> <p class="footnote"><a href="#_ftnref3" id="_ftn3" title="" class="footnote-label">[3]</a> Letter to Emma Smith, 4 June 1834, p. 57, JSP.</p> </div>