A Concise History of the Mormon Battalion in the Mexican War 1846-1847 [Paperback]

Daniel Tyler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 27, 2009

The book has no illustrations or index. It may have numerous typos or missing text. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from the publisher's website (GeneralBooksClub.com). You can also preview excerpts of the book there. Purchasers are also entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Original Publisher: Salt Lake City; Publication date: 1881; Subjects: History / Military / United States; Religion / Christianity / Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon); Religion / Christianity / Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon);

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 390 pages
• Publisher: University of Michigan Library (April 27, 2009)
• Language: English
• ASIN: B002IKL8MY
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,931,737 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "must read" for anyone interested in first person accounts, December 17, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: A concise history of the Mormon battalion in the Mexican War, 1846-1847 (A Rio Grande classic) (Hardcover)

Daniel Tyler was a dedicated member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He participated in many of the "critical" events of that Church from it's beginnings. His first person account of the march of the Mormon Battalion is a day by day account of the "longest recorded march in military history." A lengthy introductory by John Taylor, president of the Church, a poem by Eliza R. Snow and a recount of the First General Festival of the Battalion with speeches by Brigham Young and others, makes this a very readable and valuable addition to any history library. Scholars will find numerous mistakes in roosters and some facts. But this is to be expected from someone who didn't have access to anything but diaries and other somewhat less reliable resources. It is a biased account. He was as I have said; a dedicated member of the Church. He most definitely give his views on various people and events. But that is what makes this such a good read. It's not a watered down politically correct account. It was writted by someone who was there. I recommend it without reservation.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A necessary history, April 16, 2011

By 

Freyja's Books (Arizona, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Concise History Of The Mormon Battalion In The Mexican War 1846-1847 (Paperback)

This book is an account of the journey of the Mormon Battalion from Fort Leavenworth to San Diego told by a non-commissioned officer of the Battalion, and many other events that surround this journey that are deemed necessary in order to understand the situation of the Battalion on their trip. Something to keep in mind when picking up this book is that only about a third of the book, the middle third, is dedicated to telling the story of the Mormon Battalion -- the first third of it is about the massacre of Joseph Smith and other Mormons in Illinois (told by a Mormon that was there), and then an account of the Mormon refugees from Nauvoo to Fort Leavenworth (told by a U.S. Army officer friendly to the Mormons). The final third of the book covers a sort of "where they all went" story of the "Mormon boys" from 1847 to 1855, particularly focusing on the author's own story afterwards, as well as the workers at Sutter's Fort and settlers of Salt Lake City. Finally, the book ends in a reunion of the Mormon Battalion survivors in Salt Lake City, 1855, giving a happy ending to the story.

Anyone that reads this book and discusses it ought to explain their biases, so here goes: I'm not Mormon, just a patriotic resident of Arizona (where the Battalion built part of their trail) that loves U.S. History books. As such, I can say that the meat of this book, about the journey of the Mormon Battalion, is not the least bit preachy, and is very descriptive of the Mormons' feelings and opinions when making the wagon road from Santa Fe to San Diego. Tidbits here and there are particularly insightful about the prevailing thoughts of the time, such as the entire Battalion's absolute loathing for their medical doctor, their affections and despises of their several commanders, their steadfast desire to prove their loyalty to a government that they believed was constantly persecuting them, their belief and realization that no shot would ever be fired at the Battalion, and their justification for even agreeing to join the army and build a wagon road, which turned out to be harder work than probably any other troops in the war experienced. The section of the book covering the history of the Mormon Battalion is invaluable information, not just to Latter-day Saints, but to the United States as a whole because of their contributions to settling the Southwest.

I have to admit that I was wary of reading the other sections of the book, covering the before-and-after history around the Battalion. I was indeed shocked to see that the Battalion's history ends fully 290 pages into a 370 page book, with 80 left to spare! The filler information is not irrelevant, though: the introduction explains why the Mormons enlisted in the task, and the post-discharge history explains how the Mormons completed their personal objectives to settle their families somewhere away from persecution, which they succeed at in the end of the book. All in all, this is a very nicely done book, and it is doubly important because it was written by a soldier who was there, suffering from the constant lack of food, clothing, and livestock that only a "Battalion boy" would be able to relate earnestly.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, March 10, 2007

By 

Julie F. Browning - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Concise History Of The Mormon Battalion In The Mexican War 1846-1847 (Paperback)

I received the book much sooner than I had expected, and was very pleased with the book and the shipping time.