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Mormon Battalion and Long March, Santa Fe to California
The first division of the Mormon Battalion approached Santa Fe on October 9,
1846. Their approach was heralded by Col. Alexander Doniphan, who ordered a
one-hundred-gun salute in their honor.
At Santa Fe, Smith was relieved of his command by Lt. Col. Philip St.
George Cooke.
Cooke was aware of the rugged
trail between Santa Fe and California and also aware that one sick detachment
had already been sent from the Arkansas River to Fort Pueblo in Colorado.
He ordered the remaining women and children to accompany the sick of the
battalion to Pueblo for the winter. Three detachments consisting of 273
people eventually were sent to Pueblo for the winter of 1846-1847.
The remaining soldiers, with four wives of officers, left Santa Fe for
California on October 19, 1846. They journeyed down the Rio Grande del Norte
and eventually crossed the Continental Divide on November 28, 1846. While
moving up the San Pedro River in present-day Arizona, their column was
attacked by a herd of wild cattle. In the ensuing fight, a number of bulls
were killed and two men were wounded. Following the "Battle of the Bulls",
the battalion continued their march toward Tucson, where they anticipated
a possible battle with the Mexican soldiers garrisoned there. But
the Mexican defenders temporarily abandoned their positions and no conflict
ensued.
On December 21, 1846 the battalion encamped on the Gila River. They crossed
the Colorado River into California on January 10, 1847. By January 29, 1847
they were camped at the Mission of San Diego, about five miles from General
Kearny's quarters. That evening, Colonel Cooke rode to Kearny's
encampment and reported the battalion's condition.
On January 30, 1847, Cooke issued orders listing the accomplishments
of the Mormon Battalion. "History may be searched in vain for an equal
march of infantry. Half of it has been through a wilderness where nothing
but savages and wild beasts are found, or deserts where, for lack of water,
there is no living creature."
During the remainder of their enlistment, some members of the battalion were
assigned to garrison duty at either San Diego, San Luis Rey, or Ciudad de los
Angeles. Other soldiers were assigned to accompany General Kearny back to
Fort Leavenworth. All soldiers, whether en route to the Salt Lake Valley
via Pueblo or still in Los Angeles, were mustered out of the United States
Army on July 16, 1847. Eighty-one men chose to reenlist and serve an
additional eight months of military duty under Captain Daniel C. Davis in
Company A of the Mormon Volunteers. The majority of the soldiers migrated
to the Salt Lake Valley and were reunited with their pioneering families.
The men of the Mormon Battalion are honored for their willingness to fight
for the United States as loyal American citizens. Their march of some 2,000
miles from Council Bluffs to California is one of the longest military marches
in history. Their participation in the early development of California by
building Fort Moore in Los Angeles, building a courthouse in San Diego, and
making bricks and building houses in southern California contributed to the
growth of the West.
Following their discharge, some men helped build flour mills, sawmills,
and other structures in northern California. Some were among the first to
discover gold at Sutter's Mill. Men from Captain Davis's Company A were
responsible for opening the first wagon road over the southern route from
California to Utah in 1848.
Historic sites associated with the battalion include the Mormon Battalion
Memorial Visitor's Center in San Diego, California; Fort Moore Pioneer
Memorial in Los Angeles, California; and the Mormon Battalion Monument
in Memory Grove, Salt Lake City, Utah. Monuments relating to the battalion
are also located in New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado, and trail markers
have been placed on segments of the battalion route.