The Mormon military experience is unique in American history. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) is the only denomination to field military units for its own support and purpose rather than national interests, an effort which began in Missouri in 1838 and lasted through the Spanish American War of 1898. From World War I onward, however, the military exceptionalism of the LDS Church faded and Mormon soldiers came to serve national interests as loyal citizens alongside their fellow Americans. The Mormon Military Experience: 1838 to the Cold War is the first book to present a historical overview of the Mormon military experience. Sherman Fleek and Robert Freeman tell this unique story of how the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has experienced war and military service and of their teachings concerning participation in armed conflict. The LDS Church’s distinct relationship between religious life and military service is rooted in its adherence to the Book of Mormon and its unique doctrine based in ancient and then-modern revelations from church leaders. Religious and military exceptionalism went hand in hand during the nineteenth century, when LDS Church leaders dictated when and how members would serve in armed conflict. Mormon militiamen were often more loyal to church interests and the guidance of LDS leaders than they were to government policy, from mustering of the Mormon Battalion during the Mexican War to orchestrating the armed effort during the Utah War of 1857–1858 to serving as Civil War volunteers in the West. Similarly, they followed Church leaders’ teachings not to serve in the Civil War’s bloody campaigns in the East. While LDS leaders adapted church practices and policies to support national objectives at times, there were also occasions when Mormon militia units defied state and federal military forces, sometimes to the point of open combat. No other American denomination has done this. This is a story about changing loyalties: as the LDS Church transformed from a personalist religious movement on the edge of society to a mainstay of American religious and political life, Mormons have moved from battling the US military to serving with distinction within it.

When Thomas James Dunn enlisted in the U.S. Army during the Mexican War, he scarcely could have imagined the adventures that lay in store. He kept a journal, detailing a story of exploration, faith, discovery, gold, and encounters with Native American tribes -- friendly and otherwise! Along the way, he made history, blazing trails and helping to secure the Southwest for the United States. This journal is published with annotations and dozens of pictures, describing and illustrating the people and places Cpl. Dunn encountered during the longest infantry march in American history.

Church History Study Guide, Pt. 3: Latter-Day Prophets Since 1844. This volume is the third of three on Church History and the Doctrine and Covenants. It covers Church history during the administration of all of its Prophet-Prophets since Joseph Smith. It begins with the succession of the Apostles after Joseph Smith?s martyrdom, the building of the Nauvoo Temple, and the trek to the west of the Latter-day Saint pioneers. We follow them through Iowa, Winter Quarters, and on to Utah. We witness the colonization of the state of Deseret, while the rest of the country suffered from Civil War. Then we follow events through the administrations of all of the 19th-Century, 20th-Century, and 21st-Century prophets from John Taylor to Thomas S. Monson. We become familiar with the early lives, missions, marriages, and callings of each of these prophets, seeing how the Lord prepared them for the particular time that they led the Church. We finish with a look toward the future as we await the Second Coming of our Lord. The cover features a beautiful photograph of the Salt Lake Temple, taken at dusk during the Christmas season from the roof of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building.

This three-volume work traces the history of revolts and rebellions from the colonial era to the 20th century. America has a long history of rebellions extending back before 1776. Revolts have taken place because of economic hard times, the denial of civil rights, racism, sexism, and classism. Studying the reasons for and results of these uprisings provides a window into the life of the American body politic—and what moves the American people to action. Revolts, Protests, Demonstrations, and Rebellions in American History: An Encyclopedia details the history of popular actions from the colonial era to the 20th century. Each event in the three-volume encyclopedia is covered by an overview entry that details who was involved, why the revolt took place, what happened, and what the aftereffects were. Shorter subentries provide further detail on the important people, places, events, and ideas that were a part of the action. By presenting both the broad themes and the specifics, the encyclopedia enables readers to gain a general knowledge of the event or drill down to acquire a greater understanding.

This book contains fifteen essays from leading historians and religious studies scholars, each originally presented as the annual Tanner lecture at the conference of the Mormon History Association. Approaching Mormon history from a variety of angles, such as gender, identity creation, American imperialism, and globalization, these scholars, all experts in their fields but new to the study of Mormon history itself, ask intriguing questions about Mormonism's past and future and analyze familiar sources in unexpected ways.