The Papers
Reference
About
Military Order to Charles C. Rich, 29 April 1844–A
Source Note
Source Note
JS, Military Order, , Hancock Co., IL, to , , Hancock Co., IL, 29 Apr. 1844; handwriting of ; signature of JS in the handwriting of ; one page; JS Collection, CHL. Includes address, docket, and notations.
Bifolium measuring 9¾ × 7⅞ inches (25 × 20 cm). The order was inscribed on the recto of the first leaf. The verso of the first leaf and the recto of the second leaf are blank. The order was originally trifolded twice in letter style and addressed and was then later refolded for filing. Some folds on the second leaf are worn and at some point after 1930 were repaired with cellophane tape.
A docket by Joseph Rich—’s son—suggests that Charles retained the document, which was then apparently passed down through his family until it was donated to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1908. Andrew Jenson, who began working in the Church Historian’s Office (later Church Historical Department) in 1891 and served as assistant church historian from 1897 to 1941, wrote and signed an archival notation that reads, “This letter was deposited at the H[istorian’s] O[ffice] by Ben E. Rich Sept. 1908.” By 1973 the document had been included in the JS Collection at the Church Historical Department (now CHL).
Footnotes
- [1]
Cole et al., Encyclopedia of Modern Everyday Inventions, 22; Edelman, “Brief History of Tape,” 45–46.
Cole, David J., Eve Browning, and Fred E.H. Schroeder. Encyclopedia of Modern Everyday Inventions. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2003.
Edelman, Jonathan. “A Brief History of Tape.” Ambidextrous 5 (Falling in 2006): 45–46.
- [2]
Jenson, Autobiography, 192, 389; Cannon, Journal, 9 Feb. 1891; Jenson, Journal, 9 Feb. 1891 and 19 Oct. 1897; Bitton and Arrington, Mormons and Their Historians, 47–52.
Jenson, Andrew. Autobiography of Andrew Jenson: Assistant Historian of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. . . . Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press, 1938.
Cannon, George Q. Journals, 1855–1864, 1872–1901. CHL. CR 850 1.
Jenson, Andrew. Journals, 1864–1941. Andrew Jenson, Autobiography and Journals, 1864–1941. CHL.
Bitton, David, and Leonard J. Arrington. Mormons and Their Historians. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1988.
- [3]
See the full bibliographic entry for JS Collection, 1827–1844, in the CHL catalog.
Historical Introduction
Historical Introduction
On 29 April 1844, JS, as lieutenant general of the , issued an order to Brigadier General to take temporary command of the legion because of the suspension of Major General . As the militia’s lieutenant general, JS was the “chief commanding and reviewing officer,” but active leadership of the unit fell to Law, who was JS’s second-in-command from late 1842 to early 1844. By authority of this order, Rich—who was serving as third-in-command of the legion, over the militia’s second (infantry) cohort—would assume command until a court-martial could be held regarding Law.
Since January, tensions had been escalating between JS, , and Wilson’s brother (one of JS’s counselors in the ’s ). In a public sermon on 24 March 1844, JS reported having learned of a plan by the Law brothers—as well as , , and —to “destroy all the Smith family in a few weeks.” Removal from his position was just one of the actions taken against Wilson Law around this time. On 18 April, Law was excommunicated from the church, and on 2 May he was charged before the Masonic Lodge with “gross unmasonic conduct.”
When JS ordered to temporarily replace on 29 April, he also sent an order to Rich, , , and presumably other legion officers to attend a trial for Law ten days later on the charge of “unbecoming conduct.” JS’s decision on 29 April to call for a court-martial for Law was apparently precipitated by a report from , who said that the previous day he had heard Law describe JS as “the most foul, corrupt, guilty of crimes of the darkest kind of any man, at any time on the Earth.” Although the minutes of Law’s 9 May trial failed to note the final decision of the court-martial, Law was cashiered, presumably on that date. Law’s cashiering fulfilled Rich’s term of duty as expressed in the order featured here.
The order to was inscribed by and signed for JS by . It was folded and addressed like a letter and presumably transmitted shortly after being inscribed. It was evidently received by Rich, whose son later docketed it.
Footnotes
- [1]
Nauvoo Legion Minute Book, 2. Law had been serving as major general since August 1842, when he was elected to replace John C. Bennett, who was cashiered following his public expulsion from the church. (Nauvoo Legion Minute Book, 13 Aug. 1842, 29; Notice, Wasp, 30 July [4 Aug.] 1842, [3]; Notice, 11 May 1842.)
The Wasp. Nauvoo, IL. Apr. 1842–Apr. 1843.
- [2]
Rich was commissioned brigadier general over the second cohort on 14 December 1841 (with a rank date of 4 September 1841) following the death of the previous commander, JS’s brother Don Carlos Smith. (John C. Bennett, “Officers of the Nauvoo Legion,” [2], Nauvoo Legion Records, CHL; Nauvoo Legion, Hancock Co., Illinois State Militia Commission Records, 1834–1855, vol. 17, p. 43, Illinois State Archives, Springfield; Returns for Commission in the Nauvoo Legion, 13 Dec. 1841, Illinois Governor’s Correspondence, 1816–1852, Illinois State Archives, Springfield; Stout, “History of the Nauvoo Legion.”)
Nauvoo Legion Records, 1841–1845. CHL. MS 3430.
Illinois State Militia Commission Records, 1834–1855. Illinois State Archives, Springfield.
- [3]
- [4]
- [5]
Notice, Times and Seasons, 15 Apr. 1844, 5:511; Woodruff, Journal, 18 Apr. 1844; Nauvoo Masonic Lodge Minute Book, 2 May 1844.
Times and Seasons. Commerce/Nauvoo, IL. Nov. 1839–Feb. 1846.
Woodruff, Wilford. Journals, 1833–1898. Wilford Woodruff, Journals and Papers, 1828–1898. CHL. MS 1352.
Nauvoo Masonic Lodge Minute Book. / “Record of Na[u]voo Lodge Under Dispensation,” 1842–1846. CHL. MS 3436.
- [6]
- [7]
Court-Martial Proceedings, 9 May 1844, Nauvoo Legion Records, CHL. Miller gave this testimony at the 9 May court-martial. That event was attended by JS; brevet major generals Hyrum Smith, Charles C. Rich, Lyman Wight, George Miller, and Albert P. Rockwood; colonels Hosea Stout and John Scott; John Taylor as judge advocate; and Thomas Bullock, who kept minutes as the adjutant general’s secretary. Aaron Johnson, Cyrus Wheelock, and John Scott gave testimony similar to Miller’s, saying they also had heard Law disparage JS using the same language. John Bills further accused Law of misusing government funds given to the legion.
- [8]
By 17 June 1844, Jonathan Dunham was the acting major general of the Nauvoo Legion. On 31 August 1844, Rich was formally elected major general to permanently fill the position vacated by Law. (Stout, “History of the Nauvoo Legion”; Rich, “Biographical Sketch of Life of Charles C. Rich,” 5–6; Nauvoo Legion Minute Book, 31 Aug. 1844, 81; Thomas Ford, Springfield, IL, to Charles C. Rich, Commission, 24 Sept. 1844, Charles C. Rich Collection, CHL.)
Rich, Charles C. Collection, 1832–1908. CHL. MS 889.
City of
Head Quarters
April 29th. 1844.
Brigadier General
Sir
Major General has been suspended for unbecoming conduct, and I hereby order that you take the command of said Nauvoo Legion till the result of his case shall be decided by Court Martial.
Respectfully
I have the honor to be Your obt. servt.
<Joseph Smith>
Lieut. Genl. N. L. [1/3 page blank] [p. [1]]
Source Note
Source Note
Document Transcript
Document Information
Document Information
Footnotes
Footnotes
Signature of JS in the handwriting of William W. Phelps.