About the time the dissenters fled, preached a sermon from the text “ye are the salt of the earth; but if the salt have lost its savour, wherewithal shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.” commonly called the salt sermon, in which the dissenters were compared to <​called​> the salt that had lost its savour, and that they should be trampled upon, and driven out by the saints, which was well understood by the danites to be a part of their duty to do.— When ' men marched up to . Smith told me, as I understood him, that he had said to one of the militia captains, not to come any further as he might get into danger— Smith after erecting his bulwarks, (the night after arrived) asked me if I did not think him pretty much of a general and I answered in the affirmative— We were advised all the time to fight valiantly, and that the angles of the Lord would appear in our defence and fight out battles—

In refference to s battle, I know but little personally as to the start of the troops to fight — I was called upon to go along with the company. (which was commanded by ) as surgeon this was about midnight, but as I thought a little sleep would do me more good than fighting, I remained at home.— In the morning of the fight, about 6 o'clock I was called on by a who informed me that was wounded mortally— I went to about 3 miles from the battle ground, where I found Jos Smith Jr present laying hands on the wounded & blessing them to heal them— A was also mortally wounded. I heard the following of the prisoners say he was present in the fight to wit Norman Shearer [p. [25]]