sell. The captain then char[g]ed this company, several different tim[e]s not to touch the Dutchmans potatoes, In the morning the Dutchman had not a potatoe left in his patch. This was in refference to touching no property, in our expedition to that did not belong to us, but he told us that the people <​children​> of God did not go to war at their own expense— A vote was taken whether the brethren should embody and go down to to attack the mob, this question was put by the prophet Jos Smith Jr & passed unanimously, with a few exceptions Captains & were appointed commanders of the mormons by Jos Smith Jr to go to , he frequently called these man generals. I once had a command as an officer but Jos Smith Jr removed me from it & I asked him the reason & he assigned that he had another office for me: afterwards told me I was to fill the office of Surgeon to attend to the sick & wounded After we arrived at in . a council was held, at night composed of Jos. Smith Jr, , Captains & , , and myself & perhaps — was not present, he remained at , a correspondence was kept up between him & Jos Smith Jr. I heard read one of the letters from Smith which as I remember was about as follows That he knew from prophesy & from the revelation of Jesus Christ that the enemies of the Kingdom were in their hands, & that they/the mormon church should succeed— on reading the letter said it gave him great satisfaction <​consolation​> that to have such authority that the kingdom of God was rolling on— In the above refered to council Mr Smith spoke of the grievances we had suffered in , , & other places, declared that we must [p. [4]]