Massacre at Mountain Meadows

Massacre at Mountain Meadows by Ronald W. Walker, Richard E. Turley Jr., and Glen M. Leonard

I'd been wanting to read this book ever since I came out, and after getting it as a Christmas gift (thanks Mom) I finally had the chance to read it. There have been many books written on this controversial topic, but I must admit this is the first I have read. Many consider Juanita Brooks' The Mountain Meadows Massacre to be the definitive work on the subject, but I think that this one will be mentioned alongside her book as well. The authors, all Mormons, take a balanced look at events leading up to the massacre and why it happened. It should have never happened, but it did. It's a dark stain on American history, and Mormon history specifically. The authors do a good job of putting the massacre into its proper historical context, examining the background of what was going on in Utah during this time period. However, they do not try to provide excuses for the atrocity, they simply want to try and understand why seemingly good people would commit such a crime. Many people have tried to pin the blame on Brigham Young. As with many historical events, the Mountain Meadows Massacre is too complex to put the blame on any one person. There is no evidence linking Young to ordering the massacre, but there is a letter stating to let the emigrants go, that arrived too late. The leaders in Southern Utah acted on their own in conducting the massacre. However, the authors do note the war fever that was spreading throughout Utah, as the Mormons were preparing to defend themselves against the U.S. military, which was on its way to Utah. Brigham Young certainly played a part in instilling this fever within the Mormon people, and the authors acknowledge that. But that does not mean he condoned the massacre, the evidence noting that he knew nothing about it until it was too late. As for the settlers involved, the authors treat them with fairness as well. John D. Lee became the scapegoat for the whole thing, and did play a large role in the massacre, but others, such as Isaac Haight, played large roles as well, that the authors examine. Overall I felt it was a very balanced book and one that was not written to excuse the crime, but rather to lend understanding to something that is very difficult to comprehend. It is a tragedy that never should have happened, but did, and there is no sense in trying to cover it up or make excuses for it. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to try and understand this subject, and for anyone interested in Mormon or Western history.