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The Utah War was a 19th century armed conflict between Mormon settlers in Utah Territory and the United States federal government. From 1857 to 1858, the settlers and the government battled for hegemony over the culture and government of the state-to-be.

1 Background

The Presidential Election of 1856 was a contest between James Buchanan of the established Democratic party and John C. Frémont of the newly organized Republican party. Buchanan eventually prevailed, but the credibility of the Democratic party had been shaken. The Republicans charged the Democrats with being soft on the " Twin Relics of Barbarism "— polygamy and slavery. To regain credibility for the Democrats, Buchanan needed to address the charge, but was also concerned with maintaining the integrity of the union between the states. The only politically viable option for Buchanan was to take the hard-line on polygamy and depose Brigham YoungNSHC, depicts the LDS prophet as he appeared during most of his tenure as leader of the church. Brigham Young ( June 1, 1801 August 29, 1877) was the second prophet and president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church; see also Mor as governor of the Utah Territory. Buchanan chose to appoint Alfred Cumming as the new governor and ordered the U.S. Army to escort Cumming to the Utah Territory.

2 Troop movements

The U.S. troops marching toward Utah were originally led by Gen. William S. Harney, but Harney was forced to return to KansasKansas derived from the Siouan word Kansa meaning "People of the south wind", is a midwestern state in the United States. postal abbreviation for the state is KS and the state flower is the sunflower. The state motto is "Ad astra per aspera", Latin for "t to deal with a conflict there. Because of Harney's unavailability, Col. Edmund Alexander was charged with the first detatchment of troops headed for Utah, only to later rendezvous with and relinquish command to Col. Albert Sidney JohnstonGeneral Albert Sidney Johnston ( February 2, 1803 April 6, 1862) was an American soldier and military leader. He was born in Kentucky and later lived much of his life in Texas. In 1826 he graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY. The Nauvoo LegionThe Nauvoo Legion was a private militia employed by Joseph Smith, Jr. and Brigham Young during the Latter Day Saint movement through 1870 for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the LDS Church; see also " Mormon"). The Legion was named for th, a Utah militia commanded by Lot SmithLot Smith (c. 1830 June 21, 1842) is a character both of LDS/ Mormon history and folklore. Born in 1830, he became a close friend of Orrin Porter Rockwell and was known as "The Horseman" for his exceptional skills on horseback as well as for his help in r and under Young's leadership, harassed the federal mission while under Alexander's command. It was only days after Col. Johnston took command of the combined U.S. forces that he decided to settle in at the burned out remains of Fort BridgerFort Bridger was a 19th century fur trading outpost established in 1842 in present-day Wyoming in the western United States. The post was established by mountain men Jim Bridger, after whom it is named, and Louis Vasquez. During the 1840s through 1860s, t for the winter. In spring, reinforcements arrived to resupply and strengthen the military presence in Utah, but negotiations were already underway. In 1858 Young accepted his replacement and peace returned to Deseret.