SOTW 3 Annotated for LDS Ch. 40 Mexico and Her Neighbor

Now of interest to us as Latter-day Saints, is that the Mormon Battalion was formed at this time to help fight in the Mexican-American War, which we are about to read about. The Mormon Battalion was made up of men (and a few women) who left the pioneers to answer the call of the country who had months before expelled them from their homes. Upon receiving a request from the United States government to form a battalion, Brigham Young asked that 500 men volunteer. These men underwent a great march from Iowa/Nebraska through Colorado, eventually ending up in San Diego without having to fight in any battles.

As a result of this war, the United States gained an amount of territory greater than what the Lousiana Territory yielded. This included not only Texas, as we know it, but the Great Basin, part of which became Utah and other parts became areas to which Brigham Young sent people to colonize.

One of the heroes of Texas, Sam Houston, has been called a friend to truth (see Brent Gardner, “Heroes of Everyday Living,” Heber J. Grant Oratorical Contest, November 28, 1962, BYU Speeches of the Year, 1962, p.7); as such he was a friend to the Saints and defender of Brigham Young. As a Senator, he argued against going to war with the Mormons (see Preston Nibley, Brigham Young: The Man and His Work, 4th ed., p.313 – 314).

Although the Mexican-American War was short-lived, it provided not only the sanctuary the Saints needed after being driven from Illinois, but also room to grow in numbers.