1838 Mormon War

1838 Mormon War
Part of the Mormon Wars
"Charge of the Danites" in the 1838 Mormon War
Date August 6, 1838 – November 1, 1838 Location Northwestern Missouri, United States (Caldwell County, Carroll County, Daviess County, Livingston County) Result Missourian victory Mormons expelled from Missouri and resettled in Nauvoo, Illinois.
Belligerents
Anti-Mormon vigilantes  Missouri (after the Battle of Crooked River)	Mormons  Missouri (before the Daviess County Expedition)
Commanders and leaders
Samuel Bogart Thomas Jennings John Bullock Clark	George M. Hinkle David W. Patten † David Rice Atchison Alexander W. Doniphan
Casualties and losses
1 killed	21 killed (including 17 at Haun's Mill massacre)
Unknown wounded Unknown civilian deaths

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The 1838 Mormon War, also known as the Missouri Mormon War, was a conflict between Mormons and their neighbors in Missouri. It was preceded by tensions and episodes of vigilante violence dating back to the initial Mormon settlement in Jackson County in 1831. State troops became involved after the Battle of Crooked River, leading Governor Lilburn Boggs to order Mormons expelled from the state. It should not be confused with the Illinois Mormon War or the Utah War.

Between 1831 and 1833, Mormons established several settlements in Jackson County, Missouri, and had built a temple site in Independence, the county seat. The Mormons' presence in the county was short-lived, as non-Mormon residents grew increasingly hostile towards them. In November 1833, the Mormons were violently evicted from Jackson County, forcing the displaced Mormons to re-settle in neighboring counties. As Mormons were unable to regain their lands in Jackson County, the Missouri legislature organized Caldwell County in 1836 as a place for Mormons to settle, known as the "Caldwell Compromise".

Peace was disrupted on August 6, 1838, at an election in Gallatin when Mormons were blocked from voting, leading to a brawl. In October 1838, vigilantes laid siege to DeWitt, Carroll County, demanding the Mormons' departure. A militia was sent to DeWitt to disperse the vigilantes and settle the peace. However, they mutinied and joined the siege, forcing the Mormons to evacuate the settlement.

Hearing rumors that the vigilantes had marched to Daviess County, the Danites (a Mormon vigilante group) preemptively struck the settlements of Millport and Gallatin, further escalating the conflict. The Battle of Crooked River in late October 1838 led to Lilburn Boggs, the Governor of Missouri, issuing the Missouri Executive Order 44, which accused the Mormons of rebellion and ordered them to leave Missouri or be killed. On November 1, 1838, the Mormons surrendered at Far West. Mormon leaders were accused of treason and sent to Liberty, where they stayed in custody until April, when they were transferred to a Daviess County prison. While traveling to Daviess County, the guards released the prisoners, including Joseph Smith. After their release, they joined with the Mormons who were gathering in Quincy, Illinois.

During the conflict, 22 people were killed: three Mormons and one non-Mormon at the Battle of Crooked River,^[1] one Mormon prisoner fatally injured while in custody,^[2] and 17 Mormon civilians at Hawn's Mill.^[3] An unknown number of non-combatants died due to exposure and hardship as a result of being expelled from their homes in Missouri.^[4] All of the conflicts in the Mormon War occurred in a corridor 100 miles (160 km) to the east and northeast of Kansas City.