KIRTLAND CAMP.
It may not be inappropriate here to break the direct line of my
narrative, for the purpose of noticing events that are but indirectly
connected with the Missouri persecutions; and yet are peculiarly
characteristic of "Mormon" movements. The seventies that were in
Kirtland in the spring of 1838, met in the House of the Lord there,
and discussed the best method of removing the quorum to Missouri. It
was manifest both by vision and by prophecy, that they should go up
in a camp, pitching their tents by the way; and the liberty of going
with the camp was to be extended to those that were not seventies, on
the condition that they would comply with the rules of the camp. A
commission of seven, all seventies, was appointed to lead the camp; and
there were also appointed a chief engineer, a historian, and a general
treasurer. The camp was divided in companies of ten, with a captain
over each company. The rules governing "Kirtland Camp," as it is called
in Church history, were few, and smack of a primitive simplicity:
1. The engineer shall receive advice from the counselors (the
commission of seven) concerning his duties.
2. At four o'clock a. m., the horn shall blow for rising, and at twenty
minutes past four for prayers, at which time each captain of ten shall
see that the inmates of his tent are ready for worship.
3. The head of each division shall keep a roll of all his able-bodied
men to stand guard, in turn, as called for by the engineer; one half in
the former, the other half in the latter part of the night.
4. Each company of the camp is entitled to an equal portion of the milk
whether it owns the cows or not.
5. Appointed a herdsman for the camp, who was to call for the
assistance necessary to care of the stock.
6. Provided the camp should not travel more than fifteen miles a day,
unless absolutely necessary.
A company of two hundred and forty-nine males, and two hundred and
sixty-six females, a total of five hundred and fifteen souls, with
twenty-seven tents, ninety-seven horses, twenty-two oxen, sixty-nine
cows, camped about a quarter of a mile south of the Lord's House in
Kirtland, on the fifth of July, 1838; and the next day started for
Missouri. The journey was long and tedious; many difficulties were
encountered and numerous obstacles overcome. A spirit of murmuring was
frequently manifested, much sickness was in the camp, and because of
their disobedience, evil spirits plagued them by getting possession of
their bodies. At times they would camp by the way-side to rest their
jaded teams, when the brethren would generally get a small contract
of work to do; such as harvesting a field of grain, building fences
or making road. In this way they spent the summer in journeying to
Missouri, where they arrived late in autumn.
A company of saints organized in a similar manner, in Canada, under
the leadership of John E. Page, in their journey to Missouri met with
the camp from Kirtland, on Sunday the 12th of August, and John E. Page
preached to the Kirtland Camp. As they passed through the country they
received varied treatment at the hands of the people. At times they
were allowed to pass on in peace, and then threatened with violence;
and at times actually assaulted. Their toils and sufferings, their
faithfulness and rebellions, their rejoicings and sorrows, their
preaching the word in the wilderness, their hunger, fatigue, sickness,
deaths, and the final arrival of the travel-worn remnants of the camp
in Far West and Diahman would, if related in detail, make a long
interesting chapter, but we have not space to say more here.