Contributions in Kind Move Visitor's Center Forward

Mormon Battalion THE VALIANT Acting Editor L TC Max W. Jamison www.mormonbattalion.com W IN TER 2007 I SSU E Volume 12, No. 4 Contributions in Kind Move Visitor's Center Forward by LTC ROBERT PETTEGREW PAUL, Chair, Building and Fundraising Committee THERE HAS BEEN A FLURRY OF SUBCONTRACTOR CONSTRUCTION WORK over e past several mons at e Mormon Battalion Visitors Center site. Wi e engineering survey completed, Harper Construction Company has donated much labor and material, including caterpillar tractors, a water truck, ear compaction machinery, and delivery and grading of numerous truckloads of engineering road base to prepare e site for construction work. The soils engineering report indicated at e new ear work needed to settle over e winter and e proper drainage installed. The JOHN HAYES family installed a security fence to prevent anyone from falling down e steep slope into e area of e future building basement. At long last, e sewer and water

Page 2 Battalion Trek Gains Momentum connections have been installed. All e utility line specifications and drawings have been completed, and is work shall start e first week of January 2008. CRAIG TAFT of GSL Electric Company went to significant effort and expense to find and deliver e special power transformer needed for our project. And ED KIM BALL, our Construction Advisor, secured permission from Camco Construction Company for members and friends of e Mormon Battalion to salvage ousands of dollars wor of light fixtures, display cases, mirrors, doors, security lights, fire extinguishers, baroom fixtures, and oer items from e former Cottonwood Mall in Holladay, Utah for use in e Visitors Center. Wi all e utilities lines installed by February 2008, work on e plazas for e two heroic monuments and e basement for e outdoor rest rooms and accessories [Phase 1] will commence immediately and should be completed by early Summer 2008. Construction of e Visitors Center [Phase 2] will start shortly ereafter, concluding wi e landscaping of e Jesse C. Little Memorial Trail and Garden [Phase 3]. We of e Mormon Battalion do humbly set for our gratitude and heartfelt appreciation to e subcontractors who have donated eir time, talent, equipment, and money to assist in is sacred cause. We are also grateful to all ose who by eir fai, not knowing if it would ever come to pass have donated bo time and material to is very important project to commemorate e sacrifice of e original Battalion to eir God and country in building and securing e souwestern lands of America. But e task is far from complete! We still very urgently need your contributions! by LTC JEROM E GOURLEY, National Executive Officer THE UPCOMING MORMON BATTALION TREK EVENT continues to gaer momentum! All of e organizational details have been accomplished, enabling e Battalion Trek to function as a tax-free 501(c)3 entity. Merchandising decisions such as logos, t-shirts, sweatshirts, and hats have been designed and will be available for purchase on-line in e spring/summer. The registration and campsite sponsorship forms are available online as well. We are now making entries to e online journal, and e final schedule will be posted by 1 January 2008. Volunteers are coming forward from all over e country to assist in many areas of administration and computer support, but more are needed. If you are interested, please contact e Battalion Trek at www.battaliontrek.com. Publicity letters to all e stake presidents presiding over areas rough which e march will go are being sent out wi e hope at many hundreds of young people will want to participate as re-enactors during parts of e march along e original Mormon Battalion trail. LTC JEROM E GOURLEY serves as e official Mormon Battalion Association representative on e Board of Directors of Battalion Trek and can be contacted for additional information at (801) 860-0223. Norern California Company Report by CAPT L. DENTON HOEH, Commander OUR COM PANY WAS VERY BUSY during e mons of July and August, participating in a Four of July parade, a two mon museum display, e annual meeting of e Ship Brooklyn Association, a musical play, and a tristake fireside. These events exposed ousands of people in e Modesto area

Page 3 to e Mormon Battalion and eir contributions to California History. The activities kicked off wi a float in e local Modesto Four of July parade. Then Modesto's McHenry Museum, a regional historical museum, hosted a display on LDS Church History in California in it's main hall, involving e cooperative efforts of local chapters of e Ship Brooklyn Association, e Daughters of Utah Pioneers (DUP), and e Mormon Battalion Association. The co-chairs of e events were JACK MARSHALL of e Ship Brooklyn and CAPT DENTON HOEH of e Mormon Battalion. The DUP was represented by PAT COOPER (Modesto Chapter), MARILYN MILLS (San Bernardino Chapter), and MELVA WHEELWRIGHT (Santa Rosa Chapter). DENNIS HOLLAND from Sacramento helped wi pamphlets from e California Pioneer Heritage Foundation. Every Saturday, we had a member of our Norern California Company present in period-correct cloing to answer questions, show films and documentaries, hand out pamphlets, and give away wooden nickels wi our Mormon Battalion Norern California Company logo on em. The main display provided by e LDS Church was also exhibited in San Bernardino, at e San Diego Mormon Battalion Visitors Center, in e Los Angeles Temple Visitors Center, and e Oakland Temple Visitors Center. Oer displays and activities involved materials from e Folsom Museum, as well as personal items from members of e Ship Brooklyn Association, e DUP, and e Mormon Battalion. On 28 July, e Museum hosted e annual national meeting of e Ship Brooklyn Association, wi CAPT HOEH speaking. On 27 and 28 July, e Modesto Nor Stake Center hosted e musical play "The Forgotten Pioneers," directed by e auor MELVA WHEELWRIGHT and presented by a group from Santa Rosa. On 29 July, e Modesto Stake Center hosted MARILYN MILLS in a tri-stake fireside. Events concluded wi our participation in e 18 August Night at e Museum in periodcorrect cloing. Editor's Note: Company Reporters Needed! The above is an excellent example of a Company Report. We need similar local reports of your activities, including local meeting times and places! Company commanders, please assign one of your members to send us regular company news reports. New Officers Selected by LTC MAX W. JAMISON, Acting Editor It is wi regret at we announce e resignations of MAJ GLOYD SPROUSE as National Enlistment Officer/Vice President of Membership of e Battalion and CAROLYN PARK as Secretary of e Women's Auxiliary. By unanimous vote, e Executive Committee selected ERMA BULLOCK to fill is position until regular elections are held. The Women's Auxiliary has selected ELAINE EREKSON to serve as eir new Secretary. Commander s Message A Very Good Year by COL NORMAN T. EREKSON, Commander WHAT AN EXCITING SHORT YEAR has just past! Thanks for all you do to help fulfill BROTHER BRIGHAM S prophecy. Keep up e good work and increase your efforts! Three graves were memorialized; 22 flag ceremonies were performed; 24 Parades were marched in; 35 trail presentations were made to 2,200 people in e Mesa Arizona area; 491 Boy Scout Eagle Scout Neckerchief Slides and 474 Boy Scout Mormon Battalion Trail Awards were presented; ground has been broken for our new Museum and Memorial Gardens; and four issues of The Valiant were published. In addition to our great Heritage Day program every June, and e mundane day-to-day business of taxes and reports, Company, Executive and Staff meetings and programs, we are sponsoring ree major projects simultaneously: 1. LTC ROBERT PAUL, ED KIMBALL, and LTC GAYLEN MAYNES have spent many hours, trips, phone calls, and meetings keeping funds coming in and work progressing on our long dreamed Visitors Center and Memorial Gardens at This Is e Place Heritage Park. 2. M. GORDON JOHNSON has generously underwritten e filming of A Soldier's Tale in high definition 16:9 format for e Battalion. JOHN HAYES has assembled a volunteer professional film crew and film editor, who are donating eir time and effort, only charging us for equipment rental. The film is now in e editing process, and may be ready for premier at Heritage Day. If done commercially, is film could easily have cost $50,000. 3. KEVIN HENSON and his crew are preparing for a great Trek experience next year. Please take an interest and join in along e way. It is a Sesquicentennial experience you will not want to miss. Check it out on www.battaliontrek.com. We are on e verge of some great happenings. We hope to see e numbers of active members grow and more Families of Battalion descendants get involved. What a

Page 4 great legacy we have to carry on and perpetuate! Keep up e good work and increase your efforts! THANKS! Oh yeah; SEND MONEY! Women s Auxiliary Message Time Flies by ANNIE EREKSON, President AS THE MELODY GOES, time flies on wings of lightning, is is how I have felt about 2007. As a Mormon Battalion Association we have accomplished a lot of important improvements is past year at will hopefully bring more attention to our organization, increase membership, and last but not least in 2008, begin e JESSE C. LITTLE Memorial Gardens and e Women s Farewell Garden. This tremendous effort of finding donations has been ongoing e past eight years. We should all be grateful to ROBERT PAUL and his committee s efforts in finding monies to begin is project. As two ousand and eight approaches, we as men and women Battalion members, will have e privilege of voting on e ballot for new officers. We encourage each of you to make any nominations you feel would help strengen e Executive Committee. We should renew our efforts in getting memorializations completed (do you have an ancestor not yet memorialized?), be involved in flag ceremonies, parades, Eagle Scout neckerchief slide programs, and building our organization to represent e 500 Volunteers plus eir wives and children who undertook e original march. In e Summer issue of The Valiant, I offered $25 to anyone who read e complete Valiant and found my offer buried wiin my article. I had five members call and it was fun to hear where ey lived... but I found one problem wi my offer. The members who lived in e local area received eir Valiant earlier an ose across e country. If I do is again, I will put a beginning and ending date, so e contest will be more equal to everyone. Our winner was MARGEE THOMPSON, and she en returned e money to be put in e building fund. We know at each of you is very busy, but we all have a great responsibility to keep e Battalion s memory alive! LET US NOT FORGET! Calendar of Events by MAJ RICHARD BULLOCK, Adjutant (See www.mormonbattalion.com website also.) January 2008 4 [Tu] Dixie Company Monly Meeting. 7:00 p.m., Cottonmill Dance Hall, 300 West Telegraph, Washington, UT. Capt Johnnie Johnson Commander 435-673-3049. 17 [Th] Company B Monly Meeting. 6:30 p.m., DUP Rock Chapel, 1151 West 7800 Sou, West Jordan, UT Capt La Var Burton, Commander, 801-255- 1629. lburto91034@peoplepc.com. 18 [Fr] Company A Monly Meeting. 6:30 p.m., Granite Tabernacle, 20 Sou 9 East, Salt Lake City, UT. Capt Jay Bowen Commander 801-968- 4173. All are invited to attend. 19 [Sa] Battalion Executive Committee Meeting. 9:00 a.m.; Battalion Advisors & National Auxiliary, 10:15 a.m.; 420 Sou 800 East, Salt Lake City, UT. 24 [Th] Company D Monly Meeting. 7:00 p.m., Logan Senior Citizen Center, 240 Nor 100 East, Logan, UT. CAPT GORDON COULSON, Commander, 435-573-5714, gjcoulson@pcu.net. 31 [Th] Company C Monly Meeting. 7:00 p.m., Roy City Library, 1950 West 4800 Sou, Roy, UT. CAPT CLARK OLSEN, Commander, 801-391-6652 or cell 801-525-0227 j.o.bumber@comcast.net. 31 [Th] Dance In Concert. 7:30 p.m. De Jong Concert Hall, Harris Fine Arts Center, BYU, Provo, UT. February 1-2 [Fr- Dance In Concert. 2:00 and 7:30 p.m. De Jong Sa] Concert Hall, Harris Fine Arts Center, BYU, Provo, UT. 5 [Tu] Dixie Company Monly Meeting. 7:00 p.m., Cottonmill Dance Hall, 300 West Telegraph, Washington, UT. Capt Johnnie Johnson Commander 435-673-3049. 15 [Fr] Company A Monly Meeting. 6:30 p.m., Granite Tabernacle, 20 Sou 9 East, Salt Lake City, UT. CAPT JAY BOWEN, Commander, 801-968-4173. All are invited to attend. 16 [Sa] Battalion Executive Committee Meeting. 9:00 a.m.; Battalion Advisors & National Auxiliary, 10:15 a.m.; 420 Sou 800 East, Salt Lake City, UT. 24 [Th] Company B Monly Meeting. 6:30 p.m., DUP Rock Chapel, 1151 West 7800 Sou, West Jordan, UT Capt La Var Burton, Commander, 801-255- 1629. lburto91034@peoplepc.com. 24 [Th] Company D Monly Meeting. 7:00 p.m., Logan Senior Citizen Center, 240 Nor 100 East, Logan, UT. CAPT GORDON COULSON, Commander, 435-573-5714, gjcoulson@pcu.net. 28 [Th] Company C Monly Meeting. 7:00 p.m., Roy City Library, 1950 West 4800 Sou, Roy, UT. CAPT CLARK OLSEN, Commander, 801-391-6652 or cell 801-525-0227 j.o.bumber@comcast.net.

Page 5 Preface, Part 6... Manifest Destiny vs. Promised Land From e editor: Previous issues of The Valiant have included Parts 1-5 of e serialization of e Preface to LTC JAMISON S book sponsored by e Battalion, Manifest Destiny vs. Promised Land: Francis Moore, Jr. s Annotated 1846 Mitchell Map; Deciphering an 1846-48 Chronicle of e Mexican-American War, e Mormon Battalion, e Gold Rush, e Alamo, and Texas. The mystery saga continues... At my request in late 1996, Norma B. Ricketts had futilely searched e research notes for her forcoming book, The U.S. Mormon Battalion: United States Army of e West, 1846-1847, for just such a reference to a member of e Battalion holding a copy of Mitchell's map. We had erefore assumed at no member of e Battalion held such a map. Now I had stumbled upon evidence of one in e microfilm of a longforgotten 1847 Houston, Texas newspaper. This map was held by an unidentified "officer in e pay department" of e Mormon Battalion who had sent at least one previous unpublished letter to "Mr. G. W. Dent" of St. Louis recording his westward progress as far as Fra Cristobal, New Mexico, and referencing copies of Mitchell's map which bo held. Most intriguing was e intimation at any reader could track Mormon Battalion progress on eir copy of e Mitchell map! Nine Clues to Identifying Auor and Purpose of Map Annotations Unfortunately, e 190 annotations and drawings added to is particular map had no "map legend" detailing its metadata only clues! It took years of research to identify e original sources by reading, rereading, and researching e memoirs and histories of explorers John C. Frémont and Josiah Gregg, of cartographic historian Carl I. Wheat, and consulting numerous experts, to decipher and validate e annotations and drawings describing e Santa Fe and Old Spanish Trails; early Texas counties, churches, newspapers, and leaders; e history of e collapse and reconstruction of e Alamo; e Mexican- American War and e conquest of California; e discovery of California gold; and e Mormon pioneer exodus and e trek of e Mormon Battalion. Only after doing his "homework" was is auor able to create a Venn diagram (below) of nine intersecting clues which would reveal e identity of e auor of e map annotations and his purpose: Clue 1. The annotations were not e work of an early Mormon auor! Dean Jessee, an expert on early Mormon handwriting, has carefully examined e 190 handwritten annotations and drawings on is pocket map and has stated at while all of e annotations were e work of one auor ey are not e work of any known Mormon pioneer, particularly scribes Thomas Bullock or William Clayton. Clue 2. The auor of e annotations not only knew e writings of Josiah Gregg (1806-1850), but was intimately familiar wi his extensive travels and interests, even ough ey were barely recognized for more an 160 years after his dea. The multitalented Gregg was a surveyor, school teacher, law student, overland trader, merchant, explorer, naturalist, auor, map maker, government advisor, war correspondent, interpreter, doctor, trail guide, and gold prospector. Many people knew at, after four round trips down e Santa Fe Trail (once into e interior of Mexico) between 1831 and 1840, Gregg had combined his detailed journals into e prairie traveler's standard reference The Commerce of e Prairies, published from Philadelphia in 1844 and 1845. But few people knew of Gregg<s trading trip across Texas from Arkansas in 1841, his service as a guide-correspondent under Generals Wool and Doniphan in e Mexican-American War at Buena Vista, Saltillo, and in Chihuahua in 1846, his visits to his publisher in Philadelphia, and en to President Polk and friendly congressmen (likely including expansionist Missouri Senator Benton, faer-in-law of John C. Frémont) in 1846-47, his travels rough old Mexico in 1847-48, his abortive offer to guide gold rushers over e souern route to California during e winter of 1848, and his July-September 1849 arrival in San Francisco. The Trinity R.? annotation off e coast of Norern California reflects e general uncertainty in 1848 about e exact location of e Trinity River and its new gold fields in Norern California prior to Gregg<s fateful November 1849-February 1850 expedition across e Coastal Mountains seeking it<s supposed discharge into e Pacific Ocean at Trinidad [Humboldt] Bay. The annotations suggest at e auor of e annotations maintained knowledge of (and perhaps special correspondence wi) Gregg right up to his final mons, as he knew details only expected in Gregg<s extensive but now lost 1847-50 Mexican and Californian "memoranda" (diaries). To be Continued in e Next Issue!

Page 6 Mormon Battalion Association THE VALIANT P.O. Box 1983 Sandy, UT 84091-1983 In This Issue: Contributions in Kind Move Visitors Center Forward Battalion Trek Gains Momentum Norern California Company Report New Officers Selected Commander s Message: A Very Good Year Women s Auxiliary Message: Time Flies Calendar of Events Manifest Destiny vs. Promised Land, Preface, Part 6 Unless oerwise stated, Copyright 2010 Mormon Battalion Association. All Rights Reserved.