Battle of Crooked River
Non-members in Missouri were persecuting the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons). On 6 August 1838, a mob of 100 people at the election polls in Gallatin, Daviess County, would not let the Saints vote. A brawl followed and several people were injured. When Governor Lilburn W. Boggs heard of this brawl along with other mob activity, he ordered in the state militia to keep the peace. One of the militia officers Captain Samuel W. Bogart, who led 75 men, was closely associated with the mob. He had been forcibly disarming Latter-day Saints and ordering them to leave their homes. He decided to promote conflict by kidnapping three Latter-day Saints, Nathan Pinkham, Jr., William Seely, and Addison Green. He held them hostage in his camp near Crooked River in Ray County, Missouri. When the Saints learned of their kidnapping, the story had been exaggerated and they were told that the mob intended to execute the three men. A group of about 75 Latter-day Saint militiamen led by Apostle David W. Patten, were armed and sent to rescue them.
They arrived at the Crooked River camp on 25 October 1838 during the night. As they approached the camp a voice yelled out “who goes there,” it was immediately followed by gunshots, and one of the younger men of the Latter-day Saint militia Pat O’Banion fell with mortal wounds. David W. Patten ordered the LDS militia to charge and fire a round. With this the state militia began to run. They left all of their animals and equipment behind and ran in so many directions that many of them falsely reported that the LDS militia had killed all of the men and that he was the sole survivor. The LDS militiamen were able to free the three kidnapped men, but numerous LDS militiamen were wounded, and three died from the wounds received at the Battle of Crooked River including David W. Patten.
Although the actions of Samuel Bogart and his men were malicious in trying to stir up contention, Governor Lilburn W. Boggs used the Battle of Crooked River an example of why the “extermination order” should be put into effect. Unfortunately Governor Boggs wrote the order only knowing exaggerated accounts of the battle that said that the LDS militia had killed half of Bogart’s men. The truth was that only one of them was killed. The order was issued on October 27, 1838. The main theme of the order can be found in a few lines that state, “The Mormons must be treated as enemies, and must be exterminated or driven from the State if necessary, for the public peace—their outrages are beyond all description.” Militia officers of the state were appointed to carry out the order.
