Morrisite War was a bloody little event in 1860s Top of Utah

In the small northern community of South Weber, Utah, a monument was erected to the Morrisite War, a small but deadly 1862 battle between a group of Mormon apostates and the territorial militia comprised of Mormons. The Morrisite War is no secret, but it’s faded to a footnote in history. Its irony can’t be disputed, however. Just as the upstart Latter-day Saints had received ire from the dominant religions of the East and Midwest two decades-plus earlier, an angry, Christ-seeking offshoot of Mormonism located in the heart of Utah got its fair share of retribution from an outraged dominant Mormon populace.

There is a Wikipedia page and a short history at the Utah History Encyclopedia from Cache County historian Kenneth Godfrey (read), but an entertaining, if not complete, account of the Morrisite War is offered by Josiah Francis Gibbs in his 1909 book, “Lights and Shadows of Mormonism,” and available at Google Books. As Gibbs recounts, a Welsh convert to the LDS Church, Joseph Morris, grew frustrated that Mormon leader Brigham Young, who published only a few revelations, “placed more reliance on the guidance of his own active brains than on the indefinite, intangible, and uncertain ‘impressions’ on one’s mind, called revelations.” Therefore, Morris decided he was a prophet, failed to recruit Young to his cause, but did manage to convince a group of Saints on the Weber River “of the divinity of his, Morris’, mission.” He and others were soon excommunicated and forbidden from trading with nearby Mormon neighbors.

A problem soon developed with the prophet “Joe Morris.” It’s a common thorn for those who claim divine insider information — Morris was frequently wrong. On several occasions Morris left his flock disappointed when his claims on when exactly Christ would return went unfulfilled. Not surprisingly, these failed revelations winnowed the flock some.

Because the Morrisites pooled their resources, those leaving often squabbled with the faithful over how much they were allowed to reclaim. Also, the Morrisites put more faith in their leader’s revelations than food storage. Gibbs writes, “As the date for the arrival of the Saviour drew near, the Morrisites ceased all unnecessary labor, and devoted their time to public worship.”

With supplies low and hunger becoming a real problem, three Morrisite apostates, William Jones, John Jensen, and Lars C. Geertsen, took more from the community pool than Morris and his followers thought was fair. The Morrisites intercepted them and took the trio prisoner. One, Geertsen, escaped. The others, due to the efforts of their wives, received a court order from Chief Justice John F. Kinney mandating their release. Morris ignored the writ and gathered his followers in a lean-to fort — that included a chapel/schoolhouse — to meet any force that opposed them.

They were not disappointed. As Gibbs writes, “A requisition was made on Governor John W. Dawson for the use of the militia to aid the marshal in serving the writ. General Robert T. Burton, a prominent Mormon, and subsequently bishop of the 15th ecclesiastical ward, Salt Lake City, commanded the posse.” One part of the 1,000-posse was a militia from Ogden.

Most of the posse made its way to South Weber. The 200 to 500 Morrisites burrowed down, confident that Christ would appear at any moment and vanquish their oppressors. But, again, Christ was busy. An initial bombardment from Burton’s posse wounded a girl, 15, and killed two women. Also in the initial attack, the only non-Morrisite casualty, 19-year-old posse member Jared Smith, was killed. For three days, Burton’s posse sporadically attacked the Morrisites, who quickly ran out of food, arms, warmth and faith. The Morrisites, writes Gibbs, finally “hoisted the white flag.”

Ordered to stack their remaining arms by Burton at the square near the fort/school/church, most Morrisites did this. However, the Prophet Morris and a few diehard followers, including women, chose that time to make a holy dash for the remaining weapons. As Gibbs writes, “Morris’ frenzied cry: ‘Follow me, and see the salvation of the Lord.’ was the signal for a rush for the stacked arms. Burton and his staff spurred their horses into the rushing crowd and when the smoke cleared away, Joseph Morris was dead — a martyr to his faith; (John) Banks was mortally wounded. A woman was also killed, said to have been shot by Burton because she upbraided him for shooting Morris, but which is almost incredible. Banks died the ensuing evening.”

That was the end of the Morrisites on the Weber River. The slain prophet’s followers were taken to Salt Lake City. Gibbs recounts, “The male Morrisite Saints were marched into Salt Lake City, and were about the most forlorn, mud-bespattered procession that ever tramped the earth — the wretched victims of maximum faith and minimum brains.”

There were repercussions to the bloody uprising. Eventually, seven Morrisites were convicted of second-degree murder and more than 65 convicted of resisting the posse. However, all were pardoned a few days after the trial. In another event — one that underscores the tensions of that era between Mormons and secular authorities — Burton was tried for the murder of one Morrisite woman, Isabella Bowman. He was acquitted.

History tells us that the Morrisites scattered after the South Weber war. Most ended up in Montana. The last remnants of Morris’ church died off 40-plus years ago. History buffs can see what is likely the last Morrisite chapel. It’s visible in Racetrack, Montana, on the west side of Interstate 90 south of Deer Lodge. Wikipedia has a picture.

-- Doug Gibson

-- Originally published at StandardBlogs