On 29 January 1863 Colonel Patrick Edward Connor and about 200 California Volunteers attacked a Northwestern Shoshoni winter village ...
These were a group of regular army troops held in reserve to defend the west if necessary during the Civil War. For about 150 years, the Mormon Church has tried to place the blame for the Bear River massacre solely on them rather than take any responsibility for the tragedy. A careful analysis of the facts indicates this is not true. Consider the following:
- The war with the Shoshone's was started by the Mormons. A Mormon horse disappeared ... an 11-year Indian boy was discovered nearby and was accused of the theft ... the boy did not speak English and was unable to offer a defense ... although several in the Mormon party pointed out that the boy had been fishing in the river nearby when he was taken and had a large stringer of fish, making it unlikely that he was involved in the crime in any manner ... nevertheless, the Mormon party lynched the boy ... the missing horse was discovered a few hours later a couple of miles away - it had wandered off - there was no theft ... the boy's father was one of the chiefs of the Shoshones ... the father was justifiably outraged and embarked on a program revenge despite the pleas of Chief Washakie (the head chief of the Shoshones).
- The army was led to the massacre site by Porter Rockwell, the Mormon's Destroying Angel (pictured above). According to most accounts, he was accompanied by a number of Saints. Also according to almost every account, Port and his comrades murdered numerous Indians as they tried to escape.
- The Army / Mormon atrocities were incredibly brutal. For example, according to Shoshone historian Payton Lee:
The militia broke the arms and legs of women so they couldn't fight back while they were raped. Bayonets cut open the wombs of pregnant women and pulled out the fetus. Some of the militia wrapped the fetus around their hats as war trophies. After the women were raped the militia men split their skulls open with hatchets. Babies and toddlers were grabbed and their heads bashed against trees. Chief Bear Hunter was beaten, kicked, stripped and whipped bloody. When he did not cry out in pain or anguish to his tormenters, a soldier heated his bayonet and ran it through Bear Hunter's ears. ... Anything the militia could not steal and plunder was put to the torch including the last of food staples for any survivors.