Blood of the Prophets
Encyclopedia
Blood of the Prophets: Brigham Young and the Massacre at Mountain Meadows (2002) by Will Bagley
is an award-winning history of the Mountain Meadows massacre
. The work updated Juanita Brooks
' seminal history The Mountain Meadows Massacre, and remains one of the definitive works on the topic.
Brigham D. Madsen, a fellow Utah historian, wrote: “While the word ‘definitive’ is often overused, this account of the killings merits that distinction. Bagley’s book ranks as a Mormon historical classic.”, Western Historical Quarterly.
The New York Review of Books praised the work as “an exhaustive, meticulously documented, highly readable history that captures the events and atmosphere that gave rise to the massacre, as well as its long, tortuous aftermath. Bagley has taken great care in negotiating the minefield presented by what remains of the historical record.”
criticized Bagley's conclusion that Brigham Young ordered the massacre. For example, FARMS points to Bagley's misuse of a quote, written by Dimick B. Huntington
, in which the Piedes Indians told Brigham Young they were "afraid to fight the Americans & so would raise grain" during the Utah War
. Bagley replaced the word "grain" with "allies", so as to read "afraid to fight the Americans & so would raise allies", and published this revision in Blood of the Prophets. It has also been pointed out that some of Bagley's more controversial conclusions can only be reached by using a flawed timeline of events.
Some historians feel that, since Will Bagley was hired by California businessman Frank James Singer to "rewrite the story of the Mountain Meadows Massacre," this may have influenced his interpretation of the facts, a charge Bagley denies.
Will Bagley
Will Bagley is a historian specializing in the history of western United States. Bagley has written about the fur trade, overland emigration, American Indians, military history, frontier violence, railroads, mining, and Utah and the Mormons....
is an award-winning history of the Mountain Meadows massacre
Mountain Meadows massacre
The Mountain Meadows massacre was a series of attacks on the Baker–Fancher emigrant wagon train, at Mountain Meadows in southern Utah. The attacks culminated on September 11, 1857 in the mass slaughter of the emigrant party by the Iron County district of the Utah Territorial Militia and some local...
. The work updated Juanita Brooks
Juanita Brooks
Juanita Pulsipher Brooks was an American historian and author, specializing in the American West and Mormon history, including books related to the Mountain Meadows massacre, to which her ancestor Dudley Leavitt was sometimes linked.-Biography:Born Juanita Leone Leavitt, Brooks was born and raised...
' seminal history The Mountain Meadows Massacre, and remains one of the definitive works on the topic.
Awards and Praise
- Utah Arts CouncilUtah Arts CouncilThe Utah Division of Arts & Museums is an agency of the state government of Utah, responsible for the promotion of the arts and Utah museums. It is a division of the Utah Department of Community and Culture...
’s Original Writing Competition Publication Prize - Western Writers of AmericaWestern Writers of AmericaWestern Writers of America, founded 1953, promotes literature, both fiction and non-fiction, pertaining to the American West. Although its founders wrote traditional western fiction, the more than five hundred current members also include historians and other non-fiction writers as well as authors...
’s Spur AwardSpur AwardThe Spur Award is an annual literary prize awarded by the Western Writers of America. Founded in 1953 with only four categories , the award today has expanded to include the following categories:... - Denver Public LibraryDenver Public LibraryThe Denver Public Library is the public library of the city of Denver, Colorado in the United States. Its administrative headquarters is on the 7th floor of the Central Library in Downtown Denver. , the library system had 2,519,977 items in its collection, and a library card base of 417,616 local...
’s Caroline Bancroft History Prize - Westerners International’s Best Book Award
- John Whitmer Historical AssociationJohn Whitmer Historical AssociationThe John Whitmer Historical Association "is an independent scholarly society composed of individuals of various religious faiths who share a lively interest in ......
’s Smith-Petit Best Book Award - Western History AssociationWestern History AssociationThe Western History Association was organized in 1961 at Santa Fe, New Mexico, to "promote the study of the North American West in its varied aspects and broadest sense." Included in the field of study are the American West and western Canada. The Western History Association is headquartered at...
’s John W. Caughey Prize for the year’s most distinguished book on the history of the American West.
- Spur Award, Western Writers of America
- Caughey Book Prize, Western History Association
- Caroline Bancroft History Prize, Denver Public Library
- Co-Founders Best Book Award, Westerners International.
- 2003 Best Book Award, John Whitmer Historical Association
Brigham D. Madsen, a fellow Utah historian, wrote: “While the word ‘definitive’ is often overused, this account of the killings merits that distinction. Bagley’s book ranks as a Mormon historical classic.”, Western Historical Quarterly.
The New York Review of Books praised the work as “an exhaustive, meticulously documented, highly readable history that captures the events and atmosphere that gave rise to the massacre, as well as its long, tortuous aftermath. Bagley has taken great care in negotiating the minefield presented by what remains of the historical record.”
Criticism
The Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies at Brigham Young UniversityBrigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
criticized Bagley's conclusion that Brigham Young ordered the massacre. For example, FARMS points to Bagley's misuse of a quote, written by Dimick B. Huntington
Dimick B. Huntington
Dimick Baker Huntington was a leading Indian interpreter in early Utah Territory. He also commissioned the Church History Panorama of C. C. A. Christensen to use in his presentations of the gospel to the Native Americans....
, in which the Piedes Indians told Brigham Young they were "afraid to fight the Americans & so would raise grain" during the Utah War
Utah War
The Utah War, also known as the Utah Expedition, Buchanan's Blunder, the Mormon War, or the Mormon Rebellion was an armed confrontation between LDS settlers in the Utah Territory and the armed forces of the United States government. The confrontation lasted from May 1857 until July 1858...
. Bagley replaced the word "grain" with "allies", so as to read "afraid to fight the Americans & so would raise allies", and published this revision in Blood of the Prophets. It has also been pointed out that some of Bagley's more controversial conclusions can only be reached by using a flawed timeline of events.
Some historians feel that, since Will Bagley was hired by California businessman Frank James Singer to "rewrite the story of the Mountain Meadows Massacre," this may have influenced his interpretation of the facts, a charge Bagley denies.