exhibit great heedlessness and ignorance and some obstinacy." The
ignorance undoubtedly was of military matters, for the men had rather
better than the usual schooling of the rough period. At several points
his diary gave such details as, "The men arrived completely worn down;
they staggered as they marched, as they did yesterday. A great many of
the men are wholly without shoes and use every expedient, such as rawhide
moccasins and sandals and even wrapping the feet in pieces of woolen and
cotton cloth."

It is evident that to the Colonel's West Point ideas of discipline the
conduct of his command was a source of irritation that eventually was
overcome when he found he could depend upon the individuals as well as
upon the companies. Several stories are told of his encounters in
repartee with his soldiers, in which he did not always have the upper
hand, despite his rank. Brusque in manner, he yet had a saving sense of
humor that had to be drawn upon to carry off situations that would have
been intolerable in his own command of dragoons.


Tyler's Record of the Expedition

The best of the narratives concerning the march of the Battalion is in a
book printed in 1881 by Daniel Tyler, an amplification of a remarkable
diary kept by him while a member of the organization. This book has an
exceptionally important introduction, written by John Taylor, President
of the Mormon Church, detailing at length the circumstances that led to
the western migration of his people. He is especially graphic in his
description of the riots of the summer of 1844, culminating in the
assassination of Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum at Carthage,
Illinois, on June 27th. Taylor was with the Prophet at the time and was