Danite facts for kids

The Danites were a group formed by members of the Latter Day Saint church in June 1838. They were founded in Far West, Caldwell County, Missouri. During their time in Missouri, the Danites acted like a vigilante group. They played a big part in the events of the 1838 Mormon War.

There is no clear proof that the Danites continued to exist after 1838. However, they remained an important part of stories and discussions about Mormons for many years. Historians generally agree that Joseph Smith, the church leader, approved of the Danites. But he likely did not know all their plans or agree with everything they did. Smith later spoke against the group as their actions became more violent. This violence led to a lot of fear in Missouri. It eventually resulted in the Extermination Order, which forced Mormons to leave the state.

Before the Danites, Joseph Smith had formed an earlier group called the "Armies of Israel" in 1834. This group was meant to protect the Mormon community. After the 1838 Missouri Mormon War, the name "Danite" was sometimes used for other Mormon peacekeeping groups. This included the police in Nauvoo, Illinois and Joseph Smith's bodyguards. Some members of these later groups had been Danites in Missouri. But the leaders of the 1838 secret group, also known as "Destroying Angels," were not the same as the leaders of these later peacekeeping groups.

Why the Danites Formed

The Danites were created during a time of strong dislike and fighting between Mormon settlers and the people already living in Missouri. Both sides committed acts of violence. The Danites were an official group in Missouri in 1838.

They started as a group of very dedicated Mormons. Their goal was to deal with people who disagreed with the church from within. These "dissenters" included important former Mormon leaders. But the Danites soon became involved in fights and battles with U.S. forces, local citizens, and law enforcement in Missouri.

The Latter Day Saint movement had often faced conflict with nearby communities. Before this time, Joseph Smith had encouraged peaceful actions. But this period of peace was ending. In 1833, Smith recorded a message that said his people should follow the laws of the land. This message also said that if someone tried to harm them three times, they were allowed to defend themselves.

Before 1838, the Latter Day Saint movement had two main centers. One was in Kirtland, Ohio, and the other in northwestern Missouri. Joseph Smith and the church's main leaders were in Kirtland. In 1838, Smith and his followers moved to Far West, Missouri. This began a time when church leaders felt they were fighting for their survival.

In the spring of 1838, tensions grew very high. Many Mormons moved to Missouri and Ohio. Also, disagreements started within the church itself. A large number of Mormons moving in quickly, their tendency to vote together, and their views against slavery made the local Missourians angry. Joseph Smith had also said that Missouri was a special place for the Saints to gather. Smith encouraged his followers not to be afraid. He referred to a Bible passage about the tribe of Dan, suggesting that "If the enemy comes, the Danites will be after them."

One person who heard Joseph Smith speak of the Danites was Sampson Avard. Avard secretly organized some church members into groups for defense. He claimed he had the church leaders' approval. He also taught his followers to attack non-Mormons, steal from them, and use the stolen goods to build God's kingdom. Most of Avard's followers left him because they disagreed with this. Avard was soon removed from the church.

On July 4, 1838, Mormon leader Sidney Rigdon gave a speech in Far West. Rigdon wanted to make it clear that Mormons would fight back against any attacks. This speech encouraged the Danites to resist the groups that had forced them from their homes before. The situation became very serious. One government agent wrote that the actions of non-Mormon groups had made some Mormons "desperate." This led some Mormons to become attackers instead of just defending themselves.

How the Danites Were Organized

In June 1838, a group of Mormons started meeting in Far West. They were led by Sampson Avard, Jared Carter, and George W. Robinson. They met to talk about the problem of Mormons who disagreed with the church. This group called themselves "The Daughters of Zion." Another group formed nearby and was called "Danites" in a leader's diary. The name "Danites" likely came from a Bible prophecy in the Book of Daniel.

Thomas B. Marsh, a former church leader, left the church. He said the church leaders had handled money badly. He also heard reports of Mormons destroying non-Mormon towns. Marsh had been at early Danite meetings. He said the Danites swore to support church leaders "in all things that they say or do, whether right or wrong."

The new Danites first disagreed on what to do about the dissenters. These dissenters had left the church but still lived nearby. Reed Peck, another former Mormon, claimed that some Danite leaders suggested killing these men. Marsh and another leader, John Corrill, successfully argued against this idea.

The "Salt Sermon"

John Corrill said that church leaders "did not seem to have much to do with [the Danites] at first." But some Danites saw a sermon by Sidney Rigdon as a sign of approval. On June 17, 1838, Rigdon gave his "Salt Sermon." He compared the dissenters to "salt that had lost its savor." He said they would be "trodden under the foot of men." Corrill said that everyone understood Rigdon meant the dissenters. This strong sermon may have helped convince the dissenters to leave the county.

The Danite Manifesto

The next day, a letter was written in the church leaders' office. Danite leader Sampson Avard later said Sidney Rigdon wrote it. This letter was sent to the main dissenters. It demanded that they leave the county. It said: "for out of the county you shall go, and no power shall save you." It gave them three days to leave peacefully. If they did not, the letter said, "we will use the means in our power to cause you to depart; for go you shall."

The letter, later called the "Danite Manifesto," was signed by eighty-three Mormons. This included Joseph Smith's brother, Hyrum. One signer later said that all the signers were Danites.

The letter worked. The named dissenters quickly left the county. They moved to nearby towns. One of the expelled dissenters, John Whitmer, said they were "driven from their homes" and robbed.

Growing Role of the Danites

The Danites' role changed. They went from dealing with internal church issues to defending against outside threats. This happened when the non-Mormon people in Missouri asked the Mormons to leave. In the following months, fighting between Mormons and Missourians grew. Eventually, the Missouri State Militia forced most Mormons out of the state. Governor Lilburn Boggs issued the "Extermination Order" on October 27, 1838. This order expelled the Mormons from Missouri.

However, conflict grew between Joseph Smith and the Danite leader, Sampson Avard. Smith said that Avard formed a "secret combination." This term from the Book of Mormon means a bad secret group. Smith said Avard was too proud and eager. He claimed Avard organized the group against Smith's wishes. Smith also said Avard wanted to profit from their actions by taking "spoils of the goods of ungodly Gentiles [non-Mormons]."

Joseph Smith soon took action against Avard. He removed Avard from all military duties. Avard was eventually removed from the church. Smith's History of the Church says that when church leaders learned of Avard's bad actions, they removed him. They tried to stop his influence.

With the dissenters gone and fighting increasing, the Danites took on three more main jobs:

• Enforcing the Law of Consecration (a community sharing program).
• Political activities.
• Militia activities.

Political and Militia Actions

The Danites helped with political activities. They were asked to hand out voting tickets with names of candidates approved by church leaders. For example, church leader John Corrill won an election almost unanimously. But he admitted that "Many saw that it was taking unfair advantage."

Another group of Danites was in Daviess County. They took part in the Gallatin Election Day Battle. In this battle, non-Mormons tried to stop Mormons from voting.

Danite activity eventually moved from politics to military action. On July 4, 1838, Mormons in Far West had a big celebration. As part of it, there was a military parade. Both the official Caldwell County militia and the Danites marched. Sidney Rigdon gave a speech. He said that if any mob attacked them, it would be "a war of extermination." He declared that one side or the other would be "utterly destroyed." Although church leaders liked the speech, Brigham Young later said it was "the prime cause of our troubles in Missouri."

Daviess Expedition

The new policy of "aggressive defense" was used in Daviess County. Non-Mormon groups were harassing Mormons there. They burned homes and stole property. Mormons asked state authorities for help but got little. On October 18, Joseph Smith asked all men who could fight to help. Members of the Caldwell militia and some Danites gathered. They raided towns like Gallatin. These towns were mostly empty. Some stores and homes were burned. Property left by the fleeing groups was taken by the raiding parties. These actions caused two church leaders, Thomas B. Marsh and Orson Hyde, to leave the church. They reported the Danites' existence and a "destroying company" that planned to burn towns.

Battle of Crooked River

In 1838, tensions between Mormons and their neighbors in Missouri grew. People in nearby counties became worried. This worry increased when former church leaders reported that Mormons had attacked Daviess County. They also claimed that a Mormon group, the Danites, planned to burn two towns. This news caused great fear.

A state militia company was ordered to patrol the area. But the captain, Samuel Bogart, went beyond his orders. He started harassing Mormons in their homes. He disarmed them and told them to leave. His men captured three Mormons.

Exaggerated reports reached Far West. They said a "mob" had captured and planned to kill Mormon prisoners. The Mormons quickly formed an armed rescue party. Joseph Smith put David W. Patten in charge. Patten was known as "Captain Fear-not" and was a Danite leader.

On the night of October 24, 1838, Captain Bogart's unit camped by Crooked River. Patten and the Mormon rescue company approached. A brief fight started. The militia was in a strong position. Patten decided to charge, shouting "God and Liberty!" The Missourians fled across the river. During the retreat, one militiaman was killed. Patten was shot and badly wounded. He later died. Another Mormon, Gideon Carter, was also killed.

Aftermath of the Conflict

Even though only a few people died, the battle greatly increased the Missouri Mormon War. Exaggerated reports reached Governor Lilburn Boggs. He then issued the "Extermination Order." This order said Mormons "must be treated as enemies, and must be exterminated or driven from the state." Boggs called out 2,500 state militiamen.

Church leaders, including Joseph Smith, were captured and charged with crimes like treason. During a hearing, they learned that Danite leader Sampson Avard had testified against them. Smith and other leaders were held in Liberty Jail for over six months. They eventually escaped and joined other Mormons in Quincy, Illinois.

How Many Danites Were There?

Historians have different ideas about how many Danites there were.

• Some historians believe that nearly all of the 900 Mormon fighting men in the area became Danites. This idea comes from statements by people who said they were Danites.
• Other historians disagree. They believe the Danites were always a "select group." They find the testimony of John Corrill more reliable. Corrill said there were about 300 Danites.

Joseph Smith's Role

Historians generally agree that Joseph Smith approved of the Danites. But he probably did not know all their plans or agree with everything they did. It is hard to know the true leadership of a group that called itself secret.

Joseph Smith never said he was a Danite. However, in 1834, Smith was chosen as the commander of the "Armies of Israel." This was a military group. Even though the Danites said they were unofficial, there is confusion about how independent they were. Their rules stated that all officers had to follow the "Captain General" through the "Secretary of War." Smith had the title of Secretary of War before the Danites were formed. But Smith never said he was connected to the Danite group.

Smith often wrote about the Danites' actions with disapproval. However, he did write that after Sidney Rigdon spoke about "dissenters," they "took warning, and Soon they were Seen bounding over the prairie like the Scape Goat to carry of[f] their own Sins." Some historians say these comments show Smith approved of the Danites' actions.

Sidney Rigdon also spoke against the Danites. But he believed Mormons had the right to force dissenters to leave. He said that if a community did not want certain people among them, they had the right to expel them by force.

There is one statement from Joseph Smith that seemed to support the Danite group early on. In his journal, Smith wrote: "Thus far, according to the order of the Danites. We have a company of Danites in these times, to put to right physically that which is not right, and to cleanse the Church of every great evil which has hitherto existed among us inasmuch as they cannot be put to right by teachings and persuasyons [sic]."

However, as the group became more prominent and violent, Smith condemned them. He called them "evil" and a "secret combination." These condemnations mostly came after Smith and the church were accused of treason. It is not clear if these statements were based on his true feelings or on the political situation at the time. Smith and the church leaders eventually had to publicly remove Sampson Avard, the Danite leader, from the church.

Sampson Avard's Testimony

Sampson Avard became the main witness against Joseph Smith and other church leaders in a trial. Avard was known as the Danite leader, so his role as a witness was a surprise. Avard testified that he believed "Joseph Smith, as the prime mover and organizer of the Danite band."

Avard also said that Smith was the overall commander of other Danite activities. He described a Danite Constitution with eight rules. It said the "executive power" of the Danite society would be "vested in the president of the whole church." However, other well-known Danites said Avard was the head of the group, not Smith. Some scholars believe Avard may have promised to blame Smith to avoid being prosecuted himself.

It is clear that Smith knew about the Danites. And he likely approved of some of their early actions. But Smith's exact role in creating the Danites and his involvement in their later violent actions are still unclear. After Avard was removed from the church, Smith continued to publicly condemn both Avard and the Danite group. There are no known documents showing that the Danite group ever had official church approval. Also, there is no evidence that the Danite group existed after Avard was removed from the church and after 1838.

Later Allegations in Utah

Historians believe the Danite movement "died a quick death" after Sampson Avard was captured in November 1838. However, after the Mormons settled in Nauvoo, Illinois and later in Utah, rumors continued that the Danites were still active.

These beliefs were fueled because many former Danites held important law enforcement roles in the new settlements. For example, Hosea Stout, who was said to be a former Danite, became the chief of police in Nauvoo. Later, Brigham Young made Stout head of the "Whistling and Whittling Brigade." This was a group of young boys who would follow strangers around Nauvoo, whistling, until they left. Another reported former Danite, Orrin Porter Rockwell, became a bodyguard for Joseph Smith and later for Brigham Young.

Despite the presence of these former Danites, there is no proof that the organization continued to exist after 1838. There is also no evidence they took part in actions against former Mormons in Utah. For example, John D. Lee, a former Danite, wrote a long confession about the Danites in Missouri. But he did not mention them existing after the Mormons left Missouri.

When an expedition led by Lt. John W. Gunnison was killed by Native Americans in 1853, some people claimed the Danites were involved. But an official investigation found these claims were false. Similar rumors spread when a government official was killed in 1856, but there is no evidence to support this.

In the 1870s, two former Mormons wrote books criticizing Mormonism. They claimed the Danites were active and secretly killing Mormon dissenters and outsiders. They said the Danites were a threat to Brigham Young's power.

Brigham Young's Statements

Brigham Young denied that the Danites continued to exist. However, in July 1857, just before the Utah War, Young used strong language. He demanded military action against former Mormon persecutors. Young said that if these people came to Utah Territory, the Mormons would "deal" with them. He also said that anyone who didn't "behave themselves" would "find a 'Vigilance Committee.'" He also said they would find "not only the Danites...biting the horses (sic) heels, but the scoundrels will find something biting 'their' heels."

Otherwise, Young consistently denied that Danites existed in Utah. For example, in June 1857, he said publicly: "[people claim that the Danites] are in every town and city throughout the whole of the United States...It is all a pack of nonsense, the whole of it."

A decade later, Brigham Young again denied Danite violence. He stated: "Is there war in our religion? No; neither war nor bloodshed. Yet our enemies cry out 'bloodshed', and 'oh, what dreadful men these Mormons are, and those Danites! how they slay and kill!' Such is all nonsense and folly in the extreme."

Historian Leonard Arrington believes the stories of Danites in Utah came from exaggerated descriptions of the "Minute Men." This was a law enforcement group created by Brigham Young to pursue Native Americans and white criminals. Authors like Arthur Conan Doyle also made the idea of bloodthirsty Danites popular in their fictional works.

However, there is evidence that Brigham Young sometimes allowed local church leaders to act like vigilantes to stop crime in Utah Territory. For example, in 1857, Young ordered authorities to monitor two recently released convicts. If they were caught stealing, he allowed them to be killed without a trial. These vigilante actions may have also helped the Danite myth continue.

Danites in Popular Stories

Starting in the 1800s, many authors wrote about "Danites." They were often shown as a shadowy, secret group that terrorized early Mormon settlements in Utah. These stories usually appeared in fiction or books that criticized the church. Rumors of Danites performing a ritual called "blood atonement" (a form of murder) often played a big role in these accounts.

Washington Bailey wrote in his memoir in 1853 that local rumors claimed Brigham Young's "Destroying Angels" were raiding wagon trains near Salt Lake City. They were supposedly blaming Native Americans. However, he did not see these events himself.

Lavinia Honeyman Porter also wrote in her memoir about rumors of raiding Mormons near Salt Lake City in 1860. But she did not name the group. She herself passed safely through Salt Lake City.

Danites are a big part of Story of the Destroying Angel by Robert Louis Stevenson. In this story, Danites are a worldwide secret group of spies and killers. They are dedicated to enforcing Brigham Young's orders. They are shown as bloodthirsty murderers who can make dissenters disappear.

A very famous example is Arthur Conan Doyle's fictional story about the Danites in A Study in Scarlet, the first Sherlock Holmes novel (1887). In the story, the Danites are a brutal group of vigilantes working for Brigham Young. They silence critics and stop dissenters from leaving the Salt Lake Valley. Doyle's story made the folklore about the Danites popular. However, after visiting Utah in 1923, Doyle reportedly said he had been misled by writings about the church at the time. In 1991, Doyle's daughter said her father would admit his first Sherlock Holmes novel had many errors about the Mormons.

Sally Denton, in her 2003 book American Massacre, claims that the Danites and "blood atonement" were important in Utah in the 1800s. Denton says Joseph Smith created the Danites as his "secret group of loyalists." She suggests they became "one of the most legendarily feared bands in frontier America." According to Denton, this "secret unit of divinely inspired assassins" introduced "the ritualized form of murder called blood atonement." Denton implies that many such "atonements" happened during the Mormon reformation of 1856.

Danites also appear in modern fiction. L. E. Modesitt Jr.'s 2009 science fiction novel Haze imagines a future conspiracy of "Danites." Thriller writer Steve Berry includes Danite stories in his 2014 novel The Lincoln Myth.

See also

In Spanish: Danitas para niños