CONTENTS.
Home of the Author—A Career of Thrilling Experiences—His Birth and Parentage—Early Avocations—Migration from North Carolina to Illinois—Life on the Frontier—Dangers to Early Settlers—A Frontiersman—Father's Advice—More Settlers Come—Churches and Schools—Limited Opportunities—Frozen Feet—Unimpressionable to the Preaching of the Time—Talk of a New Religion, Prophets, Miracles, etc.—Prosecution of the New Church—"Showers of Stars"—Popular Adverse Views of the Mormons—The Mormons Driven from Missouri Into Illinois—Mormon Elder Comes to Preach—Converts Uncle James Brown—Preaches Again—Preparations to Mob the Elder—His Scriptural Doctrine Disconcerts Enemies and Secures him Friends—His Discourse—Effect on Young James S. Brown of the First Gospel Sermon to him—His Testimony to the Spirit and Truth of the Elder's Message.
Persecuted by Playmates—Give Them an Effective Check—Fight with Wild Beasts—Parents Join the Mormons—The Author Holds Back—Assassination of Joseph and Hyrum Smith—Mormons Leave Illinois for the West—Exciting Times—My Winter's Work—Father Decides to Wait a While Before Leaving Illinois—My Determination to go with the Mormons—Confide a Secret to my Mother—A New Consultation—Change In the Family Plans—Father Prepares to Start—Gives me Permission to Go—Thinks of Leaving me because of My Illness—I Feel to Prefer Death to Being Left Behind.
Start for Nauvoo—Taken Severely Ill—The Lord Answers my Prayer for Relief—Pass through Carthage—In Nauvoo "The Beautiful," but Almost Deserted City—Scene on the Iowa Shore—Cross the Mississippi—Curious Make-up of the Exiles' Teams—The Bad Roads—Stuck in the Mud—Repairing Camps—Good Order Maintained—Unnecessary Killing of Game Forbidden—Reach Grand River and Put In a Crop—Learn of the Call for the Mormon Battalion—Apostles as Recruiting Officers—Call for Volunteers—Response by the Camp—Received into the church by Baptism—Filled with the Love of the Gospel—Get the Spirit to Enlist—Consult my Relatives and Ezra T. Benson—An Elder's Promise—Join the Mormon Battalion.
Start for the Battalion Rendezvous—A Journey of Hardship—In the Mormons' Camp on Missouri River—First Experiences in the Army—Blessed by Apostles—Prophetic Address by President Brigham Young—The Battalion starts on its Long Journey—Doing Camp Duty—Heavy Storms and Insufficient Rations—Hard Experiences—At Fort Leavenworth—Mexican Mules as a Cure for Egotism—Colonel Allen Taken Ill—On the Santa Fe Road—Suffering from Thirst—Sickness among the Troops—Dr. G. B. Sanderson, a Tyrannical Quack—Army Merchants—Order of Marching.