CHAPTER 30.
A MISSION TO THE EAST, 1848.
In Winter Quarters.—Battle of Nauvoo Commemorated.—Organization of Pottowatamie County.—Bids President Young and Saints Good-by.—Journey from Winter Quarters to Nauvoo.—From Nauvoo to Maine.—A Letter to His Wife.—Healing the Sick.—Discovery of Gold in California.
During the first three months of the year 1848, Apostle Woodruff devoted himself to the usual routine of business incident to frontier life. They were laying the foundations of a commonwealth and strengthening the religious organizations which were to play an important part in the social and religious life of the people. There were frequent meetings of the Twelve and the Presidency, and the future aspects of both the people and the country were under daily consideration.
It was during the early part of this year that petitions were sent to the Iowa Legislature, one asking for a county on the Pottawatomie tract of land, and the other for a post-office. Elder Henry Miller was the bearer of these petitions. About the same time the question of a disposition of the Nauvoo Temple came up, owing to the recent arrival from that city of Almon Babbit, Hyrum Kimball, and John Snyder. President Young was firm in his view that the Temple there should not be sold.
The battle of Nauvoo, which had been fought on September 12th, 1846, was commemorated on this anniversary by those who had taken part in the engagement. They wore a red badge on the left arm, as they had done during the contest, to distinguish them from their enemies. The disparity in numbers between the Latter-day Saints and their enemies,—about 100 of the former and between eight and ten hundred of the latter—was so great that the Saints felt that they had been the recipients of Divine favor, especially in view of the fact that only three of their number had been lost.
About the middle of the same month, Orson Hyde returned from the East. News also came at the same time of the success which the missionary work in Wales was achieving, principally through the labors of Captain Dan Jones. While the opposition there was intense, the struggle redounded to the spread of the Gospel and the increase of Saints through baptism.
March 1st was the 41st anniversary of Wilford Woodruff's life. A few days later, on the night of March 15th, he records a remarkable dream in which he passed in spirit through the air from state to state, escaped from his enemies and passed on to heaven. "I saw," he says, "Joseph and Hyrum and many others of the Latter-day Saints who had died. The innumerable company of souls which I saw seemed to be preparing for some grand and important event which I could not understand. Many were engaged in making crowns for the Saints. They were all dressed in white robes, both male and female."
About this time Wilford Woodruff recorded in his journal the death of John Quincy Adams, and made special mention of the death of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, men in whose life and attainments he had taken great interest. His life was not confined to the limits of his personal activity, as he took a deep interest in all that was going on throughout the world.