AGENCY: Division of Archives and Records Service
SERIES: 2210
TITLE: Territorial militia records
DATES: 1849-1877; 1905-[ca.1917].
ARRANGEMENT: Chronological.
DESCRIPTION: These papers document the administration and activities of various segments of the territorial militia, also known as the Nauvoo Legion. They were brought together by archives staff in the late 1950s and early 1960s in an effort to collect all documents about Utah veterans from any source and to serve as a state repository for those documents. Numerous categories of papers are included, among them correspondence, receipts and bills, diaries and journals, muster rolls, payrolls, rosters, reports, and returns.
These papers relate to the administrative responsibilities of Lieutenant General, Daniel H. Wells, and his headquarters staff. They also include papers of the local military districts with their own battalions, regiments, and companies. Orders were dispersed from headquarters and various reports sent from local headquarters, so most of the papers are from the territorial period. There are other papers collected in the early 20th century by the Adjutant General of the Utah National Guard in an attempt to document pension claims of Indian War veterans. A few papers were collected later from private donors by the Military Records Section of the Utah Historical Society. Correspondence, orders, and court-martial papers comprise the most descriptive and heterogeneous of the documents. Letters between local units and headquarters are the most common. There is also correspondence with outsiders, such as a letter to Samuel Colt regarding the purchase of firearms or with the Secretary of War regarding federal reimbursement for expeditions. Much information relates to routing administrative matters such as the organization of local militia companies. Other topics include campaigns against Indians, including the Blackhawk and Walker Wars and various raids on or by the Ute, Shoshone, and Navajo. The confrontation with Johnston's army in the late 1850s is discussed briefly. Guarding the Overland Trail mail and telegraph routes for a few months during the Civil War is also mentioned. In addition to correspondence, journals or typed transcripts are relatively descriptive. They include personal or company diaries kept at the time of service. They also include reminiscences of service sent in to validate pension requests in the early 20th century. Various lists comprise the bulk of the documents. They include muster rolls, returns listing men and equipment, payrolls, and lists for specific activities (e.g._furlough lists, morning reports, duty rosters, detachment lists, etc.). Financial documents, including supplies, bills, provision lists, receipts, and so forth, comprise a small group of documents. There are account ledgers for various expeditions against the Indians which were reimbursed by the federal government. Other miscellaneous documents include occasional maps.
In 1870, Governor J. Wilson Shaffer issued a proclamation that proscribed the militia as commanded by Lieutenant General Wells. In 1887, the federal Edmund-Tucker Act disbanded the Nauvoo Legion entirely. Much information was initially collected by the Nauvoo Legion Adjutant General, which was transferred to and added to by the Utah National Guard Adjutant General. The records were later transferred to the Military Records Section of the Utah State Historical Society, which also added information. Finally, the records were turned over to the Utah State Archives.
RETENTION
DISPOSITION
RETENTION AND DISPOSITION AUTHORIZATION
These records are in Archives' permanent custody.
FORMAT MANAGEMENT
Paper: Retain in State Archives permanently and then microfilm.
Microfilm master: Retain in State Archives permanently with authority to weed.
Microfilm duplicate: Retain in State Archives permanently with authority to weed.
Aperture cards: Retain in State Archives permanently with authority to weed.
APPRAISAL
Historical
Provides information on the Nauvoo Legion, a significant organization in early Utah, and on individual pioneer Utahns not readily available elsewhere.
PRIMARY DESIGNATION
Public