Mormon Batillion, Tucson, AZ
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Poehunters
N 32° 13.374 W 110° 58.452
12S E 502431 N 3565143
Dedicated December 14, 1996 on the sesquicentennial of the event.
This memorial sculpture is a gift to the people of Tucson from the
Tucson Mormon Battalion Monument Foundation.
Waymark Code: WMHPJ1
Location: Arizona, United States
Date Posted: 07/31/2013
Views: 29
Mormon Battalion monument, El Presidio Park in Tucson,AZ
The Mormon Battalion was the only religious unit in American military history, serving from July 1846 to July 1847 during the Mexican-American War.
The battalion was suggested by Brigham Young and made up of a volunteer unit of about 500 Latter-day Saint men led by Mormon company officers. The battalion eventually made a grueling 2,000 mile trek from Council Bluffs, Iowa to San Diego, California – one of the longest military marches in history.
The battalion of 543 men, approximately 33 women who primarily served as laundresses and 51 children set off from Iowa on July 20, 1846. The march was long and brutal, and the men suffered severe heat, lack of food, poor medical treatment and the exhaustion of a forced march.
The battalion's march and service was instrumental in helping secure new lands in several Western states, especially the Gadsden Purchase of 1853 of much of southern Arizona. The march also opened a southern wagon route to California. Veterans of the battalion played significant roles in America's westward expansion in California, Utah, Arizona and other parts of the West.
While approaching Tucson, in future Arizona, the battalion nearly had a battle with a small detachment of provisional Mexican soldiers on 16 December 1846. The Mexicans retreated as the US battalion approached. The local O'odham and other Piman tribes along the march route were helpful and charitable to the American soldiers. Mormon soldiers learned many methods of irrigation from these native inhabitants and employed the methods later as pioneers in Utah and other areas
After their enlistment was up, many members migrated to Utah, but others stayed in California and left a significant imprint on the state. Some where among the first to discover gold at Sutter’s Mill. Others were responsible for opening the first wagon road over the southern route from California to Utah.
The figures depicted on this monument represent the "Mormon" Battalion and residents of Tuscon. They personify the uncommon dedication, courage, and desire for peace that was demonstrated here. In addition, they symbolize the harmonious blend of cultures in what is now the City of Tucson.
Please provide open/close hours if available: Not listed
Plaese advise if there is a fee to visit the site.: Not listed
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