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Letter from John C. Bennett, 25 July 1840

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Letter from John C. Bennett, 25 July 1840

Source Note

, Letter, , Wayne Co., IL, to JS and , , Hancock Co., IL, 25 July 1840. Featured version copied [probably ca. Aug. 1840] in JS Letterbook 2, pp. 169–170; handwriting of ; JS Collection, CHL. For more complete source information, see the source note for JS Letterbook 2.

Historical Introduction

On 25 July 1840, wrote from his home in , Illinois, to JS and in , Illinois. Bennett, who had apparently first met JS and Rigdon in January 1832 in , Ohio, was a prominent military figure in . He had helped incorporate an independent militia unit in southeastern Illinois named the “Invincible Dragoons” and had more recently been appointed quartermaster general of the Illinois state militia. In this letter, Bennett expressed his interest in the ’ welfare and reminded JS and Rigdon that he had offered to assist the Saints during conflicts with their neighbors in northwestern two years earlier. Bennett also declared he intended to move to , Illinois, the following spring to join church members gathering there. JS responded to this letter on 8 August 1840.
The original letter is apparently not extant, but inscribed a copy in JS Letterbook 2, probably soon after JS received the original.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    McLellin, Journal, 12–13 Jan. 1832, 13; Smith, Saintly Scoundrel, 12, 50, 54–56.

    McLellin, William E. Journal, 18 July–20 Nov. 1831. William E. McLellin, Papers, 1831–1836, 1877–1878. CHL. MS 13538, box 1, fd. 1. Also available as Jan Shipps and John W. Welch, eds., The Journals of William E. McLellin, 1831–1836 (Provo, UT: BYU Studies; Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1994).

    Smith, Andrew F. The Saintly Scoundrel: The Life and Times of Dr. John Cook Bennett. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1997.

  2. [2]

    James Berry, Letter, 25 Apr. 1839, Governor’s Correspondence, Military Affairs, 1839, Illinois Governor’s Correspondence, 1816–1852, Illinois State Archives, Springfield; Bennett, History of the Saints, 14–15.

    Illinois Governor’s Correspondence, 1816–1852. Illinois State Archives, Springfield.

    Bennett, John C. The History of the Saints; or, an Exposé of Joe Smith and Mormonism. Boston: Leland and Whiting, 1842.

  3. [3]

    Letter to John C. Bennett, 8 Aug. 1840; see also Letters from John C. Bennett, 27 and 30 July 1840.

  4. [4]

    While he was not precise in dating events from this time of his life, Coray later wrote that he finished copying correspondence into JS Letterbook 2 before JS and Bennett began drafting Nauvoo’s city charter. (Coray, Autobiographical Sketch, 4–5, 19.)

    Coray, Howard. Autobiographical Sketch, after 1883. Howard Coray, Papers, ca. 1840–1941. Photocopy. CHL. MS 2043, fd. 1.

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation. *Letter from John C. Bennett, 25 July 1840 Letterbook 2 History, 1838–1856, volume C-1 [2 November 1838–31 July 1842] “History of Joseph Smith”
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Page 170

Journal” to give you an idea of my professional standing.
On the first of this month I was appointed to the office of “Quarter-Master General of the State of ,” which office I expect to hold for some years, I hope you have been well,
In haste. Write me immediately.
Yours Respectfully
Messrs Smith & . [p. 170]
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Source Note

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Page 170

Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Letter from John C. Bennett, 25 July 1840
ID #
557
Total Pages
2
Print Volume Location
JSP, D7:348–350
Handwriting on This Page
  • Howard Coray

Footnotes

  1. [6]

    The Louisville Journal, edited by George Prentice and George Weissinger, apparently contained an excerpt about Bennett's medical practice. (See Congleton, “Louisville Journal,” 582–583.)

    Congleton, Betty Carolyn. “Louisville Journal.” In The Kentucky Encyclopedia, edited by John E. Kleber, 852–853. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1992.

  2. [7]

    Bennett officially received his commission as “Quarter-Master-General of the Militia of the State of Illinois” on 20 July 1840, five days before he wrote this letter to JS. (Commission for John C. Bennett, 20 July 1840, Governor’s Correspondence, 1840, Military Affairs, in Illinois Governor’s Correspondence, 1816–1852, Illinois State Archives, Springfield; Bennett, History of the Saints, 15.)

    Illinois Governor’s Correspondence, 1816–1852. Illinois State Archives, Springfield.

    Bennett, John C. The History of the Saints; or, an Exposé of Joe Smith and Mormonism. Boston: Leland and Whiting, 1842.

  3. [8]

    JS responded to this letter from Bennett, as well as letters from Bennett dated 27 and 30 July, on 8 August 1840. (Letters from John C. Bennett, 27 and 30 July 1840; Letter to John C. Bennett, 8 Aug. 1840.)

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