ALBERT SIDNEY JOHNSTON
The Mormons wanted Utah to be a United States territory or a state with an extreme state’s rights mentality whereby their religious doctrine in the Book of Mormon could be state law and at the time the Constitution had not yet been amended to require the state governments to adhere to the Bill of Rights or other Federal laws. In effect they wanted a democratic type of theocracy. See {619869}. The Mormons would not agree that Federal law should govern their community or people, and war with the Federal government was imminent. In an ironic twist, Johnson, a Texan, rebelled against the nation himself several years later when he became a Confederate General. He was the highest ranking Confederate Officer killed in Battle—at Shiloh.
Albert Sidney Johnston served as a general in three different armies: the Texian Army, the United States Army, and the Confederate States Army. He saw extensive combat during his 34-year military career, fighting actions in the Black Hawk War, the Texas War of Independence, the Mexican–American War, the Utah War, and the American Civil War.
