The Mountain Meadows massacre occurred on September 11, 1857, and resulted in the deaths of 120 pioneers on their way to California. It was a tragic event in Mormon history many thought best forgotten. In early September, they stopped to rest at Mountain Meadows. The site of the Mountain Meadows Massacre, where nothing but bones remain, as drawn for Harpers Weekly on August 13, 1859. When the federal troops entered Utah in 1858 led by Major James Carleton, there was no eruption of violence. As soon as Church leaders were made aware of the truth of what happened, they took action against those involved. On September 4, Mormon stake president and major in the Nauvoo Legion Isaac Haight ordered Legion member John … Over 100 immigrants and some apostate mormons who had joined a wagon train crossing Utah territory were seiged and when their ammunition was running short, the mormons came to them under a flag of truce. The Mountain Meadows Massacre is one of the most controversial moments in Utah history. The "Mountain Meadows Massacre" still troubles the descendants of both the attackers and victims. There are those who speculate that there were more people involved. The Mountain Meadow Massacre was a tragedy that should not have happened. It cleared up many misconceptions and stated the facts plainly. The Mountain Meadows Massacre has continued to cause pain and controversy for 150 years. A new book, Massacre at Mountain Meadows, tries to explain what happened that day and why. However, it’s important to remember that these actions were choices made by individuals acting in ways that are very contradictory to the teachings of the Church. The war the Mormons had so feared between the U.S. troops never did happen. The events of the Mountain Meadows Massacre were absolutely appalling. There is no evidence to support this. The Mountain Meadows Massacre was a war crime committed by mormons in southern Utah in September 1857. For many years the Mountain Meadows Massacre was a taboo subject among Mormons. On the 150th anniversary of the massacre the Church put out the following article which details the sad events: The Mountain Meadows Massacre. Juanita Brooks, a Mormon, gave the incident its first thorough treatment in decades with her book The Mountain Meadows Massacre in 1962. During the past two decades, descendants and other relatives of the emigrants and the perpetrators have at times worked together to memorialize the victims. From the beginning, accounts have been confused and muddled about why it happened, who ordered it, and what might have provoked it. But it did.