We were young men, and were called upon in that early day to go up and redeem Zion, and what we had to do we had to do by faith. . . . We gained an experience that we never could have gained in any other way. We had the privilege of beholding the face of the prophet, and we had the privilege of traveling a thousand miles with him, and seeing the workings of the spirit of God with him, and the revelations of Jesus Christ unto him and the fulfilment of those revelations. . . . Had I not gone up with Zion's Camp I should not have been here to-day [Salt Lake City, December 1869], and I presume that would have been the case with many others in this Territory. By going there we were thrust into the vineyard to preach the gospel, and the Lord accepted our labors. And in all our labors and persecutions, with our lives often at stake, we have had to work and live by faith.
Deseret News, Dec. 22, 1869, 543.
George A. Smith, Apostle 1839–1875
The Prophet Joseph took
a full share of the fatigues of the entire journey [of
Zion's Camp]. In addition to the care of providing for the
Camp and presiding over it, he walked most of the time and
had a full proportion of blistered, bloody, and sore feet,
which was the natural result of walking from 25 to 40 miles
a day in a hot season of the year. But during the entire
trip he never uttered a murmur or complaint, while most of
the men in the Camp complained to him . . . and many of us
were prayerless, thoughtless, careless, heedless, foolish or
devilish, and yet we did not know it. Joseph had to bear
with us and tutor us, like children. There were many,
however, in the Camp who never murmured and who were always
ready and willing to do as our leaders desired.
"My Journal," The Instructor, May 1946, 217.
