Preface to the Second Edition

Soon after the First Edition of the Database was published, it became obvious to me that it was flawed. To be sure, it contained much useful information which identified many; of the Battalion members but it could not be used to unequivocally determine the membership of all of the original Battalion participants. The Second Edition solves this problem. It is greatly enlarged, expanded and organized. The information contained in this edition had been arranged and analyzed in such a manner that the Battalion membership of the men and women who participated can be determined to 99.6 %; that is of all the names on all the rosters which have been compiled to date, only two names cannot be positively authenticated.  Until now, 1997, no attempt has been made to document the roster of the Mormon Battalion. Lists and rosters have been circulated and copied since 1881 when Daniel Tyler first published his book on the Battalion, A concise History; of the Mormon Battalion in the Mexican War. For example, one list compiled by the state of Utah contained 65 names which were either misspelled, were of non-existent persons, were names of persons who had not participated or were names assigned to the wrong company. The Database of the Mormon Battalion, Second Edition, addresses that question; it cites the primary documentation for the membership of the mere of the battalion: and for most of their wives and children who accompanied them on the march, identifying then beyond any question In the 15 l years since the Battalion marched, this work is the first attempt to document the roster of the; Mormon Battalion.