Nauvoo Legion: Role in Illinois Mormon History

LDS Perspective

The Nauvoo Legion served as the official state militia for the city of Nauvoo, established under the provisions of the expansive city charter granted by the Illinois state legislature in 1840. This charter, which Joseph Smith and other Church leaders specifically sought to protect the Saints from the injustices they had suffered in Missouri, authorized the formation of a substantial municipal military force. As a legally constituted arm of the state militia system, the Legion operated under the command of the city's civil authorities and represented one of the

Historical Perspective

The Nauvoo Legion constituted a legally sanctioned contingent of the Illinois state militia established under the Nauvoo city charter, approved by the Illinois General Assembly on December 16, 1840. As documented in the "Act to Incorporate the City of Nauvoo," the charter provided for the creation of a municipal militia force that could be mobilized for the defense of the city and the state. Organized into two cohorts—one infantry and one cavalry—the Legion was structured to potentially comprise several thousand men per cohort, each overseen by a brigadier general. This military organization functioned under the authority of the state while serving the specific defensive needs of the rapidly growing LDS community in Hancock County. The Legion's leadership structure reflected both its mili