Tragedy and Truth: What Happened at Hawn's Mill

On the afternoon of October 30, 1838, a vigilante force of more than two hundred armed men attacked and raided the small settlement known as Hawn’s Mill in eastern Caldwell County, Missouri. The premeditated assault left seventeen Mormon men and boys dead and more than a dozen others wounded. But those who remained had little time to mourn their loss. Afraid of another attack, short of help, and facing unseasonably cold temperatures, the shocked survivors quickly buried fourteen of their dead in an unfinished dry well. During the weeks and months that followed, life at Hawn’s Mill was bleak, especially for the women and children whose husbands and fathers had been killed or wounded. Those left behind struggled to provide for their families. Yet the experiences of the Latter-day Saints at Hawn’s Mill exemplify incredible faith, courage, and commitment in the midst of terrible tragedy. Their stories touch the deepest of sympathies, inspire faith, and strengthen testimony.