5. The reason Col. John Frierson interested himself in this matter was that Hon. R. B. Rhett a representative in the National Congress from South Carolina, and a political friend of John C. Calhoun, had expressed a willingness to present to Congress a memorial for a redress of grievances suffered by the Saints in Missouri; and of course all this in the interest of Calhoun as candidate for President. See pp. 62-63; also _Nauvoo Neighbor_ for the 5th June, 1844. 6. This is an error. Col. Frierson has confounded two incidents--the "Battle" at Crooked River, and a movement in Daviess county. General Doniphan gave no orders in respect of the skirmish in which David Patten lost his life, usually called the "Battle of Crooked River;" but he and also General Park gave some orders to Col. Wight d Col. Hinkle in relation to movements of militia in Daviess County against Millport and Gallatin. (See Vol. III, Ch. XII.) 7. The omission here indicated is the paragraph of foreign phrases not germane to the matter as explained in the footnote at page 75. 8. Relative to the spirit of this meeting in Nauvoo on the 29th of November, 1843; and also of many of the articles published as Editorials, and letters that were written about this time to public men, the reader should be reminded that these leading brethren of the Church were speaking and writing under a great stress of feeling--under a sense of outraged justice. Their minds had been refreshed and their feelings again wrought up by the detailed recital of the acts of injustice endured in Missouri by the Memorial to congress drawn up by Colonel Frierson; and under such circumstances it is scarcely to be expected that strong men will not give expression to the vehemence they feel. Edmund Burke once said in defense of the rashness expressed in both speech and action of some of the patriots of the American Revolution, that "_It is not fair to judge the temper or the disposition of any man or set of men when they are composed and at rest from their conduct or there expressions in a state of disturbance and irritation."_ The justice of Burke's assertion has never been questioned, and without any wresting whatsoever it may be applied to the prominent Church leaders on the occasion of this meeting at Nauvoo; and, moreover, they saw again forming those mobocratic tendencies in Illinois from which they had suffered in Missouri. {98} CHAPTER V. THE AVERY KIDNAPPING--DEFENSIVE PREPARATIONS AGAINST MISSOURI MOBS--APPEALS TO THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT FOR PROTECTION--NAUVOO LEGION OFFERED AS UNITED STATES TROOPS. _Friday, December 1, 1843.--_At home. In the evening, walking out and administering to the sick. At noon, Dr. Willard Richards called on me to get a petition to Congress for an appropriation to improve the Rapids. [Sidenote: Progress of the Work.] I continue to receive letters from Elders in the different States, giving news of the progress of the work.