Reddick Newton Allred: Sergeant Major of the Mormon Battalion Writes an Autobiography That Becomes a Primary Source of Church History (1846–1905)

Reddick Newton Allred was born February 21, 1822, in Bedford, Tennessee — twin brother of Reddin Allred. He was baptized at age 11 in 1833. He served a proselytizing mission to Indiana at age 19. He married Lucy Hoyt in Nauvoo on November 26, 1843, and received his endowments in the Nauvoo Temple in December 1845.

When the call came for the Mormon Battalion in July 1846, Reddick was 24 years old and newly married. He enlisted immediately in Company A and was appointed Sergeant Major — the highest non-commissioned rank in the Battalion, responsible for drill, order, and the daily command of the enlisted men.

He completed the entire march from Council Bluffs to San Diego and was discharged July 16, 1847. After his discharge, he joined the Levi W. Hancock/Jefferson Hunt company and arrived in Salt Lake Valley in October 1847.

In 1898 — fifty-two years after the march — Reddick Newton Allred wrote an autobiographical sketch and diary account of his experiences. The manuscript was preserved in the Daughters of Utah Pioneers collection and is now available through the Church History Library. It is one of the most detailed first-person records of the Battalion's experience from the perspective of a company-level commander.

In a letter to Church Historian Anthon H. Lund written in 1903 — when Allred was 81 years old — he continued to serve as a witness of the Battalion's spiritual significance. He died October 10, 1905, in Chester, Sanpete County, Utah, at age 83.

Reddick Newton Allred spent 52 years carrying the memory of the march before writing it down. Then he spent seven more years ensuring it was preserved for the Church.