George Washington Bean's Miraculous Healing After Cannon Explosion — Brigham Young's Divine Intervention

On September 1, 1849, sixteen-year-old George Washington Bean suffered a catastrophic accident in Provo when a cannon exploded. The blast caused severe powder burns and mutilations, and his life was in immediate and grave danger—dangerously ebbing from the injuries.

In his despair and agony, Bean prayed to die. But the Lord had other plans.

President Brigham Young himself, along with his counselors Heber C. Kimball and Dr. Willard Richards (the man who had stood unharmed when Joseph Smith fell at Carthage Jail), came to Bean's side. Through their faithful ministrations and priesthood power, they brought him back to life and health. Bean's miraculous recovery defied medical expectation—he not only survived but remained functional, eventually losing only his left hand as a result of the explosion.

This miracle was not merely physical healing, but a divine calling. Bean had previously been called by President Young to go with Orrin Porter Rockwell with a message of "Peace and Brotherhood to the Indian tribes"—a life mission that would span decades. The Lord preserved Bean's life and restored his strength so that he could fulfill this sacred assignment.

Bean went on to become the Indian interpreter for Governor Brigham Young and all government officials and military men in the territory. He was given a commission from the Governor in 1867 as Lieutenant Colonel of Cavalry. He served as judge, legislator, assessor, and in countless other civic and religious capacities—all because his life was miraculously preserved by the combined faith and power of the Church leadership.

Bean's survival and subsequent service stand as testimony that when the Lord has a work for His servants to do, He will preserve them for that work, even in the face of what appears to be certain death.