Cattle and Hogs Walk into the Besieged Camp at De Witt — The Saints Sustained Like Israel in the Desert (1838)

During the autumn of 1838, the Latter-day Saints gathered at De Witt, Carroll County, Missouri, found themselves under siege by a hostile mob. The situation grew increasingly dire as the Saints were entirely cut off from communication with the surrounding countryside and their food supplies were exhausted. Facing extreme privation and the looming threat of death by starvation, the Saints felt abandoned and vulnerable. According to the account later published by Sidney Rigdon in his 1840 work, 'An Appeal to the American People,' the survival of the people during this harrowing period was sustained by a providential occurrence that reminded them of the manna provided to the ancient Israelites in the desert. Rigdon observed that, during the height of the siege, cattle and hogs—animals with no identifiable owners—miraculously wandered into the camp. These animals were slaughtered to provide much-needed, if coarse, sustenance, allowing the beleaguered Saints to maintain their strength and survive the duration of the encampment. Rigdon reflected on the remarkable nature of this event, noting that the appearance of these animals occurred precisely when the Saints were without any other means of subsistence, viewing it as a clear instance of divine intervention in their time of desperate need.