Healing / Medical Reversal & Remission

Joseph Smith’s Healing of the Camp Horses

Published October 18, 2026 at 9:07 AM

1830s · 1834

Belle Fontaine, Missouri

Contributed by

Young Woman's Journal Research

Following internal discord in Zion's Camp in 1834, the horses of the camp were foundered and could not be led to water. Joseph Smith promised that if the men humbled themselves, the horses would be restored to health. By 12:00 PM that same day, the horses were healed, with the exception of one horse belonging to Sylvester Smith.

On the evening of May 17, 1834, just after the camp crossed from Ohio into Indiana, a conflict arose between some of the brethren and Sylvester Smith. Joseph Smith was called to intervene and, perceiving a rebellious spirit, warned them that they would face misfortunes and difficulties before leaving that location, exhorting them to humble themselves and unite to avoid being scourged. The foundering of the horses occurred that very night, and upon discovering the situation the next morning, Joseph Smith specifically declared to the brethren that the condition of the horses was a witness that God was overruling and watching over them, and that if they humbled themselves, the hand of God would be recognized in the restoration of their animals.

In Their Own Words

“Finding quite a rebellious spirit in Sylvester Smith, and to some extent in others; I told them they would meet with misfortunes, difficulties and hindrances, and said, 'and you will know it before you leave this place'; exhorting them to humble themselves before the Lord and become united, that they might not be scourged. A very singular occurrence took place that night, and the next day concerning our teams. On the following Sunday morning when we arose, we found almost every horse in the camp so badly foundered, that we could scarcely lead them a few rods to the water. The brethren then deeply realized the effects of discord. When I learned the fact, I exclaimed to the brethren, that for a witness that God overruled and had his eye upon them, that all those who would humble themselves before the Lord, should know that the hand of God is in this misfortune, and their horses should be restored to health immediately; and by twelve o’clock the same day the horses were as nimble as ever, with the exception of one of Sylvester Smith’s which soon afterwards died.”

— Joseph Smith, History of the Church, Vol. 2, pp. 66-67

Sources & References

The Young Woman's Journal, vol. 17 no. 9 (September 1906). L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University digital collections. https://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/digital/collection/YWJ/id/12943 (account extracted verbatim from the collection's page-level OCR; research confidence: high) Additional sources (periodical research): The Wilford Woodruff Papers, May 17-18, 1834. https://wilfordwoodruffpapers.org/documents/7fa48660-76da-4b7d-be34-ec03b88b3d57/transcript; Joseph Smith Foundation, Zion's Camp History. https://josephsmithfoundation.org/zions-camp-2 Full first-person account: History of the Church, Vol. 2, Chapter 5 https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/history-1838-1856-volume-a-1-1834-1848/72

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