Oliver B. Huntington Records the Three Nephites at Far West

Oliver B. Huntington recorded several profound accounts of heavenly intervention that he gathered directly from eyewitnesses during his long life as a Church historian.

One account concerned Brother James Bird, who was present at Far West in October 1838 when Governor Boggs's army approached to execute his extermination order. Joseph Smith stood with the brethren behind hastily constructed breastworks and remarked that if the army crossed a certain line, they would open fire.

The army came on — then suddenly, inexplicably, every soldier turned and fled in panic back to camp. The soldiers themselves declared they had seen 'too many thousands of soldiers' defending the city — a number wholly impossible by the actual defenders' count.

Huntington recorded Joseph's private explanation to Brother Bird: 'He saw between them and the mob one of the Three Nephites, with a drawn sword, before he made the remark about opening fire upon them, and when the mob had returned he saw the Three Nephites near the same place armed for battle. The hosts of the three had with them were undoubtedly exposed, by the power of God, to view of the mob, being the hosts of soldiers they saw and fled from.'

Huntington also recorded a second account: during Zion's Camp (1834), as the company marched to Missouri, Joseph Smith was seen speaking with a stranger by the roadside. When the company reached him, no one else was there. That night Heber C. Kimball asked the Prophet who the man was. Joseph replied: 'It was the Beloved Disciple, John, who was then on his way to the ten tribes in the North.' Joseph later said, 'John was among the ten tribes beyond the north pole.'

Fuller account of this event (in the witness’s own words):

The morning that the Army of Governor Boggs' exterminating order attempted to come into Far West, Joseph the Prophet stood with the brethren behind the breast works so hastily thrown up in the night, and remarked as they were sweeping and swarming towards the beloved city, that if they came beyond a certain place, we would open fire upon them. The army came on, near the spot designated and on a sudden, they all turned and ran pell mell back to their camp, in great fright, declaring they saw too many thousands of soldiers to think of attacking the city. Joseph told Brother James Bird, “that he saw between them and the mob one of the Three Nephites, with a drawn sword, before he made the remark about opening fire upon them, and when the mob had returned he saw the Three Nephites near the same place armed for battle.”