The Assassination of Generals Joseph Smith and Hiram Smith

Eliza R. Snow published the poem The Assassination of Generals Joseph Smith and Hiram Smith on July 1st, 1844. It was one of the first efforts to publicly assign meaning to their tragic deaths. W.W. Phelps followed shortly after with his poem Joseph Smith which is turned into a well-known hymn Praise to the Man. Even as the saints work to understand the place of the martyrdom in the history and future of the church they were faced with peril.