Jefferson Davis rather than James Buchanan was the prime cause of
the great mistake.

And General Johnston who commanded the army in the west; he who
was so vehement in his denunciation of the rebel "Mormons," and
who rejoiced in being selected to chastise them into submission;
who, because of his vindictiveness incurred the ill-favor of the
governor, whose _posse comitatus_ the army was; what became of
him, at one time so popular that he was spoken of as a likely
successor to Winfield Scott in the office of general-in-chief of
the United States army? He left Utah in the early stages of the
rebellion, turned his arms against the flag he had sworn to
defend, doffed the blue, donned the grey, and fell a rebel on the
field of Shiloh.

Changes many and great followed in bewildering succession in
Utah. The people were besought to take sides with the South in
the awful scenes of cruel strife; it was openly stated in the
east that Utah had allied herself with the cause of secession;
and by others that the design was to make Salt Lake City the
capital of an independent government. And surely such
conjectures were pardonable on the part of all whose ignorance
and prejudice still nursed the delusion of "Mormon" disloyalty.
Moreover, had the people been inclined to rebellion what greater
opportunity could they have wished? Already a North and a South
were talked of--why not set up also a West? A supreme
opportunity had come and how was it used? It was at this very
time that the Overland Telegraph line, which had been approaching
from the Atlantic and the Pacific, was completed, and the first
tremor felt in that nerve of steel carried these words from