I suspect that the majority of the people who have a historical or family connection to Charles E. Griffin do not picture him as an old fashion gunfighter. But the fact of the matter is that from 1853 until the early 1870s Charles was very involved with the martial arts. He was a soldier and a lawman. He fought against Johnson’s Army in the Utah War. His cavalry unit was sent on errands by Brigham Young to show the flag and protect Mormon interests throughout the intermountain west. He was very involved as an Indian fighter participating in some to the most dramatic campaigns in Utah history. He was dispatched to the Heber Valley, the Manti Valley and the West Desert. He was a member of a select 28 man unit sent back along the immigrant trail to set things right with renegade frontiersmen and Shoshone Indians. The unit was dispatched under the direct orders and signature of Brigham Young. He eventually rose to the rank of Captain in the militia.
He was the Sherriff of Summit County. The entry to Echo Canyon, which was the gateway into and out of Utah was in his jurisdiction. Patrolling this portal for stolen livestock was his responsibility. In the court records are a number of accounts of rustlers and lawbreakers arrested by Sheriff Charles E. Griffin. What kind of figure did he cut that convinced the outlaws to give themselves up? He even participated in a stand up gunfight. Flushing outlaws out of a house in the Avenues in Salt Lake City he exchanged gunfire with them at close range as they pounded through the streets as they tired unsuccessfully to make their escape. At times he served in dual roles serving in the militia and sheriff’s office at the same time.
The history that has reached most us comes from the latter part of his life living in Escalante, Utah. His days were spent as a gentleman farmer and stockman a life far removed from the gunman of his earlier years.
The Nauvoo Legion was revived very early on after the Saints arrived in Utah. Although the Church was intent on making friends of the Indians the differences in cultures led to conflict. In addition in the midst of the rough and tumble of the American west the Church was obliged to protect its interests among the competing interests along the immigrant trail. This provided ample work for the Nauvoo Legion.
The 16 year old Charles E. Griffin joined the elite unit of the Nauvoo Legion the Nauvoo Grays. In his autobiography he described the unit as the “minutemen”.
Although each region and community in Utah had a militia unit the Legion had several cavalry units that represented the closest thing they had to a standing army. According to Charles they were required to be ready at a moments notice. These elite units were commanded by some very familiar names Orrin Porter Rockwell, Lot Smith, William Hickman and Robert Burton who was Charles’ commanding officer. I think it is safe to assume that every effort was made to arm these units with the best weapons available.
When Charles joined the Legion he would have been using muzzle-loading weapons. We have posted a picture of the Harper’s Ferry 1841 model cap and ball rifle and the Army issued flintlock pistol the last of which was the model 1836. The pistols were referred to as horse pistols. They were more often than not carried in a holster attached to the saddle. Unable to fire a volley at an onrushing foe the idea was to use the “horse pistol” to shoot the horse from under its rider.
Charles was a member of the 75-man unit under Robert Taylor’s command that was sent out into Wyoming to face the approaching Union Army in 1857. These 75 men were joined by a unit from Provo with 50 men. The muster roll shows that Charles E. Griffin reported for duty with 1 horse, 1 saddle, 1 rifle, l pistol, 3/4 lb lead, and 200 caps. They met the federal army on the other side of Devils Gate in Wyoming.
The Mormon cavalry harassed Johnson’s Army clear across Wyoming stealing their cattle and livestock, burning the grass, raiding their supply train. Their efforts prevented the enemy from entering the Salt Lake Valley that year. With the growing tension between Utah and the Federal Government these cavalry units had scrambling to arm themselves with more modern cap and ball pistols such as the .36 caliber Colt Patterson and .44 caliber Colt Walker. The histories written about that time note the rush to purchase or manufacture the newest Colt variant the .44 caliber Colt Dragoon.
The first open conflict of the Utah War occurred at Pacific Springs in Wyoming. The decision was made to charge through the leading Federal encampment and drive off all of their livestock. Was Charles firing a Colt Dragoon when he joined the dash through the Federal camp at Pacific Springs?
The final act of the Utah War was put into play by Brigham Young. He asked Orrin Porter Rockwell to select a few men and travel back along the immigrant trail to make sure that the Army was living up to its promises to cease its blockade of the trail. One of the men he selected was Charles E. Griffin. I would love to have seen that small group of tough as nails, heavily armed men as the rode out of the valley on their errand.
From 1856 until the Black Hawk War in 1866 Charles’ unit was almost assuredly constantly upgrading its arsenal as newer weapons became available. The Colt Navy .36 Caliber cap and ball pistol was a favorite during the Civil War. It was followed by the larger .44 caliber Colt Army revolver. These pistols were lighter and easier to handle than the Colt Dragoon. Smith & Wesson had begun to produce the first pistols that used a bored through cylinder using metallic cartridges. In 1861 they introduced their .32 caliber Model No-2.
In 1866 Sargent Charles E, Griffin was serving in the militia unit in Long Valley in Southern Utah. 1866 was in the midst of the Blackhawk War. The militia units were on constant vigilance. Charles E. Griffin’s name appears on the muster role for one of the most famous campaigns of the war. Raiding Navajo’s had crossed the Colorado River to raid throughout southern Utah. They attacked the ranches at Pipe Springs killing 2 ranchers and driving off 1000 head of sheep and any number of horses and cattle. A select unit was assembled to pursue and punish the raiders. Its members were cherry picked from the various militia units. The muster role noted that Charles E. Griffin had arrived with two horses. It notes that he was armed with a rifle, two pistols and a sword.
So what weapons was Charles carrying on the 1866 raid? The Quarter Master reports from the time show that the Quarter Master was supplying ammunition for the .52 caliber Sharps Rife and the .52 caliber Spencer Carbine as well as the Smith & Wesson pistol. There is a letter from General Lorenzo Smith to Legion Chief of Staff George A Smith in which we notes that in preparing for an inspection tour of his southern Utah units he had purchased a Henry Rifle and 200 rounds of ammunition.
The command was mustered into service in Grafton and tracked the Indians to the Ute Crossing on the Colorado River. They eventually tracked the raiders, who stayed on the west side of the river, until they found their camp in the Buckskin Mountains. So what was Charles’ carrying when he and his unit made their charge through the Indian encampment? The description of the battle describes a close up fight. The unit commander’s horse had an arrow lodged in its forehead at the end of the battle. Charles and Gus Hardy had a running fight with an Indian brave dodging through the cedars. The Indian hot after Charles, Gus hot after the Indian the Indian eventually shot from his saddle.
Charles was probably carrying Army Colt pistols. They were among the best iterations of the cap and ball design. Their 52 calibers size was a real man stopper. As a “professional” solder he may have carried one Colt and one of the more modern Smith & Wesson Model-2s. Even though it shot a lighter round the ability to quickly reload may have been a life saving feature. The more modern more powerful S&W Model-3 did not come out until 1870. Colt did not begin to converts its cap and ball pistols to cartridge fire until 1872. The famous Colt Peacemaker was introduced in 1873.
Charles moved back to Coalville Utah in 1867. In his roles as Captain in the militia and the Sherriff’s office I suspect that he was still carrying the weapons he was using in 1866. As a militia officer he was involved with a successful campaign to put an end to the Utes raiding the Heber Valley from their home base in the Uinta Basin. His gunfight in Salt Lake City started out in Coalville. I wonder what pistol or pistols he was carrying when he shot it out with the outlaws that he finally cornered in the Avenues? Did he favor the bigger more powerful Colts or was he carrying the lighter Smith & Wesson as his everyday gun? By the time the more modern handguns, that we are all familiar with, were introduced he had put his gunman past behind him.
But even in Escalante he must have found use for his old firearms. One of his lasting legacies was the love his sons had for hunting and fishing.
The firearms posted below are in the order that they are mentioned in article.
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