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All I can say is that this was a very sad time in our history, and it was an incredible tragedy.

The only way to understand how this happened, is to look at the big picture.

At this time, the Mormons were still incredibly persecuted. It was also the big Westward Expansion - everyone wanted to go west, and Utah was the best route to take, because the Saints had made it more hospitable.

Mountain Meadows was in a part of the state that had been going through incredibly dry drought conditions. Their crops had withered, their animals were dying. Travelers coming through the area were threatening to take what little they had. And worst of all, many of the people coming through that area were from the same areas of Missouri where Mormons had been murdered and hunted and massacred.

Somehow, a rumor started that this group of people were coming to kill the settlers - this group had the men leading the way with the women and children following along in the wagons (A typical safety precaution, in lands where there were Indians and dangerous animals).

(I'm sorry, I can't remember names, it's been months since I read up on this!) - Anyhow, the guy in charge wrote to Brigham Young, asking him what to do. His people were starving, and terrified that the men who had killed some of them in Missouri were coming to finish the job. He wanted to fight for his people, his family... Brigham told him to stand down, and let the settlers pass peaceably. But the letter from the prophet came too late - he had already arranged an attack on the men.

He had himself and other men (And this is where the records are a little fuzzy) dress as Ute Indians, and there is some question as to whether the Ute Indians also fought with them, or whether they were not really involved at all... Anyhow, they staged an attack against these men, hoping to kill them before they got to where their own women and children were living...
They didn't know that this was only a peaceful settler group with families of their own, following a few miles behind.

The fighting lasted for a couple days - both sides were hungry and tired and terrified. Neither side wanted to surrender, so there was not even a chance to talk and explain the situation. The LDS men were so paranoid that it was a trick (especially when some of the women were fighting to defend their men), and that they ALL wanted to kill the Mormons.... So they were so incredibly paranoid, they killed everyone in the wagon train above the age of accountability.

There were some younger children and babies, who were then adopted into the families of the surviving Mormon families.

All in all, it was a very sad situation, caused by political tension and fear of persecution. If only the letter from Brigham had come sooner... The man who led the attack was excommunicated, and he lived out the rest of his days in sorrow for what he had done.