Sep 22, 1827

[Heber C. Kimball] On the night of September 22d, 1827, while living in the town of Mendon, after I had retired to bed, John P. Green, who was then a traveling Reformed Methodist preacher, living within one hundred steps of my house, came and waked me up, calling upon me to come out and behold the scenery in the heavens. I woke up and called my wife and Sister Fanny Young (sister to Brigham Young), who was living with us; we went out of doors—it was one of the most beautiful starlight nights, so clear that we could see to pick up a pin. We looked to the eastern horizon and beheld a white smoke arise towards the heavens; as it ascended it formed itself into a belt, and made a noise like the rushing of a mighty wind, and continued southwest, forming a regular bow dipping in the western horizon. After the bow had formed, it began to widen out and grow clear and transparent of a bluish cast; it grew wide enough to contain twelve men abreast. In this bow an army moved, commencing from the east and marching to the west; they continued marching until they reached the western horizon. They moved in platoons, and walked so close the rear ranks trod in the steps of their file leaders, until the whole bow was literally crowded with soldiers. We could distinctly see the muskets, bayonets and knapsacks of the men, who wore caps and feathers like those used by the American soldiers in the last war with Britain; also saw their officers with their swords and equipage, and heard the clashing and jingling of their instruments of war, and could discover the form and features of the men. The most profound order existed throughout the entire army; when the foremost man stepped, every man stepped at the same time; I could hear the steps. When the front rank reached the western horizon a battle ensued, as we could distinctly hear the report of the arms and the rush. No man could judge of my feelings when I beheld that army of men, as plainly as I ever saw armies of men in the flesh. It seemed as though every hair of my head was alive. This scenery we gazed upon for hours, until it began to disappear. After I became acquainted with Mormonism I learned that this took place the same evening that Joseph Smith received the records of the Book of Mormon from the angel Moroni, who had held those records in his possession. John Young, Sen., and John P. Greene's wife Rhoda were also witnesses of this scenery. My wife being frightened at what she saw, said: `Father Young, what does all this mean?' He replied in a lively, pleased manner, `Why, it's one of the signs of the coming of the Son of Man.' The next night similar scenery was beheld in the west by the neighbors, representing armies of men who were engaged in battle."

[Source: Whitney, Helen Mar, Jeni Broberg Holzapfel, and Richard Neitzel Holzapfel, A Woman's View: Helen Mar Whitney's Reminiscences of Early Church History, Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1997]