 Now, there were 500 Mormons who joined the Army of the West, but there were almost 3,000 Missourians. Two main regiments, the 1st and 2nd Missouri Mounted Volunteers, commanded by two individuals who had relationships or interactions historically with Joseph Smith. Dispatches were sent from Washington, D.C. to Fort Leavenworth and Colonel Stephen Carney, commander of the U.S. Army of the West.