in april 1847, young consulted with members of the quorum of the twelve apostles who had recently returned from the british mission. john taylor, parley p. pratt and orson hyde brought money contributed by the english saints, a map based on john c. fremont's recent western expedition, and instruments for calculating latitude, elevation, temperature and barometric pressure. chosen members of the vanguard group were gathered together, final supplies were packed, and the group was organized into military companies. the group consisted of 143 men, including three blacks and eight members of the quorum of the twelve apostles, three women, and two children. the train contained 73 wagons, one cannon, 93 horses, 52 mules, 66 oxen, 19 cows, 17 dogs and some chickens, and carried enough supplies to fully provision the group for one year. young divided this group into 14 companies, each with a designated captain. apprehensive of possible indian danger, a militia and night guard was formed under the direction of stephen markham.