''The Late War between the United States and Great Britain'' is an educational text written by Gilbert J. Hunt and published in New York in 1816. ''The Late War'' is an account of the
War of 1812
The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...
written in the
style of the King James Bible.
Contents
''The Late War'' is a history of the
War of 1812
The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...
. It begins with President
James Madison
James Madison Jr. (March 16, 1751June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Father. He served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for hi ...
and the congressional declaration of war, writing "James, whose sir-name was Madison, delivered a written paper to the Great
Sanhedrin
The Sanhedrin (Hebrew and Aramaic: סַנְהֶדְרִין; Greek: , ''synedrion'', 'sitting together,' hence 'assembly' or 'council') was an assembly of either 23 or 71 elders (known as "rabbis" after the destruction of the Second Temple), ap ...
of the people, who were assembled together." It continues, later describing the
Burning of Washington, the
Battle of New Orleans, and the
Treaty of Ghent
The Treaty of Ghent () was the peace treaty that ended the War of 1812 between the United States and the United Kingdom. It took effect in February 1815. Both sides signed it on December 24, 1814, in the city of Ghent, United Netherlands (now in ...
.
''The Late War'' was written in "
biblical style", that is, emulating the style of the King James Bible, and is published with chapter and verse notation. For example, the author introduces the
Battle of Queenstown with the text:
AND it came to pass, on the morning of the thirteenth day of the tenth month,2 That Stephen, a chief captain of Columbia, sir-named Van Rensselaer, essayed to cross the river which is called Niagara, with his whole army.
Near the conclusion of the work, the
Battle of New Orleans is described:
And it came to pass, in the one thousand eight hundred and fifteenth year of the Christian era, in the first month of the year, and on the eighth day of the month, Being on the Sabbath day, (which, as it is written in the scriptures, Thou shalt remember and keep HOLY,) That the mighty army of the king, which had moved out of the strong ships of Britain, came, in their strength, to make conquest of the territory of Columbia, which lieth to the south ;
3rd Edition Preface
In the third edition (1819), G J Hunt added a preface encouraging the use of the work in schools:
:''"The reception of it into schools, will render familiar to children the chief actions in the contest
he War
He or HE may refer to:
Language
* He (pronoun), an English pronoun
* He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ
* He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets
* He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...
and teach them, at the same time, to respect their country and its institutions."''
:''"It seems to me one of the best attempts to imitate the biblical style ; and if the perusal of it can induce young persons to relish and love the sacred books whose language you have imitated, it will be the strongest of all recommendations."''
Association with the Book of Mormon
In the 21st century, speculation arose that ''The Late War'' influenced the 1830 work
The Book of Mormon. Believers in a miraculous origin for the Book of Mormon dismiss that claim.
References
*Phileas Gagnon. ''Essai de Bibliographie Canadienne''. Quebec. 1895. Volume 1
p 235
*Marcus Cunliffe. ''The Nation Takes Shape: 1789-1837''. University of Chicago Press. 1959
p 134
*Mason Locke Weems. ''The Life of Washington''. Harvard University Press. 1962
p xliv
*Paul A. Gilje. Free Trade and Sailors' Rights in the War of 1812. Cambridge University Press. 2013
p 286
*Eran Shalev. ''American Zion: The Old Testament as a Political Text from the Revolution to the Civil War''. Yale University Press. 2013. p
9899
External links
* Rea
''The Late War''at
Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...
.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Late War
1816 non-fiction books
Mormonism-related controversies
Works about the War of 1812
Works in the style of the King James Version