Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Open for research.

Use Restrictions

Physical characteristics and conditions affect use of this material. Photocopying not permitted.

Preferred Citation

The War , 1812-1814, 1817 (M 029), Thomas Balch Library, Leesburg, VA.

Acquisition Information

Unknown

Alternative Form Available

None

Accruals

1995.0026X

Historical Information

In the early years of the 19th century British and French trade embargoes were causing increasing trouble for the growing American merchant marines. The British Navy was boarding American vessels, searching for contraband and impressing sailors. Tensions continued to build, finally erupting with a declaration of war by the United States on Great Britain, 18 Jun 1812. Fighting ended 24 Dec 1814, when Great Britain's representatives accepted the Treaty of Ghent. While the War of 1812 did not result in gains for either side, it was celebrated as a victory by the United States which viewed it as the second war of independence.

New York City printer and publisher Samuel Woodworth sought to document this turbulent time with the publication of a weekly newspaper called The War. Initial subscribers were solicited 12 Jun 1812, and the first issue published 15 Jun 1812. By the end of July, the list of subscribers exceeded 800. Woodworth formed the content of the newspaper using official documents, both American and British, and included a chronological index. The War was published weekly between June 1812 and September 1814. Facing increasing financial difficulties, Woodworth suspended publication on 6 Sep 1814. The newspaper resumed publication in February 1817 under the imprint of Charles N. Baldwin (1793?-1838), who printed three more issues.

Samuel Woodworth was born in Scituate, MA on 13 Jan 1784. His great interest in literature led to an apprenticeship with a printer in Boston at the age of 17. While in Boston he founded and edited a children's publication called The Fly. He moved to New Haven and continued to work as a printer. In 1809 Woodworth settled in New York City, where he gained local recognition with the publication of three satiric poems between 1809 and 1812. He established a printing business in 1811, which was prosperous for a short time. Difficulties in maintaining his business were exacerbated by hardships brought on by the war. By 1815 Woodworth lost control of his business.

Woodworth found work as foreman in Charles N. Baldwin's print shop in New York City, working there until 1818. During this time he edited two newspapers, and wrote the lyric poem, his best known work, The Old Oaken Bucket. Baldwin went bankrupt in 1818, and Woodworth subsequently held several short lived editorial positions. He continued to write and publish poetry, and started writing theatrical works around 1822; two of his plays, Lafayette and The Forest Rose, were very popular. Woodworth worked at various editorial posts through the 1820's. From 1835-1836 he held a clerkship at the Boston Naval Yard, which he had to leave it because of failing eyesight. He returned to New York City, where he continued to write poetry and prose in spite of poverty and poor health. He died 9 Dec 1841.

Less is known about the life of Charles N. Baldwin. As a printer, he published a number of works, including some of Woodworth's poetry. In 1817 Baldwin and Abraham Asten began the Republican Chronicle, a semiweekly newspaper. Woodworth was put in charge of the literary department, soon becoming editor.

Baldwin was also proprietor of a lottery office. Starting in the mid 18th century, public lotteries were used by New York state to fund projects such as construction of a lighthouse at Sandy Hook and repairs to City Hall. Lotteries enabled the state to launch projects without having to raise taxes. The growing popularity of lotteries prompted competition from private interests, and the state responded by tightening regulation for private lotteries. By the start of the 19th century, lotteries were a big business with managers using a variety of tactics to increase their profits.

In 1818 Baldwin accused the manager of a state-sponsored lottery of fraud. In response, the accused sued him for libel and the case proceeded to trial. Baldwin was acquitted after only 15 minutes of court deliberation. He published an account of the trial in Report of the Trial of Charles N. Baldwin, For a Libel, in Publishing. The case resulted in a state investigation and passage of an act in 1819 regulating lotteries. Lotteries were finally outlawed in 1833.

After his bankruptcy in 1818, there is little information about Baldwin's life. He died in 1838.

Scope and Content

The collection consists of three volumes of The War , a weekly publication between the years of 1812-1814 by S. (Samuel) Woodworth & Co., New York. The 1817 issue was printed by C. (Charles) N. Baldwin, New York. Missing from the collection are Nos. 1-3 of Vol. I, No. 26 of Vol. II, and Nos. 14-15 of Vol. III.

The newspaper's contributors reported on the War of 1812 not only from New York, but other U.S. cities, Canada and the Europe. Published accounts include journals and letters, names of Military personnel and battles, as well as action of American privateers, and involvement of Native Americans.

Samples of information pertaining to northern Virginia found in the publication include:

Recruiting districts (i.e. principal rendezvous Leesburg) and the officers appointed to superintend the recruiting districts (Major David Campbell, Leesburg) [February 2, 1813 issue (Vol. I, No. 33)];

an account of the "Capture of Washington City" from the Office of the Baltimore Patriot [August 30, 1814 issue (Vol. III, No. 11)];

an "Authentic Account of the Capture of Washington" [September 6, 1814 issue (Vol. III, No. 12)],

and provides the "British Official Account of the Capture of Washington" [undated 1817 publication (Vol. III, No. 12)].

Related Material

None

Adjunct Descriptive Data

Bibliography

Dasgupta, Anisha S. "Public Finance and the Fortunes of the Early American Lottery." Yale Law School Student Scholarship Series , 2005. http://lsr.nellco.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1008&context=yale/student

Ljungquist, P. Kent. Antebellum Writers in New York. Detroit: Gale Group, 2002

Taft, Kendall B. Minor Knickerbockers; Representative Selections, with Introduction, Bibliography, and Notes . New Hampshire: Ayer Company Publishers, 1970. Electronic edition: http://books.google.com/books?id=8o6N0SarfaoC&pg=PP1&ots=fQjCE9R2Vr&dq=minor+knickerbockers&sig=WvZ98HNpgfC8pbryarnGLWG7HhM

The War , New York: S. Woodworth & Co., 1812-1814.

The War , New York: C. N. Baldwin, 1817.

Willman, Gerald. "The History of Lotteries." Department of Economics, Stanford University. http://willmann.bwl.uni-kiel.de/~gerald/history.pdf.

Other Finding Aid

None