Prelude to Glory: Books Offer LDS View of First War

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Dec 5, 2001

America was discovered, colonized, and made into a great nation so that the Lord would have a proper place both to restore the gospel and from which to send it forth to all other nations. As a prelude to his coming, and so the promised work of restoration would roll forward, the foundations of the American nation were laid. ?Bruce R. McConkie

Although The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was not established until 1830, Mormons believe that the Lord was preparing the North American continent for its coming long before the 1800s. The Doctrine and Covenants tells us that the nation?s Founding Fathers were divinely appointed to create a free nation and to bless its citizens with the creation of the Constitution. Through much violence and suffering, the American nation was born and her people were given certain unalienable rights, including freedom of religion. These first steps were absolutely necessary to the restoration of the Gospel.

In his new series, ?Prelude to Glory,? LDS writer Ron Carter seeks to describe the events of early American history and the way in which they influenced the foundation of Mormonism. He describes the tumultuous times through the eyes of the fictional Dunson Family. As an officer in the colonial Committee of Safety, John Dunson has pledged his life to the cause of freedom. His wife, Margaret, also desires a life without British rule, but remains terrified of the danger involved. As a mother, she feels helpless to protect her family, especially her husband and oldest son, who take constant risks to defy the British. Like their friends and neighbors, the Dunsons live in fear of the English armies that watch them day and night. Their fear of a colonial uprising is equally as real, for only bloodshed can come of it. But John and his comrades detect the hand of the Almighty in their doings, and they know they cannot stop until their patriotic duty is done. With leaders like Paul Revere, Samuel Adams, George Washington and Benedict Arnold at their head, the haphazard colonial forces forge into battle with the mighty British armies, knowing that many of them will die in the cause for freedom.

The first book in the series, Our Sacred Honor, follows both the colonials and the British through the beginning of war on the American continent. It describes well-known events, such as Paul Revere?s midnight ride to warn his countrymen of British movements, the battle of Bunker Hill, the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and John Paul Jones? famous stand against the attacks of the British man-of-war Serapis. It also employs little-known, but historically accurate vignettes from military history. Most moving, however, are the sections in which Carter describes the fears and feelings of his fictional Bostonians as they face the deaths of loved ones and the loss of their own safety and security. Readers cannot help but be drawn in by these very touching stories. In fact, as Carter describes weaponry, war tactics and other details, readers may be tempted to skip to the chapters that offer updates on the characters in the story.

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