David Ramsay (1749-1815)

Military Memoirs of Great Britain: or, A History of the War, 1775-1763

Edinburgh: for the Author, 1779

4to., (8 ½ x 5 ½ inches). Engraved title page and dedication leaf (some scattered spotting throughout). Fine engraved frontispiece of George II, 11 engraved plates (some spotting, portraits of Marshall Keith and General Wolfe with short tears affecting the images). Modern half maroon morocco, marbled boards, the spine in six compartments with five raised bands, gilt lettered in two and decorated in the rest.

First edition. "This volume gives an account of the war in America, including the Louisbourg expedition, the capture of Quebec and the death of Wolfe" (Lande 740). During the Revolutionary War Ramsay served as a member of the South Carolina legislature, and from 1782 until 1782 he served in the Continental Congress, but in his time he was better known as a historian and author. He was one of the first major historians of the American Revolution. Here he tackles the French and Indian War (the American front of the Seven Years's War), including detailed accounts such as the "Unsuccessful expedition against Louisbourg," "Defeat of the British at Ticonderoga," "Expedition against Quebec," and the death of General Wolfe, the "Cherokee War," and battles in places as disparate as Newfoundland and Havana. The portraits include Admiral Boscowan, General Amherst, General Wolfe, and Admiral Keppel. Howes R31; Sabin 67680; Staton & Tremaine/TPL 522.