TARLETON, Sir Banastre (1754-1833)

A History of the Campaigns of 1780 and 1781, in the Southern Provinces of North America

London: printed for T. Cadell, 1787. Quarto. (10 13/16 x 8 1/2 inches). vii, [1], 518pp. plus one leaf of publisher's ads. Folding engraved map with routes marked by hand in color, and four folding engraved plans, with positions and troop movements marked by hand in colors.

Early 20th-century half brown morocco, patterned endpapers, spine elaborately gilt in six compartments with raised bands.

First edition of a key work concerning the southern campaigns of the American Revolution.

Tarleton, the commander of a Tory cavalry unit, the British Legion, served in America from May 1776 through the siege of Yorktown. He was infamous for his brutal tactics and hard-riding attacks. His narrative is one of the principal British accounts of the Revolution, notable for his use of original documents, a number of which are included as notes following the relevant chapters. The handsome maps and plans include "The Marches of Lord Cornwallis in the Southern Provinces...," showing the Carolinas, Maryland, Virginia and Delaware (with routes traced by hand in color); and plans of the siege of Charlestown, the battles of Camden and Guildford, and the siege of Yorktown.

Church 1224; Clark, Old South I: 317; Howes T37; Sabin 94397; Nebenzahl, Batttle Plans of the American Revolution; 60, 83, 90, 92, 97; Revolutionary Hundred 85; Gephart 6589.

Item #39794

Price: $6,000.00