A handsome, clean example of the first edition of Tarleton's history of the Southern Campaign during the American Revolution.
"Bloody Ban" Tarleton was known for his daring and vicious attacks, and he was apparently unmatched in the vigor of his actions. Tarleton's book takes the form of a compilation of official letters from British officers, as well as American and French commanders (the latter taken from newspapers).
Following the example of Burgoyne, who felt it necessary to defend his conduct in the Revolution in print in 1780, Tarleton composed the present work after attacks on his command at Cowpens appeared in the British press in 1786. Here Tarleton defends his conduct while attempting to shift the blame to Cornwallis.
The book includes the following maps:
- The Marches of Lord Cornwallis in the Southern Provinces, Now States of North America; Comprehending the Two Carolinas, with Virginia and Maryland, and the Delaware Counties, by William Faden Geographer to the King.
- Plan of the Siege of Charlestown in South Carolina.
- Plan of the Battle Fought near Camden August 16th. 1780.
- Battle of Guilford, Fought on the 15th of March 1781.
- Plan of the Siege of York Town in Virginia.
Provenance
Engraved bookplate of "Chrisr. Jefferson, Esq. Dullingham."
This is surely Lieutenant-General Christopher Jefferson IV of Dullingham, Cambridgeshire, who died in 1824. The family's money was largely derived from landholdings in the West Indies, namely the Wingfield Manor estate on St. Kitts.