JOURNALS OF MAJOR ROBERT ROGERS

(FRENCH AND INDIAN WARS, PERSONAL ACCOUNTS). ROGERS, ROBERT

Published by Printed for the Author, and sold by J. Millan, London, 1765

About this Item

213 x 129 mm. (8 3/8 x 5"). viii, 236 pp., [2] leaves (ads). Contemporary speckled calf, raised bands, spine with gilt rules, red morocco label, all edges sprinkled. Front pastedown with the bookplate of Everett D. Graff along with an early engraved armorial bookplate; front flyleaf with an illegible early ink stamp. Howes R-419; Sabin 72725. Binding with extremities a bit rubbed, but solid, unrestored, and pleasing. Internally with slight variable browning and a few spots as expected, but extremely clean and fresh. This is a really excellent contemporary copy of an important narrative of the French and Indian War that comes from one of the most important Americana collections of the last century. Robert Rogers (1731-95) was an American-born British soldier who found success during King George?s War, the third of the French and Indian Wars. He began as a scout in the 1755 mission to capture Fort St. Fr?d?ric at Crown Point, New York, and by the following year commanded a corps of 600 rangers known as "Rogers' Rangers," famous for their daring exploits. This, Rogers' own account of his wartime experiences, spans the period from September 1755 to February of 1761, when the French surrendered to Rogers at Detroit. It includes detailed firsthand observations of the war that have long made the present account an important historical source. Rogers had a knack for being in the right place at the right time: he participated in General Abercrombie's 1758 attack on Fort Ticonderoga, and was part of Amherst's 1760 attack on Montreal. The journal is also valuable for its early accounts of visits to the Great Lakes (Eerie and Huron) as well as Rogers' descriptions of Delaware villages and Pittsburgh. It was published in England in 1765, and saw much success; King George III read it and was impressed enough to appoint Rogers commander of Fort Michilimackinac in what is now Michigan. Our copy, in its unsophisticated period binding, comes with notable provenance. Everett D. Graff (1885-1964), who served as president of the Newberry Library and the Art Institute of Chicago, was a major collector of Western Americana. Over 100,000 pieces of his collection now reside at the Newberry Library.

Seller Inventory # ST20175

Bibliographic Details

• Title: JOURNALS OF MAJOR ROBERT ROGERS
• Publisher: Printed for the Author, and sold by J. Millan, London
• Publication Date: 1765
• Edition: FIRST EDITION.
• Seller catalogs:
  • Bindings - 18th century
  • Biography and Memoir
  • Americana