A Boston Merchant of 1745: or, Incidents in the Life of James Gibson, A Gentlemen Volunteer at the Expedition to Louisburg;; with a Journal of That Siege, Never Before Published In this Country. By One of His Descendants
Boston: Redding and Company, 1847. First edition. Hardcover. First edition. 32mo. 3"x 5" in blindstamped blue cloth lettered in gilt (also seen in brown, no priority) . 102 pp. + 2-page "Memoria Technica". Some light discoloration to the cloth. Penciled ownership signature and date of 7/8/(19)49 of historian John Perry Pritchett front free endpaper. A first-hand account of the forty-five-day 1745 Siege of Louisburg, capital of the French colonial province Ile-Royale in present day Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, by British forces during King George's War (the War of Austrian Succession). The British considered Louisburg a critical location as it was the base for French privateers and its fort was the main gateway to Canada. James Gibson was a wealthy Boston merchant who recruited, equipped, and supplied 300 soldiers for the mission and served as a "gentleman volunteer" for the expedition to capture Louisburg (unsurprisingly, as his ships were among those targeted by the privateers). Gibson's first-hand account highlights strategic battles, camaraderie among the British troops and volunteers, and the hardships faced by the city and its inhabitants. Very Good. Item #E37319
Price: $150.00