May 27, 2020 Founders & Patriots
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 5/27/2020
Lewis Lochee. "An Essay on Castrametation.", Little Chelsea: printed for the author, 1778. 9 folding engraved plates, in original, blue printers' boards with paper spine and label. Lochee, a professor at the Royal Military Academy, was also the author of an important manual on field fortification. This rare work is the first comprehensive guide printed in the English language that provided a guide to the types of tents used in the field by British (and American) armies during the Revolutionary era and the art of military "castrametation"--the plans and practices of laying out and managing military field encampments or "tent cities" in the field when on campaign. The 9 folding plates include measured plans and projections of military tents, from the small wedge tents of enlisted to the large "marquee" tents used of commissioned officer's quarters and other specialized tents. In addition are diagrams of the "tent city" field cantonments or encampments that were typical of those utilized by British and American armies in the field during the Revolutionary War. The plans and perspective drawings for officer's marquee tents in this book are nearly identical to General George Washington's sleeping and "headquarters" marquee or dining tent, both of which survive today in the Museum of the American Revolution and the National Museum of American History, respectively. CONDITION: Very good to near fine, less chipping to the spine on upper and lower edges, the internal pages and folding plates bright and clean. JLK