Beschreibung:

REVOLUTIONARY WAR]. ROOKE, Colonel HENRY, British officer . Manuscript diary of his service in the American Revolution, with entries ranging 27 August 1776 to 6 December 1777, 21 pages, 155 x 95 mm. (3 3/4 x 6 in.) written in a blank book of 20 leaves of writing paper interleaved with purple blotter paper, bound in original paste-paper wrappers. Fine. A RARE BRITISH OFFICER'S DIARY OF THE REVOLUTION: THE NEW YORK AND JERSEY CAMPAIGNS, BRANDYWINE, GERMANTOWN AND OTHER BATTLES Henry Rooke, a professional soldier attached to an unknown unit of the British army, begins his diary with an entry describing the opening battle of the Revolution, the Battle of Long Island. 27 August 1776: "The Army about 16,000 [strong]...came up with the Rebels at Flatbush about 8 o'clock a.m. who were soon totally dispersed & routed & 500 killed & 2000 prisoners....They were pursued till they got within their lines at Brooklyn, tho thus in this disorder & panick struck they were suffer'd...to remain there, tho the ardor of the troops was such that they would have stormed their lines instantaneously & cut to pieces or taken prisoner the whole army...." [After the American evacuation:] "...hardly a man was left on the Island, their whole army ...once wholly in our power was thus suffer'd to escape.....On White Plains [28 October] it is evident we might again have destroy'd 'em...after the 49th [Regiment] had charged their right & put it into confusion, & the rest of the line advanced with equal eagerness they were order'd to halt...the Rebels allow'd to escape...." In the attack on Fort Washington, 16 November: "...our loss was great in gaining their out works & they seeing us ready to storm surrender'd....The Army cross'd into the Jerseys to Fort Lee, which they found abandon'd...our troops follow'd them towards Brunswick...[speaking sarcastically of the timid British pursuit:] thus did a victorious British army pursue a disorderly American mob of not half their number...[at Trenton:] Lord Cornwallis din'd in the same house that Washington had breakfasted in....[complaining of the campaign:]...the Rebellion we were sent to crush was in its first state....with one blow we should have crush'd the enemy...." December 1777: "How great an object was the gaining of Philadelphia, how easily might it have been got, at this time. Washington had cross'd the Delaware w[i]th about 1500 poor, dispirited wretches, had 5000 of our troops embark'd at [New] York...& been landed any where below Philadelphia they might have walked into it without opposition..." [describing the events at Trenton:] "The unlucky surprise & capture of the Hessians at Trenton...is the first misfortune attending the ill judg'd cantonment of the troops...[the British Army] sufficient to have destroy'd Washington...had him at bay in Trenton in the evening of one day, and in the night he gave them the slip...it is well known how he harras'd our troops during the whole winter, how much his force was multipli'd by his success....." The diary goes on to record the Danbury and New Jersey expeditions, the embarkation and landing of the Philadelphia expedition, then notes that on September 26 "troops under Ld. Cornwallis enter'd Philadelphia." The Battle of Germantown on 4 October 1777, the attacks on the Delaware forts and other skirmishes in that area are described, and Rooke finally notes that "the Army went into winter quarters at Philadelphia." Inexplicably, Rooke left the rest of his book blank. (4)