The Report of the General officers, Appointed by His Majestys Warrant of the First of November 1757, to Inquire into the Causes of the Failure of the late Expedition to the Coasts of France.

: The Report of the General officers

Click any thumbnail for larger view

Item #46109
The Report of the General officers, Appointed by His Majestys Warrant of the First of November 1757, to Inquire into the Causes of the Failure of the late Expedition to the Coasts of France.
Anon.
A. Millar, ( 1758), London
20.5 cm. 116 pp.
Price: $150

This attack on the French arsenal and dockyard was devised in the aftermath of the Byng scandal by William Pitt, who had intelligence that the land side of the arsenal was practically undefended. The English assembled land forces under Sir John Mordaunt, and Admiral Hawke was ordered to provide cover from the sea. As this detailed investigation revealed, everything that could have gone wrong pretty much did, and the entire operation flopped. As the DNB puts it, A very angry public feeling was excited by the news of the failure. Polymath Daines Barrington, said to be the anonymous author, gave vent to the “angry public feeling.” Removed from larger volume, text block in very good condition.

Return to Maritime List 330 – Recent Acquisitions