A HISTORY OF THE CAMPAIGNS OF 1780 AND 1781, IN THE SOUTHERN PROVINCES OF NORTH AMERICA [Included With a Portfolio Volume of the Map and Plans]

London: For T. Cadell, 1787. Together two volumes. Highly important First Edition of this primary account of the American Revolution. Included in a separate "Atlas" portfolio volume are the four battle plans with hand-coloured details, two of which are folding; and the large folding map of the southern colonies with marching routes of Cornwallis hand-coloured. 4to, the book and atlas very handsomely bound in fine three-quarter honey coloured calf over marbled boards to style, the spines with raised bands gilt stippled, the compartments of the spine with gilt fillet lined panels, two compartments lettered in gilt, beautiful marbled endpapers; the atlas foldover volume bound to match and with five cloth covered envelopes containing the map and plans laid inside. vii, [1], 518 pp. A very handsome and pleasing set, the map and plans especially well preserved, clean and complete. The text-block with some age mellowing as expected, some evidence of old damp, not obtrusive, at the lower outside corners of several leaves, some expert paper restoration at the upper tips of some leaves, again, not obtrusive, the final few leaves with a bit more restoration and the final leaf with some minor loss to the text, blanks renewed. FIRST EDITION OF THIS HIGHLY IMPORTANT AND PRIMARY ACCOUNT OF THE BRITISH CAMPAIGNS IN THE SOUTHERN COLONIES DURING THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. Tarleton was the commander of a cavalry unit and served under Generals Cornwallis and Howe, and with Sir Harry Clinton among others. His service in America lasted from the spring of 1776 through the siege of Yorktown. Quite a swashbuckler he was known for his ruthless attacks and the hard-riding advancements of his unit. Clark states, [it] contains many documents that cannot be found elsewhere without great labor" and claims it to be of "great value".
The geographical areas covered within the book are presently the states of Maryland, Virginia, the two Carolinas and Delaware. This narrative is the principle source on the Revolution in the southern areas and includes many original documents.
Tarleton's service in the American colonies began when he was only 21. His cavalrymen were called 'Tarleton's Raiders'. As a military commander he was the subject of a rebel American campaign which claimed that Tarleton's British Legion had massacred surrendering Continental Army troops at the Battle of Waxhaws, South Carolina, in 1780. In the 19th century those killings became known in American history as the "Waxhaws Massacre". Tarleton was later ranked as a general years following his years of service in the colonies during the American Revolutionary War.