LETTER DESCRIPTIVE OF THE BATTLE OF BUENA VISTA. WRITTEN UPON THE GROUND...WITH A DIAGRAM OF THE BATTLE FIELD...[wrapper title].
Gibson, Thomas W., Capt.:
Lawrenceburgh, In.: John B. Hall, 1847. [1],12pp., plus plan. Original printed yellow wrappers. Wrappers creased and heavily worn. Tear in foredge of plan and leaf off explanatory text, costing a small bit of the lower portion of the plan. Old dark stain throughout, with an attendant small hole causing minor loss of a few letters of text on each of seven pages. Excepting the stain, a good copy. A great rarity of Mexican War narratives. This copy has a remarkable provenance, bearing the ownership signature of Gen. Walter Lane on the front wrapper. Lane was born in Ireland but moved to Texas in 1836 and participated in the Texas Revolution. He rose to the rank of Major, participated at the Battle of Monterrey, and helped recover the remains of the Mier Expedition. He fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War, rising to the rank of Brigadier General. ^The Battle of Buena Vista, which took place on Feb. 23, 1847, was a major victory for American forces under Zachary Taylor, as they defeated a much larger Mexican contingent under the command of Santa Anna. It was the only major battle of the war to take place on the American side of the Rio Grande. The Indiana volunteers, the 3rd Regiment of which Thomas W. Gibson was a member, were among the first to be attacked and fought valiantly throughout the day, trapping Mexican forces and repulsing their attack. Gibson (misidentified as "J.W. Gibson" on the front wrapper) describes in great and immediate detail his experiences during the battle in a letter written from Agua Neva (some twelve miles from the mountain pass of Buena Vista) dated March 6th, less than two weeks after the battle. An addenda, possibly composed by the publisher, John B. Hall, extols the actions of the Hoosier volunteers. The plan of the battle was drawn by John G. Dunn, also a member of the 3rd Regiment of Indiana Volunteers, and shows the position of American and Mexican forces during the battle. The accompanying text describes the action, relating charges, retreats, artillery exchanges, and the deaths of several American officers. ^Not in Garrett, and therefore not at the University of Texas at Arlington. OCLC locates only five copies, at Yale, Harvard, The New York Public Library, the Wisconsin Historical Society, and the Huntington Library. The NUC adds a copy at the Library of Congress. We are able to identify only two copies on the market in the last one hundred years. Extremely rare, and with a fine provenance. HAFERKORN, p.45. TUTUROW 3399. OCLC 27984877.
(Item ID: WRCAM39966) $12,500.00