Pouchot, Pierre; Cardy, Michael [translator]; Dunnigan, Brian Leigh [editor]. Memoirs on the Late War in North America between France and England. Youngstown, New York: Old Fort Niagara Association, Inc., 1994. ISBN: 9780941967143. [11744]
Plum hardcover with gilt titles, borders & designs, 10 1/4 x 7 1/4 inches, binding nearly new with slight shelf-wear. Small ink number inside front cover, 568 clean pp., tight. Several maps, illustrations. Very good. Hardcover.
First published in French in three volumes, Yverdon, Switzerland (1781). It was printed in English in 1866, but with defects in the translation, and both are hard to find. This is a completely new and accurate translation into English.
Pierre Pouchot (1712-1769), b. Grenoble, France; d. Corsica. He was a military engineer, an officer in the French regular troops, and served with distinction in the War of Austrian Succession, winning the order of Saint-Louis and a captain's command. He was sent to Kingston, Ontario, in 1754 at the outbreak of the war with the English on the American continent, and was the key engineer in building and repairing the French defences, including those of Fort Niagara; he also commanded the building of the siege works at Fort Oswego. He was raised in rank to Lieutenant Colonel, and after work in several other locations was appointed commandant of Fort Niagara. He was influential with the Indian tribes of New York, persuading many of them to side with the French against the English. He overestimated the security of his position, sent much of his forces to aid in an attempt upon Fort Pitt, leaving the fort badly undermanned. It was captured by the British, and Pouchet was later exchanged.
"Pouchot's memoirs are especially valuable for the sieges of forts Niagara and Lévis. The reflect the dismay of the regular French troops at being consigned piecemeal to the colonies and their disdain for the Canadians. Pouchot was amused by the colonial veneration for military ranks and honours and noted the relative emancipation of the women. Like many Europeans he was fascinated by the American Indians." - Dictionary of Canadian Biography online.
