Cormontaigne, Louis de. 1696-1752.

Memoire sur les Approvisionnemens a faire dans les places de Guerre qui doivent soutenir un Siege relativement aux vivres a l'artillerie et aux fortifications. [With:] Memoires sur les mines et Contremines. [And:] Recherches et épreuves sur les Canons de Differentes longuers.

[Metz], c. 1753.

4to (238 x 185 mm.). MANUSCRIPT. 117, [11 blank]; [i], [3 blank], [18], [2 blank], [11], [9 blank], [2 blank = rear pastedown]p. In two different cursive hands, partly tabular, ruled in pencil.

Contemporary blue pastepaper over stiff boards (scuffed, corners worn), manuscript title label on the front cover, edges sprinkled red.

            This tripartite manual of defensive warfare combines theory, practical guidelines and field experience. Cormontaigne was France’s leading military engineer in the second quarter of the 18th century. He authored the first and longest text, which treats siege provisions, artillery, mines, wood infrastructure, the nine-month supply of cannon balls (120,000) and gunpowder (270,600 lbs.), daily rations, building a bakery, the hourly progress of miners’ work....
            The first of the two following shorter texts discusses Forest de Bélidor’s work on explosive mines. The second presents the results of experiments with Benjamin Robins’ ballistic pendulum invented in 1742. In very good condition.
¶See Jähns’ Geschichte der Kriegswissenschaften vornehmlich in Deutschland II: 1754-9 (for other Cormontaigne manuscripts).

Item #02941

Price: $2,400.00