John Graves Simcoe (1752-1806), A Journal of the Operations of the Queen's Rangers From the End of the Year 1777, to the Conclusion of the Late American War By Lieutenant-Colonel Simcoe Commander of that Corps. Exeter: Printed for the Author, 1787, includes ten engraved folding battle plans, nine of which have period hand-colored troop positions, 184 pp with eight page introduction and 48 page appendix, bound in leather with "Queen's Rangers 1777 Simcoe" in gilt on spine Notes: Maps from this book are published in William C. Wooldridge, Mapping Virginia, figures 149a, 149b. 149c, 149d, 149e, pp. 160-163. Simcoe's Operations of the Queen's Rangers from 1787 is one of the most remarkable firsthand accounts of the Revolutionary War. Both privately published and distributed, this copy is both extremely rare and important. It was not until 1844 that a second edition was published, as Operations of the Queen's Rangers was virtually unknown to the public until a copy emerged at a sale a few years prior. This journal accounts for the activities of the Queen's Rangers, who later became known as Simcoe's Rangers, who were among the most successful loyalist regiments in the Revolutionary War. John Graves Simcoe, who was Lieutenant-Colonel at the time of publishing, commanded the Queen's Rangers from October 1777 to October 1783. Under Simcoe, The Queen's Rangers saw action in Philadelphia; the Bronx; New Jersey; Charleston, South Carolina; Richmond; and Yorktown. Prior to his command of the Queen's Rangers, Simcoe sought to lead a company of free Blacks. He was offered the command of the Queen's Rangers instead. The Queen's Rangers consisted of a small number of Black Loyalists. Simcoe was a fervent supporter of abolition. He abhorred slavery and felt that it contradicted his Christian beliefs, a stance he fought for after his military career as a member of British Parliament. As Lieutenant-Governor of British North America (later Ontario), Simcoe was vital in the ratification of the Act Against Slavery from 1793, making it the first British Colony to abolish slavery. The Act Against Slavery is a precursor to the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833, which abolished slavery across the British Empire. Provenance: Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Proceeds to Benefit the Acquisitions Fund

linen reinforced bindings on front and back boards, inscribed signature on title page, page one, and page 100, pencilled inscriptions on interior back pages, minor water damage to last thirteen pages of appendix, foxing on external three pages at beginning and end, minor staining and tears to pages; small stain in lower left corner of first engraving; third engraving partially loose from page; fourth engraving with stains confined to lower and upper margins; fifth engraving with minor separation at central fold confined to margin; sixth engraving with minor stain at subtitle; seventh engraving with minor staining; eighth engraving with generalized discoloration and pencilled enscription in lower margin; ninth engraving with small stain in lower margin and minor discoloration at right edge; tenth engraving with print transfer in left margin and minor staining in right margin