Outlines of a plan for a regular course of military education.

THE FIRST BRITISH MILITARY COLLEGE

First edition. 8vo. Original pink card wrappers, a little grubby, the top right corner of wrapper and ffep clipped, presentation inscription to title-page. 45, [1]pp. London, n.p.

Inscribed on the title-page: "With Lt. Col. Le Marchand's compliments."

 

Rare and important. A widely-influential work which led to the establishment of the first British military college in 1801. The renowned cavalry officer General John Le Marchant (1766-1812), was also something of an innovator. He provided an improved design of cavalry sword (lighter and curved) and implemented a new training regimen of cavalry sword exercise. Yet his ambitions did not stop there.

 

ODNB describes how this book came to be written: "Through the patronage of the duke of York, on 6 April, 1797 Le Marchant was appointed lieutenant-colonel without purchase in Hompesch's hussars, moving rapidly to the 29th light dragoons on 29 May and finally to the 7th Queen's Own light dragoons on 1 June, where he insisted on rigorous training, mastery of tactics, and personal commitment by officers. In Flanders he had witnessed the professional ineptitude of staff officers and, in 1798, he began drafting a scheme for a national military college. The duke of York, the commander-in-chief, on being sounded out, observed: 'I can hardly recommend you to sacrifice your time and talents to a project which seems so very unlikely to succeed' (Le Marchant, 65). Nevertheless, Le Marchant refined his ideas in 'An outline of a plan for a regular course of military instruction' for infantry and cavalry officers, envisaging one department dealing with staff duties, the second for cadets seeking their first commission, and a third to provide an educational grounding for entrants to the second department. In addition, a 'legion' of 200 potential non-commissioned officers would train alongside cadets of the second department. In March 1799 he recorded a more favourable response from the duke of York, and on 4 May an embryo first (senior) department, the staff training college, opened in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, with Le Marchant as commandant. In December the duke of York chaired a committee which approved the first two departments, rejected the third and the legion, and awarded Le Marchant £500 to cover 'the unavoidable expenses to which he has been exposed during the long period in which he has been engaged in this undertaking' (ibid., 99). A royal warrant, issued on 24 June 1801, formally established the Royal Military College with General Sir William Harcourt (who had been his commander in Flanders) as governor, and Le Marchant himself as lieutenant-governor and superintendent-general at an annual salary of £300."

 

ESTC, COPAC, and OCLC locate a copy at BL only. No copies listed on auction records.

Stock Code: 233971