Captain James Duncan | Autograph manuscript journal signed from the Siege of Yorktown

Duncan, James, Captain

Autograph manuscript journal signed ("James Duncan") from the Siege of Yorktown

Late eighteenth-century journal, totaling 110 pages (200 x 160 mm), mostly written recto and verso, on a total of 69 leaves (a number of leaves not accomplished), of which 23 pages on 12 leaves comprise Duncan's Yorktown journal, "Camp before York," 2–15 October 1781, signed by the author ("James Duncan") on the front pastedown; the remainder of the written pages, mostly in Duncan's hand, form, essentially, a commonplace book rather than a continuation of his personal journal, including such entries as the "Duke of Gloustr March" (with musical notation), "Notes from Mr. Thompson's Travels through France," "Lines Taken from McFingals Poems," "Taken from Osborns Advice to a Son," and "Notes taken from Thompson's Seasons," a well as a number of square dance calls; some soiling and staining throughout with no compromise to legibility. Contemporary calf-backed boards; very worn, but securely sewn.