American Revolutionary War Memory Samuel Swett History of Bunker Hill Battle with Plan 1826

Samuel Swett

Pamphlets

Swett, Samuel. History of Bunker Hill Battle with a Plan, 1826, an early nineteenth century reconstruction of the June 17, 1775 Battle of Bunker Hill that consolidates veteran testimony into printed form at a decisive moment in the formation of Revolutionary memory. Published immediately following the fiftieth anniversary commemorations and the laying of the Bunker Hill Monument cornerstone, the work incorporates “new information derived from the surviving soldiers present at the celebration on the 17th June last, and notes,” preserving firsthand accounts as the generation of participants diminished. Swett’s narrative extends beyond tactical description to evoke the destruction of Charlestown, writing that “The whole town was combustible. The flames ascended to heaven on the lofty spire of the church and resembled the eruptions of vast volcano in solemn grandeur and sublimity,” aligning the battle with an emerging national mythology grounded in sacrifice and spectacle.

Swett, Samuel. History of Bunker Hill Battle with a Plan. Boston: Munroe and Francis, 1826. Second edition. Pamphlet. The volume includes an engraved folding map titled Sketch of Bunker Hill Battle, attributed to Swett, delineating Breed’s Hill, Bunker Hill, Charlestown, British landing points, troop movements, and surrounding waterways with naval vessels indicated offshore. This cartographic rendering provided nineteenth century readers with a structured visualization of the battlefield and contributed to the standardization of its spatial interpretation. While some copies include an additional thirty page “Notes” section, the present example retains the principal text and the folding plan, a feature often lacking.

Issued during the early republic’s intensifying engagement with Revolutionary commemoration, the work bridges oral testimony and printed historiography, translating lived experience into a durable narrative form that informed subsequent historical writing and public memory. Swett’s emphasis on eyewitness accounts and descriptive immediacy reflects broader efforts to define national identity through the preservation of Revolutionary sites and narratives. Removed from a bound volume; folding map present; title page partially separated with light wear consistent with prior binding; text and map clean and stable. Overall very good condition.

Item #17651

Price: $850.00