THORN, William.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

A Memoir of Major-General Sir R. R. Gillespie, Knight Commander of the Most Honorable Order of the Bath, &c. First edition, the copy of Major-General Gillespie's son, inscribed "Lieut. R. R. Gillespie, Royl. Military College, Nov. 1821" at the head of the title page and subsequently presented by him to to a friend. This animated chronicle of an astounding early 19th-century military career appears only twice in commercial records.Born in Ireland, Gillespie (1766-1814) accepted promotion into the newly raised 20th (Jamaica) Light Dragoons in 1792, seeing action in San Domingo in support of the French and surviving a concerted attempt on his life by "a gang of eight desperadoes" (ODNB). Following the Peace of Amiens, he transferred to India and participated in the suppression of the mutiny at Vellore, having himself hoisted into the fort on a rope to join the melee. In 1809 he led the cavalry and horse artillery against the Sikhs under Ranjit Singh, and two years later he commanded the advance guard in the successful British invasion of Java and the deposing of the Sultan of Palembang on Sumatra.Against a background of inevitable friction with Sir Stamford Raffles, he gave up his Java command and returned to India, where he took the command at Meerut and, in 1814, died during the assault on the fortified stronghold at Kalunga. "As a commanding officer, Gillespie inspired his men with confidence... Sir John Fortescue describes him as 'the bravest man that ever wore a red coat'"

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