The Trial of Lieutenant General Sir John Murray, Bart, by a ..

1815. London, 1815. London, 1815. A Controversial 1815 Court Martial of One of Wellington's Generals [Trial]. Murray, John, Defendant. Gurney, W[illiam] B[rodie] [1777-1855], Reporter. The Trial of Lieutenant General Sir John Murray, Bart. By a General Court Martial, Held at Winchester, On Monday the 16th of January, 1815, And Continued by Adjournment, Till Monday the 6th of February, 1815. Taken in Short Hand. London: Printed for T. Egerton, 1815. vii, 562, [2] pp., followed by 8 blank ff. added by binder. Woodcut folding map. Octavo (9-1/4" x 5-7/8"). Contemporary three-quarter calf over marbled boards, blind fillets to calf edges, gilt-edged raised bands, blind fillets and gilt-stamped title to spine, edges rouged. Moderate rubbing to boards and extremities, light wear to spine ends and corners, which are bumped, front joint just starting at head, hinges cracked, faint offsetting from plate to preliminaries. Light toning to interior, light foxing to first third of text block, ms. index in an early hand to first added blank. $350. * Only edition. Murray was court-martialed for his mishandling of an engagement with Napoleon's army in Tarragona during the Peninsular War (1807-1814). A highly debated trial, it resulted in Murray's acquittal of all charges except one: abandoning his cannon. That charge was later dismissed. Overall, it seems that Murray's performance was marred by incompetence and cowardice. Many believed so at the time, including Prince Regent George IV, who denied Murray's petition to become a member of the Order of the Bath. OCLC locates 7 copies in North American law libraries (Harvard, LA County, Library of Congress, University of Minnesota, US Army Judge Advocate General's Legal Center and School, Yale). Catalogue of the Library of the Harvard Law School (1909) II:1149.