A Letter from a Militia-Man to his Colonel, and related manuscripts on drill, 18th century

[YOUNG, WILLIAM]

A Letter from a Militia-Man to his Colonel; Representing the Inconveniencies that may attend a Deviation from the Regular Establish'd Exercise of the Army. [London, 1760?]

4to, 11 pages, inscribed below the title "From Major Young to Col. Lord Bruce", with underlining or marginal comments to five pages and signed at the end "Wm Young"; bound together with scribal copies of four related manuscript works: "Standing Orders to be observed by the Wiltshire Regiment commanded by the Right Honourable Lord Bruce Colonel", 13 pages; "Instructions for the Sixty Seventh Regiment by Colonel Wolfe", 7 pages; "Instructions for young Officers by Colonel Wolfe", 2 pages; and, in a different hand at the rear of the volume, orders and drill commands issued by Robert Napier, February 1741, 32 pages; contemporary speckled calf, upper cover detached 

Wolfe's innovative drill reforms, which he brought in for use on his own regiment, the 67th Foot, were highly influential in the development of British infantry tactics in the second half of the 18th century.

LITERATURE:

ESTC t78941 (listing one copy only, in the British Library)