"One of the rarest of the Doniphan accounts" - Streeter
Rare first edition of this important Western account, praised for its accurate accounting of the famous expedition under Doniphan, covering the U.S. takeover of New Mexico. Richardson's journal includes an account of the march through Texas. Doniphan himself called this one of the best accounts of his famous expedition, indeed later editions included a facsimile note written by Doniphan attesting to the accuracy of Ricardson's narrative.
Richardson describes his personal experiences with the expedition from August 1846 to July 1847, chronicling the U.S. takeover of New Mexico, the conquest of Chihuahua, and Doniphan's march through Texas. The account is taken directly from his personal journal.
Richardson was a private who records scores of memories of daily life in camp, ranging from his own need to learn how to prepare camp breakfast to details of battles in a number of encounters with Mexicans - Tutorow 2630 (note describing a later 20th-century printing of the text).
Doniphan's Expedition and Western Territorial Expansion
Col. Alexander W. Doniphan's takeover of New Mexico in the 1840s, as part of the Mexican-American War, represents a pivotal moment in United States territorial expansion and military history. Leading the 1st Regiment of Missouri Mounted Volunteers, Doniphan's 1846-1847 campaign was marked by a series of strategic victories over Mexican forces, including the Battle of El Brazito and the capture of Chihuahua City. His efforts facilitated the United States' acquisition of New Mexico and played a key role in the broader context of Manifest Destiny, the ideology that justified American expansion across the continent. Doniphan's campaign not only expanded U.S. territory but also influenced the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848, which concluded the Mexican-American War and ceded vast territories including present-day Arizona, California, New Mexico, Texas, and parts of Colorado, Nevada, and Utah to the United States, reshaping the nation's borders and its demographic and political landscapes.
Rarity
Only two copies of the first edition have appeared at auction since 1929 per RBH, and the last copy to be offered was the present copy when it appeared in 1985 at the Eberstadt sale. Accorded a "c" rarity rating by mid-20th-century rare book dealer Wright Howes, indicating extreme rarity (only the impossibly rare "d" and "dd" items surpassed the c rating). About 8 confirmed examples in institutional confines (Huntington, Newberry, Lilly, BYU, Johns Hopkins, Library of Congress, Oberlin, and Yale).
Provenance:
Library of Lindley Eberstadt, sold by Sotheby's, May 1, 1985, lot 211.
Ted Lusher, prominent Texas collector, his sale.