26-BELLEVAL (Louis-René de). Souvenirs d'un Chevau-Léger de la Garde du Roi, published by René de Belleval, his great-grandson. Paris, Aug. Aubry, 1866, small in-8, VIII-323 pp. with engraved frontispiece portrait, red morocco, fleurdelysé ribbed spine, triple gilt fillet framing the covers, gilt filets in the center with fleur-de-lys at the corners, interior lace, gilt edges, cover and spine preserved (Raparlier). Rare first edition. Mennessier de La Lance, I, 104: "In addition to an interesting historical and anecdotal part, the work contains a great deal of information on the organization, composition, uniform, armament, remount, campaigns, etc., of the Chevau-Légers and, incidentally, on other cavalry corps and those of the King's Household. Among the anecdotes is the moving account of the dismissal of the Mousquetaires in 1775, who led their horses on foot by the figure, laying their uniforms and weapons on the ground in front of them, abandoning their horses and retiring in silence, their eyes filled with tears, without more than a century of glory and bravery having been able to save their two companies from destruction". These memoirs by Louis-René de Belleval (1741-1807), Marquis de Bois-Robin, run from 1758 to 1789. They include (pp. 285-323) a report on the siege of Tournay and the battle of Fontenoy, taken from the correspondence of Chevalier de Belleval (1720-1790), as well as a number of letters from princes and other important figures. A very fine copy.