Sep 30, 2021 - Sale 2580

Sale 2580 - Lot 49

Price Realized: $ 1,500
?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 500 - $ 750
(AMERICAN REVOLUTION--HISTORY.) [William Sigsby.] Life and Adventures of Timothy Murphy . . . from the Commencement of the Revolution. 32 pages. 8vo, unbound; stitch holes, moderate worming to inner margin, minor soiling; pencil signature of early Schoharie County historian Henry Cady (1865-1915) on title page. Schoharie Court House, NY: W.H. Gallup, January 1839

Additional Details

First edition of an oft-reprinted frontier soldier's biography. Timothy Murphy (1751-1818) was raised in the Wyoming Valley of Pennsylvania, and became a celebrated sniper in the Continental Army. He is often credited with killing British general Simon Fraser from a great distance, turning the tide at the Battle of Bemis Heights, and had many exploits as a scout among the Indians. He later became a prominent citizen of Schoharie County, NY. A 1953 novel titled The Rifleman was based on Murphy's life.

"This very scarce pamphlet narrates a few of the adventures and feats of the Indian fighter and scout of the valley of the Mohawk. The authenticity of the stories narrated here and elsewhere, of his prowess, is better sustained than most of those illustrating the heroism of border warriors"--Field 1109. Howes S453 ("b"); Sabin 51474. None traced at auction since 2005.