BYRNE, Fanny. Ed. by. Memoirs of Miles Byrne Chef de Bataillon in the Service of France (First edition)

Three volumes. Paris & New York: Gustave Bossange, 1863. Large post octavo. First edition. pp. (1) 391, 1 (2) 242, 1 (3) 356. Contemporary half calf over pebbled cloth boards, title and volume number in gilt on contrasting red and brown morocco labels in second and third panels of elaborately gilt decorated spines; blue, green and gold marbled endpapers; red and gold endbands. Some mild foxing to endpapers and faint rubbing. A near fine set. Rare.
JISC with 5 locations only. WorldCat 3.
Myles Byrne was born at Monaseed, County Wexford in 1780. As a young man he enrolled as a United Irishman, joined the insurgent force under Fr. John Murphy and fought bravely at Oulart, Enniscorthy, Clough, Arklow and Vinegar Hill where they were well outnumbered by General Lake's forces. Byrne tells us "I had seen many combats and battles, but I never before witnessed such a display of bravery and intrepidity as was shown along our line." He later was engaged in some skirmishes with the troops and joined Michael Dwyer and General Holt in the glens of Wicklow. Escaping to Dublin he was employed by his brother, and in the spring of 1803 was introduced to Robert Emmet. After the abortive rebellion he was asked by Emmet to go to France and seek assistance, but any hopes of French intervention were unfounded in the wake of the Humbert Expedition. He entered the French army, served with distinction and rose to the rank of Chef-de-Bataillon. His Memoirs which were edited by his wife are of two-fold interest, depicting Byrne as the successful Irish insurgent and as a Wild Goose or a professional soldier in the Irish Legion of the Grand Army. They are full of interesting particulars and biographical notices.

[Cat 164]