828 - 1 map and 5 handwritten reports on the siege of Charleroi in 1746. [Charleroi 1746] In-f°: 5 documents ranging from [3] to [14] pp., brown ink on laid paper with a watermark, written by several hands, unsigned, in French, with numerous erasures and corrections by the same hands (1 document with fairly heavy water stains and tears in the margins of the first two folios with some missing sections but no loss of text). - Map: 39 x 48 cm, watermarked laid paper, Indian ink, brown and red, wash and watercolor highlights (creases, frayed edges with minor gaps barely affecting the frame). In folios, bound in an old cardboard cover. Valuable contemporary accounts of this episode of the War of the Austrian Succession. The siege of the stronghold, defended by the Austrians and their Dutch allies, began on July 28 and ended on August 2 with the capture of the city by the French under the command of the Prince of Conti. Titled “Journal” or “Account of the Defense of Charleroi,” our documents present the perspective of those under siege, with detailed accounts of the officers and the troops involved (including a two-page spread illustrating the various defensive positions). One of the documents appears to be a (unsigned) draft of a statement addressed to a marshal (“Your Excellency”) by the officer commanding the garrison, in other words, Count Robert de Beaufort-Spontin, governor of the Charleroi fortress in 1746 (he mentions his “failing health,” which is consistent with his age at the time of the events: 85 years old!). This statement was made at the marshal’s request, which he says he received “very late” on March 28 [1747], due to the difficulty of having it translated from “Dutch.” He offers a lengthy critique of the conduct of “Brigadier Hacquet”—presumably Halquet—who commanded the Dutch troops during the siege, particularly noting that his soldiers abandoned their posts.