First and only edition of a detailed and well-illustrated manual of fortification by Charles-René Fourcroy de Ramecourt (1715-1791), Louis XVI's Maréchal de Camp and de facto head of the Corps Royal du Génie. The plates in the first memoire show with a wide variety of fortification plans, sections and elevations, mostly for "regular" fortifications (symmetrical or forming part of a symmetrical figure). Although the title-page says only "par plusieurs officiers du Corps Royal du Génie" and the "second mémoire" says, "par M. G***, major au Corps Royal du Génie", the frequent attribution of the first memoire to Fourcroy can be confirmed by his 1780 manuscript Memoires de fortification (Honeyman 1164), which includes an earlier version of the present sections 1-7. The author of the second memoire, also an officer in the Corps Royal du Génie has been identified as Joseph-Modeste Granier de Ste-Cécile, resident at Treffort. His memoire gives his observations not on the first memoire, but on the similarly titled book by Marc René, Marquis de Montalembert, La fortification perpendiculaire (Paris, 1776-1778).
The half-title shows water stains, some marginal restorations and a tear along its gutter fold, about 25 leaves have brown stains in the margin and there is occasional minor browning (including 2 plates), but the book is otherwise in good condition and untrimmed. Some of the sewing has come loose, so that N2.3 is detached, though undamaged. The binding has been taken from another work and is slightly rubbed and scratched but still good. The last major fortification manual before the Revolution. Jähns, pp. 2801-2802; Sloos, Warfare 8181 (noting only XII plates).