The report of the general officers, appointed By his Majesty's Warrant of the First of November 1757, to inquire into the causes of the failure of the late expedition to the coasts of France ..

First edition. 5 x 8 inches. (1), [5]-116p. Disbound. Pp. 62-63 omitted in paging; despite pagination text is continuous. Printed signatures on p.64 of Marlborough. George Sackville. John Waldegrave. These were the General Officers Appointed to Inquire into Causes of Failure of the Rochefort Expedition, 1757. His Majesty's Warrant directing the said Inquiry, Appendix containing the Papers referred to in the said Report.

ESTC T44729

Full tittle: The report of the general officers, appointed By his Majesty's Warrant of the First of November 1757, to inquire into the causes of the failure of the late expedition to the coasts of France. To which is prefixed, A Copy of his Majesty's Warrant directing the said Inquiry. With an appendix, containing the papers referred to in the said report. Published by authority.

The Raid on Rochefort (or Descent on Rochefort) was a British amphibious attempt to capture the French Atlantic port of Rochefort in September 1757 during the Seven Years' War. The raid pioneered a new tactic of "descents" on the French coast, championed by William Pitt who had taken office a few months earlier.

Much of this warfare was presided over by King George II who was the last monarch to personally lead a British army into battle - against the French at Dettingen in his native Germany. The failure of the expedition led to an inquiry which recommended the court-martial of Mordaunt, which commenced on 14 December.[24] Despite intense public pressure for a guilty verdict, Mordaunt was acquitted by the court as it was ruled that the mission had been badly-conceived. The exoneration infuriated George II, who believed that Mordaunt should have been dismissed, while Pitt was left annoyed by the verdict that implied that he was largely responsible for the failure of the operation and which criticised the concept of Descents.

The Seven Years War was a global conflict which ran from 1754 until 1763 and pitted a coalition of Great Britain and its allies against a coalition of France and its allies. The war escalated from a regional conflict between Great Britain and France in North America, known today as the French and Indian War.