As they were in those days, the full title of Capt David Perry's book is its own description:

Recollections of an old soldier. The life of Captain David Perry, a soldier of the French and revolutionary wars, containing many extraordinary occurrences relating to his own private history, and an account of some interesting events in the history of the times in which he lived, no-where else recorded. Written by himself.

Perry's Recollections was first printed through the generosity of a young printer and newspaper publisher, Simeon Ide (who does not mention his name), at his Republican & Yeoman Printing Office in Windsor, Vermont, 1822. Later editions include one in the early 1900s, one in 1928, and one in 1971.

Capt. David Perry (1741-1826) was born in Rehoboth, Massachusetts; raised a family in Killingly, Connecticut, and then in Plainfield, New Hampshire, where he accepted a captain's commission after the war; wrote his Recollections in Chelsea, Vermont; and lived out his old age in Ira, Vermont, where he died and is buried.

(See "The Captain David Perry Web Site" for more detailed information. Be aware that the entire site including photos is under copyright protection. Notification is posted at the top or bottom of each web page, and also under "How to Cite this Site.")

During the French and Indian War (Seven Years' War), Captain David Perry served in the Massachusetts provincial forces under the British against the French and their Indian allies. He fought or served at Ticonderoga, 1758; the Siege of Quebec, 1759; Nova Scotia, 1760 and 1762; and the recapture of St. John's, Newfoundland, later in 1762.

During the American Revolution, he served as a second lieutenant at the Siege of Boston, 1775; and at as a first lieutenant at Providence, Rhode Island, during the winter of 1776-77.

The last war through which Perry lived, but in which he could not serve due to age, was the War of 1812. He devoted the end of his Recollections to that war, and to the situation in the New England States then and shortly after. His entire book was written to his posterity and future generations, but none more so than his final words.

Capt David Perry's conclusion to his book, is stirringly patriotic, written by one to whom America's new-found liberties meant so much, and who'd lived through the wars that made them so.

(Source: The Captain David Perry Web Site: Summary, http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~dagjones/captdavidperry/summary.html Copyright c 1999-2013, Denise G. Jones, accessed 11 Feb 2013.)