This book is a record of detailed correspondence, letters, reports and dispatches to and from the French Commander in Chief, The Duke of Mortemart and of Vivonne, Louis Victor de Rochechouart, a family only less than the King's, was made Mars,hall of France and Viceroy of Sicily by the French King, Louis XIV. These documents account for the actions of the French forces, both sea and land lead by Vivonne and his staff of experienced commanders, of the Messina, Sicily campaigns from 1674 to 1678.
In 1674 a number of the citizens of Messina revolted and took control of the city. Asking for support from the French, Louis XIV, sent Vivonne, warships and troops with provisions for the besieged city. Thus began a four year series of battles that raged offshore, along the coast and inland. These communications offer an up close and personal insight into the intrigue, battles, court politics, victories and defeats from the French including some personal remarks from the field.
What makes it interesting also is that Vivonne was a real seasoned field commander and a "lead from the front," kind of officer and kept such men as his sub-commanders and lieutenants as well. It was a time of the height of French Military skill and capiblity and in a time that gave birth to the mystique such as we see in literature like "The Three Musketeers," only what went on around Messina and at sea around Sicily was not fiction.