Mapping America’s Road from Revolution to Independence On view November 3, 2017 – March 11, 2018

Selected PR Images

Mapping America’s Road from Revolution to Independence showcases hand-drawn and engraved maps from the 18th and early 19th centuries that illuminate the tremendous changes—geographic, political, and economic—that occurred before, during, and just after the Revolutionary War. The exhibition features rarely displayed manuscripts and printed maps from New-York Historical’s own premier collection, including the original manuscript surveys of Robert Erskine, Geographer and Surveyor General of the Continental Army, and his successor Simeon De Witt. Also on display will be John Jay’s personal copy of John Mitchell’s Map of the British and French Dominions in North America (1755) to which red lines representing proposed boundaries were added during the negotiations of the Treaty of Paris, 1782 - 1783. This exhibition was organized by the Norman B. Leventhal Map Center at the Boston Public Library as We Are One: Mapping America’s Road from Revolution to Independence and curated at New-York Historical by Nina Nazionale, director of library operations and curator of printed collections.

John Mitchell (1711–1768) A Map of the British and French Dominions in North America London, 1755 First impression of third edition, 1773, with hand-drawn red lines Engraving, hand-colored New-York Historical Society Library

First published in 1755, Mitchell’s map was the most impressive and accurate cartographic description of Britain’s territorial holdings in North America at the time. During the 18th century it was reprinted and updated numerous times; other mapmakers studied it and borrowed from it. The historical significance of the map increased exponentially when it was used to demarcate potential boundaries during the negotiations of the Treaty of Paris, 1782–1783. Representatives from Britain, the American colonies, and Spain each brought a copy of the Mitchell map to the negotiations. An accurate and detailed map of the geographic areas in question was fundamental to their discussions. Only three copies of the red-lined Mitchell map are known to exist. John Jay’s copy of the red-lined Mitchell map, seen here, was donated to the New-York Historical Society by his son, Peter Augustus Jay, during his tenure as president of the New-York Historical Society, 1840-1842.

Bernard Ratzer (fl. 1756–1777) Plan of the City of New York in North America, Surveyed in the years 1766 & 1767 New York, 1770 Engraving New-York Historical Society Library Bernard Ratzer, a skilled military engineer, conveyed the unique geographic formation of Manhattan on this map, showing it in relation to both New Jersey and Long Island. The landscape at bottom further emphasizes the city’s highly advantageous coastal position. The specific details of the city, such as places of worship, city hall, barracks, and burial grounds, are listed within a grand cartouche at bottom left.

Carrington Bowles (1724–1793) “A New Chart of the Vast Atlantic or Western Ocean including the Sea Coast of Europe, Africa, America and the West India Islands,” from A General Atlas of Thirty-Six New and Correct Maps London, 1771 Engraving, hand-colored Norman B. Leventhal Map Center Most ships used well-established routes to cross the North Atlantic during the colonial period. However, few contemporary maps depict specific voyages. This 1771 chart delineates several general routes, such as the “usual course to the West Indies, Carolinas & Virginia for sake of the Trade Winds and Currents.”

E.B. Powder Horn with Map of Boston and Charlestown [Boston], 1775 Oxhorn, wood, metal Norman B. Leventhal Map Center This powder horn, signed “E.B.” and dated 1775, was owned by a British soldier who was among the British troops occupying Boston from 1775 to 1776. Used to hold gun powder, the horn features a map of Boston and nearby Charlestown on one side. The soldier included images of a royal crown, alluding to his allegiance to the king, and a British man-of-war ship. He also proclaimed his hatred for the rebel colonists on his horn: “A Pox on rebels in ther crymes [their crimes].”

Thomas Hyde Page (1746–1821) A Plan of the Action at Bunkers Hill, on the 17th of June 1775 London, 1778 Engraving, hand-colored Norman B. Leventhal Map Center Page, a military engineer who served as aide-de-camp to British General William Howe, prepared this plan of the Battle of Bunker Hill. The engagement occurred two months after the initial clashes at Lexington and Concord, and the British earned a costly victory over the Americans. The plan features a separate overlay that depicts the changing positions of British troops during the course of the battle.

J. Barber (fl. 1775–1828) The Country Twenty Five Miles Round New York Drawn by a Gentleman from that City London, 1776 Engraving, hand-colored New-York Historical Society Library This map is a fascinating composite of geographic overview and presentation of facts. The caption identifies it as a depiction of the British landing in New York, and recent military events are noted on the map. The chronology of “interesting occurrences” and the compendium of travel distances, colonial populations, troop numbers, and names of British commanders demand the viewer’s attention as much as the map.

Claude Joseph Sauthier (1736–1802) A Topographical Map of the Northn. Part of New York Island, Exhibitg. the Plan of Fort Washington now Fort Knyphausen . . .1777-1778 Manuscript, pen and ink and watercolor New-York Historical Society Library After routing the Americans at White Plains, General William Howe choreographed a three-pronged attack on Fort Washington, the last remaining American stronghold in Manhattan. Hessian soldiers—Germans paid to fight by the British Army—were instrumental in the defeat at Fort Washington. This map celebrates the victory, including the renaming of Fort Washington as Fort Knyphausen in honor of a Hessian commander.

Charles Blaskowitz (c 1743–1823) A Plan of New York Island, and Part of Long Island, with the Circumjacent Country, As Far as Dobbs’s Ferry to the North, and White Plains to the East, 1777 Manuscript, hand-colored Courtesy of Richard H. Brown After evacuating Boston, the British focused their campaign on New York City. They took the city during the summer and fall of 1776. Charles Blaskowitz, one of the most accomplished topographical engineers in the British military, made this manuscript map for General Sir William Erskine, a participant in one of the battles portrayed. Blaskowitz documented the British military encampments and activities in the vicinity of New York City on this “Campaign Headquarters Map.” He combined specifics of key events overlaid on topography that was systematically surveyed, resulting in a map that is both comprehensive as well as aesthetically pleasing.

Pierre Ozanne (1737–1813) Le Cte. d’Estaing laisse deux vaisseaux et trois frégates de son escadre à la poursuite de la frégate Anglaise la Mairmaide, et va mouiller avec le surplus dans la Delaware, la Mairmaide perdant tout espoir d’echap̃er se jette à la Côte ou elle s’echoüe et voit tomber tous ses Mats, 1778 Manuscript, pen and ink with gray wash Courtesy of Richard H. Brown Following the American victory at Saratoga, New York, the French government decided to aid the Americans. Some French military officers, such as the Marquis de Lafayette and Pierre L’Enfant, volunteered. The French also sent army units led by the Comte de Rochambeau and a naval fleet. French naval artist Pierre Ozanne drew this view of a French ship pursuing a British frigate at the entrance of the Delaware River in 1778. This was the first naval engagement between the French and British after France recognized the sovereignty of the U.S.

Detail of Robert Erskine (1735–1780) Roads about White Plains. No 59, 1779 Manuscript, pen and ink and pencil New-York Historical Society Library When the Revolutionary War began there were almost no accurate maps of existing roads in the thirteen colonies. General George Washington made the surveying of land a priority. He quickly received approval from the Continental Congress for a newly created position in July 1777, and appointed Robert Erskine, a Scottish military engineer, as the first Geographer and Surveyor-General to the Continental Army. Erskine reported directly to Washington.

William Faden (1749–1836) Plan of the Position Which the Army under Lt. Genl. Burgoine Took at Saratoga on the 10th of September, 1777, and in Which It Remained till the Convention Was Signed London, 1780 Engraving, hand-colored New-York Historical Society Library In this map, published in London three years after the Battles of Saratoga, the British General John Burgoyne is clearly surrounded. Units of the Continental Army, commanded by Generals Horatio Gates, Daniel Morgan, and John Fellows, positioned on the east side of the Hudson, are identified and highlighted in gold. The natural landscape is also a strong presence on the map. Rough, uneven terrain, heavily wooded areas, and bluffs above the river—all of which contributed to the British loss—are described in great detail, using hachures, shading, and images of trees.

Sebastian Bauman (1739–1803) To His Excellency Genl. Washington, Commander in Chief of the Armies of the United States of America . . . Is Most Humbly Dedicated by His Excellency’s Obedient Servant . . . Philadelphia: Robert Scot, 1782 Engraving, hand-colored New-York Historical Society Library This captivating map simultaneously describes the Siege of Yorktown and celebrates its outcome. Washington asked Bauman, a military engineer and artillery commander, to survey the area after the battle. Bauman’s map is especially impressive, considering he finished it in just seven days. A printed map of Bauman’s manuscript survey was published the following summer. It was the first large-scale battle map printed in the United States.

Emanuel Bowen (ca. 1694–1767) Robert Sayer (1725–1794) and John Bennett (d. 1787) A New and Correct Map of North America, with the West India Islands, Divided According to the Preliminary Articles of Peace, Signed at Versailles, 20 Jan. 1783 London, 1783 Engraving, hand-colored New-York Historical Society Library The publishing firm of Sayer & Bennett were operating with a “this just in” mentality when they produced this map in January 1783, eight months before the Treaty of Paris was signed. The map is a reworking of a 1779 printing of a map Emanuel Bowen created in 1763. In their eagerness to print and sell the new map, Sayer & Bennett opted not to remove what are articles of the 1763 Treaty of Paris.

Simeon De Witt (1756–1834) The Winter-Cantonment of the American Army and It's Vicinity for 1783, 1783 Manuscript, pen and ink New-York Historical Society Library When Erskine died in 1780, his assistant Simeon De Witt took over as Geographer and Surveyor-General to the Continental Army. This map is far more elaborate—with cartouche and De Witt’s signature—than a typical survey map. It may have been intended as a presentation copy, to be given to Washington as a gift, although it is lacking a dedication.

John McComb, Jr. (1763–1853) “Plan of the City of New York” in The New-York Directory and Register for the Year 1789 New York: Cornelius Tiebout, 1789 New-York Historical Society Library City directories listed the names, occupations, and addresses of all working citizens and business owners. The first directory of New York was published in 1786. Three years later, when the third directory was published, a map was included. It was the first map of a city in the United States published as part of a city directory.

Benjamin Taylor (fl. 1794-1845) A New & Accurate Plan of the City of New York in the State of New York in North America [New York]: John Roberts, 1797 Engraving, hand-colored New-York Historical Society Library This is the first map of Manhattan published independent of a book or atlas after the Revolution. The title sets the island in the context of not just the state but all of North America, a suggestion of Manhattan’s future national and international importance. Streets are delineated,

parks are illustrated, and there is plenty of available land. Multiple ferry routes are listed with travel times, emphasizing ease of travel. It is a portrait of a city on the rise.