Return to Huntingfield Map Collection homepage

MAP #: 362UB

CARTOGRAPHER : UNITED STATES COAST SURVEY

DATE: 1862

SHORT TITLE : METOMKIN INLET VIRGINIA

REMAINING TITLE & ID : FROM A TRIGONOMETRICAL SURVEY UNDER THE DIRECTION OF A.D. BACHE SUPERINTENDENT OF THE SURVEY OF THE COAST OF THE UNITED STATES TRIANGULATION BY JOHN FARLEY ASSIST. TOPOGRAPHY BY GEO. D. WISE AND A.M. HARRISON ASSISTS. HYDROGRAPHY BY THE PARTY UNDER THE DIRECTION OF A.M. HARRISON ASSIST. SCALE 1/20000 1862 (TOP LEFT CORNER). "No.16" (LEFT TOP MARGIN). "LITH. OF C. KNICKERBOCKER, ALBANY, N.Y." (LEFT BOTTOM MARGIN). "ENGd. BY W.A. THOMPSON & J.G. THOMPSON (RIGHT BOTTOM MARGIN). SCALES IN STATUTE AND NAUTICAL MILES (BELOW TITLE). DATES OF EXECUTION OF TRIANGULATION, TOPOGRAPHY AND HYDROGRAPHY (BELOW SCALES). NOTES ON "SOUNDINGS" AND "TIDES" (BOTTOM LEFT CORNER). SYMBOL OF THE COAST SURVEY OFFICE, WITH "VERIFIED", SIGNED BY J.E. HILGARD, "ASSIST. COAST SURVEY IN CHARGE OF OFFICE" (BELOW AND TO LEFT OF TITLE. COMPASS ROSE (BOTTOM RIGHT CORNER). LONGITUDE WEST FROM GREENWICH (BOTTOM BORDER). LATITUDE (RIGHT BORDER).

DATE OF PUBLICATION : S1862
PLACE OF PUBLICATION : WASHINGTON
PUBLISHER : U.S. COAST SURVEY
LANGUAGE(S) : EN
SIZE (HEIGHT X WIDTH) : 54.2 X 49.1 CM.
SIZE - OTHER DATA : ? X ? CM. OM
SCALE - (RF) 1: : 20,000
SCALE - OTHER DATA : 1 STATUTE MILE = 7.9 CM.
LIB. OF CONGRESS # : -
Md. HALL OF RECORDS # 1 : MSA SC1399-651
HUNTINGFIELD ACQ. # 1 : B014-H1
REGION CATEGORY : THIS MAP IS NOT IMPORTANT TO A MD/CHESAPEAKE COLLECTION (9)
SPECIAL CATEGORY(IES) : CIVIL WAR MAP (3)
: U.S.C.S. CHART (4)
: VIRGINIA CHART PRIMARILY (13)
# SHEETS TO MAP : 1
MAP ORIENTATION : N IS AT THE TOP OF THE MAP
RELIEF SHOWN ? : YES
HYDROGRAPHIC DATA : SOUNDINGS ARE SHOWN IN FEET.
: SHOALS ARE SHOWN IN SHADING.
: BOTTOM CONDITIONS ARE INDICATED.
CARTOUCHE : NONE (1)
BORDER : SIMPLE FUNCTIONAL (5)
PRIME MERIDIAN(S) : GREENWICH (1)
SEE ALSO MAP #s : -
BEST INFO SOURCE : THE USCS ANNUAL REPORTS FOR 1862 AND 1864 ARE THE BEST FOUND.
DESCRIPTION : THIS CHART IS CLASSIFIED IN THE 1864 USCS ANNUAL REPORT TO CONGRESS AS A "SKETCH". IT WAS ATTACHED AS ITEM # 16 TO THE 1862 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE USCS TO CONGRESS. THE TRIANGULATION OF THIS AREA WAS ACCOMPLISHED IN 1850 AND THE TOPOGRAPHY AND HYDROGRAPHY WAS COMPLETED IN 1862. THE HYDROGRAPHY OF METOMKIN INLET AND BAY, VIRGINIA WAS ORDERED FOR THE USE OF BRIGADIER GENERAL LOCKWOOD, THE DEPTH AND POSITION OF THE BAR AND COURSE OF THE CHANNEL FROM THE INLET TO THE PUBLIC WHARF ON FOLLY CREEK BEING NECESSARY IN THE WATER COMMUNICATION WITH HIS COMMAND AT DRUMMONDTOWN. THE INLET HAD BEEN SURVEYED IN 1852, BUT THE CHARACTER OF THE CHANGES BEING UNKNOWN, COMMISSARY STORES FOR THE TROOPS HAD BEEN LANDED AT PUNGOTEAGUE AFTER ITS OCCUPATION, AND FROM THENCE CARTED FIFTEEN MILES. AFTER THE SURVEY BY ASSISTANT HARRISON, THE STORES WERE TAKEN BY THE MOST DIRECT WAY TO THE MILITARY STATION.

MR. HARRISON COMMENCED THE RESURVEY IN JANUARY AND MET WITH UNUSUALLY STORMY WEATHER, WHICH MUCH RETARDED THE WORK. HE FOUND NO NOTICEABLE CHANGE IN THE DEPTH AT METOKIN INLET, THOUGH THE BAR ITSELF HAD SHIFTED. CONSIDERABLE CHANGES HAD TAKEN PLACE IN THE SHORELINE. IN REFERENCE TO THE ALTERATIONS HE SAYS: "THE BEACH JUST INSIDE OF THE NORTHERN POINT AT THE ENTRANCE OF THE INLET HAS WASHED AWAY AS MUCH AS ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY METRES; THE ENTRANCE HAS WIDENED; AND THE OUTER SHORE BELOW THE ENTRANCE HAS AT ONE POINT BEEN SWEPT AWAY FOR A BREADTH OF MORE THAN THREE HUNDRED METRES."

DETAILS OF MEN FROM THE 2d DELAWARE AND 2d MARYLAND REGIMENTS, AND MEANS FOR TRANSPORTATION, WERE FURNISHED BY GENERAL LOCKWOOD. ON THE 6th OF APRIL MR. HARRISON PLACED A CAN BUOY ON THE BAR, WITH SUCH MEANS FOR SECURITY AS WERE THEN AVAILABLE, BUT THIS WAS SWEPT AWAY A FEW DAYS AFTER BY AN UNUSUALLY SEVERE NORTHEAST STORM. TWO OTHERS, WITH SUFFICIENT CHAIN, WERE AFTERWARDS PROCURED AT CHINCOTEAGUE ISLAND. ONE OF THEM, "A SPAR BUOY, THIRTY FEET LONG, PAINTED RED", WAS PLACED ON THE BAR ABOUT A MILE SEAWARD FROM THE ENTRANCE; AND THE OTHER, "A SECOND CLASS CAN BUOY, PAINTED BLACK AND WHITE, NEAR MID-CHANNEL, ABOUT HALF A MILE OUTSIDE OF THE MOUTH OF THE INLET, AND AS MUCH INSIDE THE BAR."

AFTER COMPLETING THE HYDROGRAPHY MR. HARRISON'S PARTY JOINED MR. HOSMER, AND ASSISTED IN THE PLANE-TABLE SURVEY NEAR DRUMMONDTOWN. A TRACING COMBINING THE RESULTS OF BOTH SURVEYS WAS FURNISHED TO GENERAL LOCKWOOD.

DATA IS FROM THE 1862 USCS ANNUAL REPORT TO CONGRESS.

EDITION & STATE INFO : THERE IS NO INDICATION IN THE ANNUAL REPORTS OF THE USCS THROUGH 1886 THAT THIS SKETCH OF METOMKIN INLET DATED 1862 WAS REVISED. THERE MAY HAVE BEEN AN ISSUE ON HEAVY PAPER IN 1862 FOR USE BY THE MILITARY, ALTHOUGH THE ANNUAL REPORT INDICATES THAT A TRACING WAS SUPPLIED TO GENERAL LOCKWOOD, WHO ORDERED THE WORK DONE. THE ONLY REFERENCE FOUND, AFTER THE 1862 REPORT TO WHICH THIS CHART WAS ATTACHED, WAS IN THE 1864 REPORT, WHICH LISTS IT AS A SKETCH AND LISTS 1862 AS THE DATE OF THE LAST EDITION (P. 102).

HFC OWNERSHIP DATA : THE HUNTINGFIELD COLLECTION HAS A GOOD COPY OF THIS CHART ON THIN PAPER WITH ONLY MINOR BROWNING AT THE FOLDS. IT HAS AN ACQ. # OF B014-H1 AND A MDHR # OF MSA SC1399- 651.

BIBLIGRAPHICAL REFS. : U.S. COAST SURVEY, REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF THE COAST SURVEY SHOWING THE PROGRESS OF THE SURVEY DURING THE YEAR 1862, H.R. EX. DOC. # 70, 37th CONGRESS, 3d SESSION, WASHINGTON: U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, 1864, 8, 42-3.

January 22, 1992


This web site is presented for reference purposes under the doctrine of fair use. When this material is used, in whole or in part, proper citation and credit must be attributed to the Maryland State Archives. PLEASE NOTE: The site may contain material from other sources which may be under copyright. Rights assessment, and full originating source citation, is the responsibility of the user.

Tell Us What You Think About the Maryland State Archives Website!

© Copyright April 26, 2006 Maryland State Archives