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MAP #: 281E5

CARTOGRAPHER : ESNAUTS AND RAPILLY [PUBLISHERS]

DATE: 1781

SHORT TITLE : CARTE DE LA PARTIE DE LA VIRGINIE

REMAINING TITLE & ID : OU L'ARMEE COMBINEE DE FRANCE & DES ETATS-UNIS DE L'AMERIQUE A FAIT PRISONNIERE L'ARMEE ANGLAISE COMMANDEE PAR LORD CORNWALLIS LE 19 OCTbre. 1781. AVEC LE PLAN DE L'ATTAQUE D'YORK-TOWN & DE GLOCESTER. LEVEE ET DESSINEE SUR LES LIEUX PAR ORDRE DES OFFICIERS GENx. DE L'ARMEE FRANCAISE & AMERICAINE. A PARIS, CHES ESNAUTS ET RAPILLY, RUE St. JACQUES, A LA VILLE DE COUTANCES. (CARTOUCHE, LOWER RIGHT CORNER). SCALE IN LIEUES MARINES (TO LEFT OF CARTOUCHE). THERE IS A LARGE 16 POINT COMPASS ROSE IN THE BAY OFF THE MOUTH OF THE YORK RIVER. LONGITUDE WEST FROM PARIS (TOP AND BOTTOM BORDERS). LATITUDE (RIGHT AND LEFT BORDERS).

DATE OF PUBLICATION : S1781?
PLACE OF PUBLICATION : PARIS
PUBLISHER : ESNAUTS AND RAPILLY
LANGUAGE(S) : FREN
SIZE (HEIGHT X WIDTH) : 46.3 X 60.4 CM.
SIZE - OTHER DATA : 55 X 78 CM. OM
SCALE - (RF) 1: : 211,400
SCALE - OTHER DATA :
LIB. OF CONGRESS # : G3884.Y6S3 1781.E8VAULT
Md. HALL OF RECORDS # 1 : G1399-599
HUNTINGFIELD ACQ. # 1 : C015-GH2
REGION CATEGORY : MAP COVERS SOME DETAILED PORTION OF MD/CHESAPEAKE AREA (2)
SPECIAL CATEGORY(IES) : YORKTOWN CAMPAIGN MAP (1)
: VIRGINIA MAP PRIMARILY (13)
# SHEETS TO MAP : 1
MAP ORIENTATION : N IS AT THE TOP OF THE MAP.
RELIEF SHOWN ? : YES
HYDROGRAPHIC DATA : NONE
CARTOUCHE : SIMPLE LINE FRAME (2)
BORDER : GEOGRAPHICALLY FUNCTIONAL (8)
PRIME MERIDIAN(S) : PARIS (3)
SEE ALSO MAP #s : -
BEST INFO SOURCE : NEBENZAHL, SELLERS & VAN EE, AND VERNER ARE ALL GOOD.
DESCRIPTION : THIS MAP COVERS FROM THE MOUTH OF THE PATUXENT RIVER TO JUST SOUTH OF CAPE HENRY AND FROM THE ATLANTIC TO WILLIAMSBURG. THE BAY IS DISTORTED BY THE TOO-WIDE REPRESENTATION OF THE DELMARVA PENINSULA. THE MAIN FEATURE OF THE MAP IS THE DISPLAY OF THE POSITIONS OF THE FRENCH FLEET AT THE ENTRANCE TO THE BAY AND THE BRITISH FLEET LEAVING THE AREA, EMPHASIZING THE EFFECT OF THE PRESENCE OF ADMIRAL DE GRASSE'S FLEET ON THE OUTCOME OF THE YORKTOWN BATTLE. THE FRENCH TOOK CONTROL OF THE SEAS AT THE BATTLE OF THE CHESAPEAKE CAPES TWO WEEKS AFTER THE BRITISH BEGAN TO DIG IN AT YORKTOWN AND GLOUCESTER. IN ADDITION, THE BATTLE POSITIONS OF THE CONTENDING ARMIES AT THE BATTLE OF YORKTOWN IS SHOWN. THE FRENCH FLEET WAS AS IMPORTANT TO THE END RESULT FOR CORNWALLIS AS WERE THE ALLIED ARMIES OF THE FRENCH AND AMERICANS. WHEN DE GRASSE ENGAGED THE BRITISH FLEET UNDER ADMIRAL THOMAS GRAVES AND ADMIRAL SAMUEL HOOD, THE BRITISH LOSSES WERE SEVERE. THE TWO FLEETS DRIFTED TOWARD CAPE HATTERAS, WHICH ENABLED THE SECOND FRENCH FLEET UNDER THE COMPTE DE BARRAS TO ARRIVE FROM NEWPORT BRINGING THE HEAVY ARTILLERY FOR THE SEIGE OF YORKTOWN. THE BRITISH HAD TO SAIL BACK TO NEW YORK. DE GRASSE RETURNED TO THE CHESAPEAKE AND CORNWALLIS'S ARMY WAS SURROUNDED BY LAND AND SEA. THE MAP ALSO SHOWS TOWNS IN THE TIDEWATER AREA, THE FORTS, AND SOME NAMES OF RESIDENTS OR THEIR PLANTATIONS. THE SOURCE OF THE DATA FOR THE MAP IS NOT INDICATED.

THERE IS CONSIDERABLE CONFUSION AS TO THE DATE OF THE PUBLICATION OF THIS UNDATED MAP. THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS ASSIGNS A "1781[?]" DATE TO IT, NEBENZAHL USES "1782[?]" AND VERNER "1784". VERNER NOTES THAT HENRY STEVENS, SON AND STILES USES 1782. HOWEVER, HE FURTHER NOTES THAT THE ONLY KNOWN DATED IMPRINT OF ESNAUT AND RAPILLY DEALING WITH NORTH AMERICA IS 1784 AND THE IMPRINT IS SIMILAR TO THAT ON THIS MAP.

VERNER INDICATES THAT THIS MAP IS SOMEWHAT SIMILAR TO THE FADEN MAP OF 1781 IN SHOWING THE POSITION OF THE FLEETS. (SEE MAP # 281A6).

THE ESNAUTS AND RAPILLY MAP WAS ISSUED AS A SEPARATE. THE ONE IN THE SCHWARTZ COLLECTION IS FOLDED INTO SECTIONS AND IS CONTAINED IN A MAP CASE.

L. DENIS IS INDICATED BY NEBENZAHL AS THE PUBLISHER OF A SECOND STATE OF THIS MAP. THE MAP SERVED AS THE PROTOTYPE FOR ONE BY BRION DE LA TOUR DATED 1787[?]. SEE NEBENZAHL, BIBLIOGRAPHY, # 200).

DATA IS FROM VERNER, NEBENZAHL, SELLERS & VAN EE AND FROM PERSONAL OBSERVATION OF THE COPY IN THE HUNTINGFIELD COLLECTION.

EDITION & STATE INFO : NEBENZAHL'S BIBLIOGRAPHY NOTES TWO STATES OF THIS MAP, ALTHOUGH WE HAVE NOT SEEN THE SECOND STATE. THERE IS CONSIDERABLE CONFUSION IN THE BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES AS TO THE DATE OF THE MAP, WITH ESTIMATES FROM 1781 TO 1784. THE VARIANT STATE IS ALSO UNDATED.

STATE 1 - (1781-84[?]) - THIS IS THE MAP DESCRIBED HEREIN.

STATE 2 - [?] - THIS STATE SHOWS THE PUBLISHER "DENIS" ADDED IN A CIRCLE ABOVE THE TITLE BLOCK.

COPIES OF THIS MAP ARE IN THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, THE WILLIAM L. CLEMENTS LIBRARY, THE SEYMOUR SCHWARTZ COLLECTION, COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG, THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA LIBRARY, AND IN THE HUNTINGFIELD COLLECTION.

HFC OWNERSHIP DATA : HFC HAS A COLORED COPY OF THIS MAP WITH FULL MARGINS. IT HAS "NO. 10" WRITTEN IN MANUSCRIPT IN THE RIGHT TOP MARGIN. THERE IS SOME BROWNING IN THE MARGINS AND IN THE CENTERFOLD. THERE ARE FOUR BROWN SPOTS ON THE FACE OF THE MAP, TWO ON EACH SIDE OF THE FOLD CORRESPONDING TO EACH OTHER WHERE THEY WERE IN CONTACT WHEN FOLDED. THE CENTER FOLD HAS BEEN STRENGTHENED.

BIBLIGRAPHICAL REFS. : NEBENZAHL, KENNETH, A BIBLIOGRAPHY OF PRINTED BATTLE PLANS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION 1775-1795, UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO PRESS, CHICAGO, 1975, # 193, P. 123; NEBENZAHL, KENNETH, ATLAS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, RAND McNALLY & CO., CHICAGO, 1974, PLATE 49; VERNER, COOLIE, MCS NO. 18, MAPS OF THE YORKTOWN CAMPAIGN, MAP COLLECTORS CIRCLE, LONDON, 1965, # XX, P. 43; MCDOWELL, BART, THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY, WASHINGTON, D.C., FIFTH PRINTING 1983, ILLUS. PP. 174-175; PHILLIPS, MAPS, P. 1132; SELLERS, JOHN & VAN EE, PARTICIA MOLEN, MAPS AND CHARTS OF NORTH AMERICA AND THE WEST INDIES 1750-1789, LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, WASHINGTON, 1981, # 1462, P. 316; AMERICAN HERITAGE BOOK OF THE REVOLTION, RICHARD M. KETCHUM, EDITOR, AMERICAN HERITAGE PUBLISHING CO., NEW YORK, 1958, ILLUS. PP. 284-285; LIBRARY OF CONGRESS QUARTERLY JOURNAL 30, WASHINGTON, 1973, 244.

March 22, 1988


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