Map/Chart > New York

New York, East River, part of Hudson River and adjacent country with military dispositions shown

A unique and historic map which offers a rare glimpse into the use and production of working maps and plans of the War of Independence. The story told by this actual field map is that of the event leading up to the Battle of Harlem.

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This beautiful and previously unpublished map is probably the middle section of a much larger map which extended both south and north of this section. It contains some very intriguing hints as to its origins and to its author.

The most striking feature is the central panel which is almost identical to that of the 'Ratzer' map of 1776 (see Heritage Chart A201). It shows the streets and details of lower Manhattan, although unlike the ‘Ratzer Plan’ it does not name individual streets. It shares the same soundings in the harbour and rivers, and even the print and script on this section of the map are identical. This leads to the conclusion that it by the same hand. If one is a copy of the other then the roughness of this chart coupled with the copy grid lines drawn across the middle section would imply that it is a first state version of the published Ratzer Plan. The relationship between this and the Ratzer Plan is obvious, but this chart is likely the work of more than one man, especially the extended areas. Certainly the depiction of fields and other geographic details share a good deal, by way of style, with the hands of other cartographers who worked as part of the British survey of North America. The extended areas of the map include; the environs of Long Island; the land above the city known as Harlem Heights; part of the country of New Jersey to the west of the Hudson or North river. These extended areas are in themselves quite beautifully drawn and contoured by subtle use of water colour, pencil and ink. The roads and settlements, although not named are carefully drawn. These extensions were added to the map to accommodate troop positions during the running battle between the American forces under Washington and the British forces under Gen Howe in September 1776. The notes pertaining to troop placements and artillery positions suggest that it was part of a working military field map and the almost hurried look of the extension pieces add weight to the ‘working’ notion. On Long Island, the Headquarters of the British commander-in-chief General William Howe are shown at the house of Samuel Renne on Queens Blvd, Newtown. In addition to the troops garrisoned at Newtown, the regiments garrisoned at Flushing are shown. The British occupied the area after the Americans had retreated back across the river to Manhattan on August 29th after their defeat in the battle of Brooklyn Heights. The British were concerned that the Americans might cross back to Queens, probably at the Astoria ferry dock where the map shows the deployment of the Royal artillery with 12 and 32 pounders waiting in readiness for such an event. On the 15th September the British landed of 4000 British and Hessian troops under the command of General Henry Clinton at Keps Bay on Manhattan Island (they sailed from Newtown Inlet) and then moved north, scattering the American forces ahead of them. The chart shows the position of British and German troops after the Keps Bay landing just north of Inclenberg (now Murray Hill), just west of the present Lexington Avenue, leading up to the skirmish at Harlem Heights on September 16th 1776. Reference:‘ Battle of Long Island’, Hard Times followed Battle of Long Island, By GUS DALLAS.www.richmondhillhistory.org/BattleofLI.