Sign up to receive email notices of recent acquisitions.
Plan of the Siege of Plattsburg, and Capture of the British Fleet on Lake Champlain. The 11th, Septr. 1814. To Accompany B. Tanner’s Print of Macdonough’s Victory.
[Philadelphia, 1816]. Engraving, 9.75” x 7.75” plus margins. CONDITION: Very good, some light creasing, light damp-stain in lower right corner, margins unevenly trimmed. A fine and rare military map depicting the Battle of Plattsburgh during the War of 1812, which resulted in American forces repelling a British attack on the shores and waters of Lake Champlain. This detailed battle map focuses on the events of September 11th, 1814, which saw the British fleet decisively defeated in a two-hour long battle on the lake, prompting a full retreat of British forces from the area. Oriented with west at the top, it depicts the area around Plattsburgh, New York and the “Bay of Plattsburg” (today Cumberland Bay), where the naval battle took place. It shows topography, vegetation, road networks, bridges, building footprints, and British and American military installations and vessels. A fleur-de-lis-headed north indicator appears in the waters at center left. The confrontation began when 14,000 British troops, under the command of Sir George Prevost, moved south from Canada and established a camp near Plattsburgh. The map shows the large extent of the encampment, including generals’ quarters, with British batteries and fortifications along the mouth of the Saranac River. In Cumberland Bay appears a schematic of the naval battle. The British fleet, consisting of the HMS Confidence, Linnet, Chubb, and Finch, with about a dozen galleys, was commanded by Captain George Downie. The American fleet, commanded by Commodore Thomas Macdonough, comprised the USS Saratoga, Eagle, Ticonderoga, and Preble, as well as ten galleys. The sites from which spectators on both sides viewed the battle are marked accordingly: the British from two sloops south of the bay, and the Americans from “Com. Macdonough’s Cottage” on Cumberland Head. Meanwhile, on land, a vastly outnumbered American force under General Alexander Macomb briefly engaged with Prevost’s troops. However, upon hearing of British losses on the lake and the death of Captain Downie, Prevost called off the attack and ordered a retreat. The American victory at Plattsburgh, one of the few decisive battles of the war, is credited with helping the United States stave off an invasion of New York by way of the Hudson, and gain favorable terms in the Treaty of Ghent, which was signed in 1814 and ratified in 1815. The map is attributable to either Benjamin Tanner (1775–1848) or his younger brother, Henry S. Tanner (1786–1858), both prominent engravers in the early republic. The brothers were born in New York city, but after Benjamin became established in Philadelphia, Henry joined him as his apprentice there in 1810. Benjamin was known for his large-scale portraits and historical scenes, including his engraving Macdonough’s Victory on Lake Champlain, which this map was produced to accompany. Henry was an important figure in building the reputation of American cartography, working closely with John Melish during much of his early career. Internationally renowned, he was a member of geographical societies in London and Paris. Tanner produced several notable atlases focused on the United States, including A New American Atlas (1819–23), and numerous important separately published maps of the U.S. and Western Hemisphere. OCLC records just three holdings, two at AAS and another at the Library of Congress. We locate additional examples at Yale and the La Jolla Map Museum. A rare and very appealing plan of this important American victory during the War of 1812. REFERENCES: Ristow, Walter. American Maps and Mapmakers (Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1985), pp. 179–81; “Benjamin Tanner” at Mount Vernon online.
Item #9776
Price: $4,500.00
Add to Wish List