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Map Plan de Portsmouth en Virginie.

About this Item

Title

  • Plan de Portsmouth en Virginie.

Summary

  • "This pen-and-ink manuscript map shows Portsmouth, Virginia, at the time of the American Revolution. Portsmouth served as a primary British post and naval base. On July 4, 1781, British general Charles Cornwallis (1738-1805) left Williamsburg, Virginia in order to cross the James River at Jamestown and reach Portsmouth. Once at Portsmouth, the British army loaded onto transports. Cornwallis and his men then sailed to Yorktown, where their defeat at the Siege of Yorktown would conclude the American Revolution. The map shows forts, bridges, country homes, marshes, a windmill, and Scott's Creek. It also shows the Portsmouth waterfront, along the Elizabeth River, as well as roads leading into town and the adjacent area of Gosport. It lists property sites named for owners called Davis, Samuel Veals, Captain Badson, and Tucker. Portsmouth was founded in 1752, but dates back even further as a notable shipbuilding site. Scale is indicated in perches, an old unit measuring more than three meters. The map is from the Rochambeau Collection at the Library of Congress, which consists of 40 manuscript maps, 26 printed maps, and a manuscript atlas that belonged to Jean-Baptiste-Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau (1725-1807), commander in chief of the French expeditionary army (1780-82) during the American Revolution. Some of the maps were used by Rochambeau during the war. Dating from 1717 to 1795, the maps cover much of eastern North America, from Newfoundland and Labrador in the north to Haiti in the south. The collection includes maps of cities, maps showing Revolutionary War battles and military campaigns, and early state maps from the 1790s." World Digital Library.

Created / Published

  • [1781?]

Headings

  • -  Portsmouth (Va.)--History--Revolution, 1775-1783--Maps, Manuscript--Early works to 1800
  • -  United States--Virginia--Portsmouth

Notes

  • -  Manuscript, pen-and-ink.
  • -  Shows defense works, forts, etc.
  • -  Scale ca. 1:3,333.
  • -  LC Maps of North America, 1750-1789, 1454
  • -  Available also through the Library of Congress Web site as a raster image.
  • -  AACR2: 440; 651/1
  • -  Vault

Medium

  • map 30 x 43 cm.

Call Number/Physical Location

  • G3884.P8S3 1781 .P5

Repository

  • Library of Congress Geography and Map Division Washington, D.C. 20540-4650 USA dcu

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • gm71002169

Online Format

  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

The maps in the Map Collections materials were either published prior to 1922, produced by the United States government, or both (see catalogue records that accompany each map for information regarding date of publication and source). The Library of Congress is providing access to these materials for educational and research purposes and is not aware of any U.S. copyright protection (see Title 17 of the United States Code) or any other restrictions in the Map Collection materials.

Note that the written permission of the copyright owners and/or other rights holders (such as publicity and/or privacy rights) is required for distribution, reproduction, or other use of protected items beyond that allowed by fair use or other statutory exemptions. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item and securing any necessary permissions ultimately rests with persons desiring to use the item.

Credit Line: Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Plan de Portsmouth en Virginie. [?, 1781] Map. https://www.loc.gov/item/gm71002169/.

APA citation style:

(1781) Plan de Portsmouth en Virginie. [?] [Map] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/gm71002169/.

MLA citation style:

Plan de Portsmouth en Virginie. [?, 1781] Map. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/gm71002169/>.