Year of 1777 - Primary Historical Documents & Maps - Geographers Department, Continental Army, 1777-1783

The Cartographers and Surveyors of the Continental Army in the War for American Independence
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1777

Washington to Thomas Wharton and Pennsylvania Council, July 9, 1777

George Washington to Robert Erskine, July 28, 1777

Robert Erskine to George Washington, August 1, 1777 (*Description of duties of Geographers)

Washington to Erskine, November 14, 1777

Robert Erskine to George Washington, November 24, 1777

..."That General Washington be empowered to appoint Mr. Robert Erskine, or any other person that he may think proper, geographer and surveyor of the roads, to take sketches of the country, the seat of war, and to have the procuring, governing and paying the guides employed under him; the General to affix the pay of the said geographer, &c. and the allowance that shall be made to the guides."...

George Washington to Thomas Wharton Jr., and Pennsylvania Council, July 9, 1777

The Writings of George Washington from the Original Manuscript Sources, 1745-1799. John C. Fitzpatrick, Editor.

Gentn.: I find accurate Draughts or Maps of the Country which is or may be the Seat of War, so essentially necessary, that I must beg leave to recommend such a Measure with all possible Expedition, so far as regards the Shores of the Delaware, where the Enemy may probably land and March.

When the Enemy have once possessed themselves of any part of the Country, every Attempt to deliniate it becomes difficult, if not wholly impracticable; the Propriety therefore of doing it with all possible advantage, I trust will be too obvious to your Honorable Board, to make it necessary for me to press it farther.

In the execution of this Work I could wish the Eminences, Distances of Places, Woods, Streams of Water, Marshy places and passes may be particularly noted. And that it be done on as large a Scale as is tolerably convenient. I am etc.⁹⁴

[Note 94: On July 25 Washington was "empowered to appoint Mr. Robert Erskine, or any other person that he may think proper, geographer and surveyor of the roads, to take sketches of the country, the seat of war, and to have the procuring, governing and paying the guides employed under him; the General to affix the pay of the said geographer, &c. and the allowance that shall be made to the guides." (See Journals of the Continental Congress.)]

P.S. I scarcely think it necessary to suggest, Secrecy and Caution in the Execution of this Work, as its Value and importance must very much depend, not only on the Ability but the Fidelity of those to whom it is intrusted.⁹⁵

Sir: In consequence of my representations to Congress of the advantage that might be derived from having a good Geographer to accompany the Army, and my recommendation of you for that purpose they have come to the inclosed resolution authorizing me to appoint you or any other Gentleman I shall think proper to act in the capacities therein Specified; and to determine the allowance of pay to be annexed to the Office. I shall therefore be obliged to you to let me know without delay the conditions on which it will Suit you to undertake it, and shall be glad to see you as soon as possible at Head Quarters to fix the matter upon a footing, and put every thing in a train for the execution of it. If you engage, your entrance upon the business will be immediately necessary, as there can be no time, in which your Services will be more useful than the present. I am etc.⁴⁷

Your favour of the 28^th ult, concerning the office of Geographer, I had the honour to receive yesterday at Pompton. The distinction you confer upon me, I beg leave to acknowledge with graditude; and shall be happy to render every service in my power to your Excellency, and to the cause in which the rights of humanity are so deeply interested: on these accounts it is necessary to be explicit; both by laying before you my ideas of the whole subject at once, and likewise by setting forth how much time and attention I can immediately bestow on the proposed department.

It is then perhaps proper to begin with a general view of the nature of the business in order to shew what may really be accomplished by a Geographer, that more may not be expected than it is practicable to perform; and that an estimate may be made of the number of assistants required should the Map of any particular district be required in a given time. It is obvious that in planning a country a great part of the ground must be walked over, particularly the banks of Rivers and Roads; as much of which may be traced and laid down in three hours as could be walked over in one; or in other words a Surveyor who can walk 15 miles a day may plan 5 miles; if the country is open, and stations of considerable length can be obtained, then perhaps greater dispatch can be made; very little more, however, in general can be expected; if it is considered that the Surveyor, besides attending to the course and measuring the distance of the way he is traversing, should at all convenient places where he can see around him, take observations and angles to Mountains, hills, steeples, houses and other objects which present themselves, in order to fix their site; to correct his work; and to facilitate its being connected with other Surveys. A Surveyor might go to work with two Chain-bearers and himself; but in this case he must carry his own instruments, and some of them must frequently traverse the ground three times over at least; therefore, to prevent this inconvenience and delay, as men enough can be had from Camp without additional expense, six attendants to each surveyor will be proper; to wit, two Chain-bearers, one to carry the Instrument, and three to hold flag staffs; two flags, indeed, are only wanted in common; but three are necessary for running a straight line with dispatch; and the third flag may be usefully employed in several cases besides. From what one Surveyor can do, it will therefore appear that in making a plan, like all other business, the more hands are employed in it, the sooner it may be accomplished; likewise, that the director of the Surveyors will have full employment in making general observations, and connecting the different surveys as they come in, upon one general Map; and, at any rate, that a correct plan must be a work of time.

A great deal however may be done towards the formation of an useful Map, by having some general outlines justly laid down; and the situation of some remarkable places accurately ascertained; from such data, other places may be pointed out, by information and computed distances; in such a manner as to give a tolerable idea of the Country; especially with the assistance of all the maps in being, which can be procured: and this, perhaps, is as much as can be expected, should plans be required to keep pace with the transitions of War.

Navigable Rivers, and those which cannot be easily forded, and likewise the capital roads, should be laid down with all the accuracy possible; but, in the Map of a country, the general course of fordable rivers need only be attended to; it not being practicable to express small windings but on large scale, the same accuracy not being required here which is necessary to ascertain the quantity and boundaries of private property. In general, therefore, the adjacence to, and intersection of, such rivers with roads, will determine their course with sufficient exactness: the situation of woods and mountains, too, may be remarked in a similar manner.

Young gentlemen of Mathematical genius, who are acquainted with the principles of Geometry, and who have a taste for drawing, would be the most proper assistants for a Geographer. Such, in a few days practice, may be made expert surveyors. The instrument best adapted for accuracy and dispatch is the Plain-Table; by this, the Surveyor plans as he proceeds, and-not having his work to protract in the evening -may attend the longer to it in the day. One of these instruments, with a chain and ten iron-shod arrows, should be provided for each of the Surveyors it may be thought proper to employ.

But I ought not trouble your excellency with the minutia of the business, it is time now to proceed to my own situation. I was engaged for America on purpose to superintend the Iron Works under my direction; in conjunction with another Gentleman; who, not choosing to comply with the orders of the Proprietors was dismissed from their service, which developed the charge of the whole upon me. The great confidence my employers have all along placed in my integrity and honour, has demanded my best endeavors on their behalf. These, however, have been very partial and uneffectual, from unavoidable causes, and of the immense sums which had been sunk and expended for them before I arrived, very little now remains but their Lands, which, I suppose, if sold at the best market, would not make up the money they have lost by £60,000 Sterling. The Owners, who reside chiefly in London , have been well acquainted with my sentiments concerning America from the first of the dispute. As they have been totally silent respecting my political opinions, I have reason to believe that my conduct-which in other respects they have fully approvedhas not, in this case, met with their disapprobation. These circumstances, however, I mention only by the by; for, whatever be their private sentiments, and whatever feuds and differences take place between States and Nations, yet these cannot alter the nature of justice between man and man, or cancel the duty one individual owes to another. I, therefore, hold myself as much bound as ever to be accountable for the trust reposed in me. Such being the case, I cannot relinquish the concerns of which I have the charge till I have brought them to a proper conclusion. Moreover, the suspension of intercourse with my principals has obliged me to become personally answerable for all the contracts I have or had made in their behalf; and thus I have in a great measure, become a principal myself, and invested my own property to the amount of some thousand pounds in their stock.

These particulars I have troubled you with to shew that I cannot at present devote my whole time to the Department you have obligingly offered, having got between £20,000 and £30,000 moveable property to dispose of, and accounts to a large amount to settle and discharge. My present business is now, however, so far circumscribed that I can employ at least half my time in the Public Service, and by the opening of next campaign, perhaps the whole; concerning, which, too, I beg leave to add, that I can fully depend on your candour; and that I can very soon attend to the proposed Department for such a length of time as shall be sufficient to make a beginning of the business, which afterwards may be carried on under mine or another's direction, as shall be thought proper.

Having thus far encroached on your Excellency's time with regret, I request your kind indulgence finally to observe, that the stated terms upon which myself and others of my profession used to do business in England, were a Guinea a day and all reasonable expenses, such as travelling charges and the hire of laborers and assistants.

I hope, if it please God, to have the honour of waiting on you early in the week after next: meantime, I have the honour to be, with the greatest respect and esteem.

Your greatly obliged, and most obedient hum' servant, Robert Erskine His Excellency, General Washington. 3

3 Washington Papers, Library of Congress. There is a photostat of the original in The Manor and Forges of Ringwood, V, 17-19. H. S.

Sir: I shall be glad to know, by return of the Bearer, whether the portable ovens⁹¹ bespoke last Summer are finished. If they are, you may send them down to the Army if you can procure Waggons; if you cannot, let me know and I will order the Qt. Mr. General to send for them.

Be pleased to let me know when you think you will be able to enter upon any of the duties of the Office which I spoke to you about last Summer.⁹² I am, etc.⁹³

[Note 92: Erskine answered this letter on November 24, stating that 24 ovens had been delivered to Thomas Mifflin at Pompton and Morristown, and that 4 were sent to New Windsor, N. Y. He reported that he was busy surveying in the Highlands for Governor Clinton and would be ready to take up his duties as surveyor general in April. Erskine's letter is in the Washington Papers.]

The twenty Ovens ordered last Summer, concerning which I have your favour of the 14th inst., were delivered as follows: four to Col. Mifflin, as the army passed Pompton; fourteen were sent after it to Morristown, by seven waggons employed for that purpose; and two large and two small ones remained here, when I was at Wilmington, which I mentioned to Col. Mifflin; who ordered me to send four, (viz. two large and two small) to the care of Major Taylor at New Windsor, which was done; and to keep the rest here till further orders.

From the time I had the honour of speaking with you at the Cross Roads, I fully resolved to enter upon the proposed office next spring, should it then be vacant; and, God willing, I shall devote my whole time to it, if your Exc'y thinks proper, by the beginning of next April; meanwhile, I have the satisfaction of giving some part of my time now to the public service: Govr. Clinton having accepted of my assistance at New Windsor; where I have been taking Surveys and Levels of the ground near the Chevaux-de-frise, for a Fort; which is erecting under the direction of the French Engineer Your Excellency sent to Fort Montgomery. I am happy to assist a gentleman of skill in his profession, from whom much of the art of practical Engineering may be learnt, and I shall return to the North River again in a few days, to finish some surveys at New Windsor, Forts Constitution, Montgomery, etc., Copies of which shall immediately be transmitted to your Excellency by