William Faden’s separately issued broadside map depicting the British Invasion of New York City between August and September of 1776. This example of the third state is in the preferred and rarer issue with the addition of the four columns of descriptive letterpress text printed below. Each of the five states of the map was issued with or without this text, it offers an account of the battle for control of the strategic city.

One of the most important battle plans of the American Revolution. Following the outbreak of hostilities in the Boston area and the British retreat to Nova Scotia early in the year 1776 a counter attack was planned. A natural waterway between British controlled Canada and New York City existed in the Hudson River. If control could be taken of the city it would provide the opportunity for the British to split the American colonies and apply considerable pressure. Their superior naval resources made such an attack feasible.

The campaign began in June 1776 with the build-up of overwhelming British naval forces in the waters off New York. The new Continental Army under General Washington could do little other than prepare for conflict. On 22 August 1776 the British landed 15,000 men at Gravesend, Long Island, just south of the Narrows. Four days later the British undertook a pincer movement on the American forces illustrated by the ‘Flight of the Americans’ backing them in to the town of Brooklyn. During the night of the 29th Washington was able to evacuate them to Manhattan which the British then duly invaded on 15 September as illustrated. By the middle of November the British had complete control of the city which they retained throughout the entire conflict evacuating on the 25 November 1783.

Faden’s plan of the battle was published on 19 October barely eight weeks after the campaign began and four weeks after the latest event recorded in this state – the landing of the British in Manhattan on 15 September. Considering the length of time it must have taken for the news to cross the Atlantic to London it must have been issued within days of its arrival. This ‘news’ took the form of a letter written by General Howe to Lord George Germaine the principal Secretary of State for the American Colonies. The text below is drawn from that communication as are no doubt the details of the battle plan itself. There were a total of 5 states issued, each one updating the development of the battle and likely issued within a period of just a few weeks. This third state records for the first time the landing of British troops on Manhattan Island. The map depicts the landing of the British forces, their initial advance through Long Island and landing in Manhattan. American positions are recorded in blue with the British forces in red. Naval positions are also extensively detailed. A key lower right provides further details of the Long Island campaign such as troop positions and identifying various regiments. Provenance: private English collection. Boatner (1966) ‘Encyclopedia of the American Revolution’; Cohen & Augustyn (1997) ‘Manhattan in Maps 1527-1995’ pp. 78-81; Deak, ‘Picturing America’, refer nos. 153-155; Nebenzahl, ‘Atlas of the American Revolution’, no. 12; Nebenzahl, ‘Printed Battle Plans’, no. 107; Stevens & Tree, ‘Comparative Cartography’, no. 41c.