1776 A Survey of Lake Champlain, including Lake George, Crown Point and St. John
DESCRIPTION
An important and highly detailed map of the Lake Champlain–Lake George corridor, engraved from the surveys of William Furness Brasier and issued in London in 1776, at the height of the American Revolutionary War.
This map represents the first separately published survey focused specifically on these interconnected waterways, long recognized as a vital military route linking the Hudson River to the St. Lawrence. Often referred to as part of the “Great Warpath,” this corridor formed a strategic axis for both British and American forces seeking to control access between Canada and the northern colonies.
Precision Born of War
Derived from extensive British military surveys conducted between the late 1750s and 1762 under the direction of Jeffery Amherst, the map reflects one of the earliest accurate renderings of Lake Champlain and its surrounding terrain. Earlier depictions had misplaced or distorted the lake, but here its full extent is carefully delineated, with islands, shorelines, and topography rendered in striking detail.
The map includes a separately engraved plan of Lake George, highlighting key military features such as Fort William Henry, along with industrial and logistical sites like quarries and kilns, all of which held strategic importance during wartime operations.
Mapping a Theater of Conflict
Beyond its geographic precision, the map captures a region central to two major conflicts, the French and Indian War and the American Revolution. Fortifications including Crown Point, Fort Ticonderoga, and St. John are prominently marked, emphasizing the contested nature of this frontier and its role as a gateway between opposing empires.
Issued in August 1776 by the London firm of Sayer and Bennett, the map would have been an essential tool for British officers during the campaigns that followed, including the advance toward Saratoga.
Among Revolutionary-era maps, this work stands as one of the earliest and most accurate visualizations of the Champlain–Hudson corridor, combining scientific surveying with immediate military relevance.
CONDITION
1200 W. 35th Street #425 Chicago, IL 60609 | P: (312) 496 - 3622