Department of the Geographer to the Army, 1777-1783

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The Department of the Geographer to the Army was composed of the surveyors and cartographers of the Continental Army during the American Revolution.

Contents

[edit] Washington's Need for Military Maps

By the summer of 1777, George Washington had identified a definite weakness in the Army’s ability to produce adequate topographical data in order to plan and execute theater operations. In July of that year, Washington wrote to Congress, “A good geographer to Survey the Roads and take Sketches of the Country where the Army is to Act would be extremely useful… …I would beg leave to recommend Mr. Robt. Erskine…” (1). Robert Erskine emigrated from Scotland in 1771, was a Fellow of the Royal Society, proprietor of the Ringwood Iron Works in Passaic County, New Jersey, and developed a “Marine Chevaux de Frise” that was successful in sinking a number of ships (2).

[edit] Robert Erskine Appointed Geographer to the Army

On August 1, Erskine accepted Washington’s offer, and proceeded to outline the roles and responsibilities of a geographer:

"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." (3)

For the next number of months, Erskine worked from his home base at Ringwood Manor and at New Windsor on a number of projects for the Army, including surveys for the fortifications at West Point in conjunction with Col. LaRadiere of the Corps of Engineers. Erskine said of La Radiere, “I am happy to assist a gentleman of skill in his profession, from whom much of the art of practical Engineering may be learnt.” Erskine also conducted surveys and levels of Fort Constitution and Fort Montgomery. (4)

During the spring of 1778, several Assistant Geographers were appointed to work with Erskine, including Capt. William Scull (11th Pennsylvania Regiment) and Simeon DeWitt of Ulster County, New York (a nephew of General James Clinton). Despite the appearance of the Department’s work being academic and calm, the men did encounter danger and death on several occasions.

[edit] Hardships on the Sullivan Expedition

In October of 1778, Capt. William Gray (4th Pennsylvania Regiment) wrote to Erskine about his experiences accompanying the Sullivan Expedition. Interestingly, it appears as if Gray was acting on the orders of Erskine whilst he held an active commission in his regiment, as he writes:

"I Shewed your Leter to Col. Butler who has Promised to Let me Have Leave & Men to Assist me to Survay the Roads you mentioned If possible which I Doubt not but it will. If So, I Shall write to you as Soon as I begin. I had Neither pencel or Indian Ink to Shade the Hills which are Very Numerous as there is nothing Else after you Quite the waggon Road, too you can Reach Unendilla the Road or path from thence Ononaughquaga is much Better as it gos all the way along the River. As to my finding out the Varyation at this place I imagan that it will be very Difficult, as Sun is not to be seen for at Least one hour after he Rises, & an hour before he Sets. However I will try my Best.

After the Burning of the town two men of our party went out to Search for Some Horses that were Lost, & not minding to take their Arms with them, were fired on from a thicket by some Lurking Indians who wounded one of them (that is Since Dead of the Wound)

In good Spirits After a March of Near 300 Miles in such Terrable Weather Almost barefooted & naked. We suffered a good Deal for want of Bread, as we had not any of that usfull Articles for fourDays. You Doubtless May See a more Particular Account of this at Head Quarters but I have Endavoured to Give it as True as I Could. Present My Best Compliments to Capt. Scull & the Rest of the Party & Let them See this…"(5)

An account of this incident by Lt. John Jenkins, a Guide with the expedition, also places Lt. Benjamin Lodge at the scene of this action:

Sept. 13th. "They army marched at 5 o'clock, went into the town where they halted and cooked breakfast, while the pioneers were building bridges and cutting a road through the swamp. Mr. Lodge, a surveyor, with his assistants, without the sentry's rising, advanced up a hill, were fired upon by a party of Indians who lay concealed on the hill for that purpose. One of his men was wounded, the rest made their escape. ... ...After the army was alarmed, by the firing on Mr. Lodge, the riflemen and light troops immediately took possession of the height, where the enemy were posted..." Sept. 14th. "This morning the man wounded yesterday dies..."(6)

Lodge drafted several maps for the department, including one entitled, “Route of the Western Army under Genl Sullivan, 1779.” Earlier, on map 79a, Erskine wrote of Lodge’s work, “A most abominably and lazy slovenly performance not to survey such a small piece over again or lay it down properly.” Apparently, Lodge’s skills were valuable enough to the Department so that he stayed on the staff until at least 1780. (7)

[edit] Enemy Considers Military Maps Valuable Objects

Earlier, it was written that Erskine did much of his work from home, while assistant geographers conducted surveys in the field. By early 1779, Washington had become concerned that the cartography work being undertaken at Ringwood made Erskine an “object of the enemy.” In February, Washington ordered Erskine to dismiss his guard, direct the sergeant to march to Col. Clarke, and to report to headquarters. On March 3rd, Erskine had still not joined headquarters, and Washington wrote again, this time stating that some of the Convention officers that visited Ringwood had commented on the value and accuracy of the maps there. Washington also noted that “a small guard assisted by your own people may be sufficient to keep off the small parties of Villains who infest your quarter merely for plunder, it would probably be otherwise with a party sent expressly to take your papers, which from the desultory kind of War they now seem inclined to carry on would be infinitely valuable to them.”

A few days later, Erskine responded that the criminals who had recently broken into his house were on trail at Pompton, and that he had sent all of the department’s papers by Capt. Scull, who was seeking adequate accommodations for the staff as Washington requested. Erskine also rebutted that the only Convention officer that he had seen was a Maj. Noble, aide de camp to Gen. Phillips, who, “enquired for me, and was shown into the room where I was drawing, without his being known for a British officer, till he introduced himself. I happened then to be laying down the road from Chester to this place, which he had just traveled over, and speaking of the distance he had come this morning, he cast his eyes over my drawing, (which was the contraction of two miles to an inch) and observed it was the only plan he had seen which bore any resemblance to the face of the Coun­try. The only map of mine, therefore, he saw was that before me; for on his inquiring further into his rout, and the distance he had to go, I produced him Montresor's and Holland's Maps, which he had often seen before: he staid dinner, and went as far as Pompton that evening.” (8)

In May of 1780, Erskine wrote a “state of the Surveying Department” report to Gen. Philip Schuyler where he forwarded a memorial from Simeon DeWitt and Benjamin Lodge concerning pay for the officers of the department. He also wrote that the number of protractions and plans produced by the staff numbered more than 250 sheets of paper at that point. A southerly assignment must have been previously discussed, as Erskine emphasized that he “could not remove into a Southern Climate even sup­posing my Constitution would bear the change…” (9)

On October 2, 1780, Robert Erskine died of a severe cold that he contracted in September, probably whilst conducting a survey. It is said that Washington attended Erskine’s funeral, and that Simeon DeWitt fashioned a gilt-lettered coffin plate honoring the “Geographer and Surveyor General to the Army of the United States of America .” (10)

[edit] Simeon Dewitt Appointed to Replace Erskine

Following Erskine’s death, a number of officers stepped forward in hopes of becoming the next Geographer. Anthony Wayne wrote on behalf of John W. Watkins, and even included samples of his work, including a regional map and a plan of a redoubt on the Saddle River. Watkins was a Captain in Malcolm’s Continental Regiment, and served with the Geographers for several years. In addition to conducting work for the Main Department, he drafted a map of Charlestown , South Carolina (No. 61 in the series). (11)

To Wayne, Washington replied, “I think it but a piece of candor to declare that I think myself obliged in justice to Mr. De Witt, who has been long and constantly in the Office, [and of whose abilities I have] heard [Mr. Irskine speak in very high terms] to recommend him to the vacancy occasioned by Mr. Erskines death. I have been unreserved upon the occasion, because it would not be treating a Gentleman of Mr. Watkins's character with propriety, to amuse him with false expectations. I am etc.” (12) Simeon DeWitt was subsequently confirmed Geographer to the Main Army.

[edit] Geographer to the Southern Department Appointed

In February of 1781, the department, now under DeWitt, was busy surveying the road from Germantown through Kinneys Forge to Warwick . In May, Congress determined that a similar organization was necessary to serve the Southern Army. Thomas Hutchins, a former captain in the British Army, was tapped to serve as the Geographer to the Southern Army (Hutchins requested that this title be amended to that of Geographer to the United States . Congress obliged, and also changed Simeon DeWitt’s title at the same time). (13) Hutchins was an engineer during the French & Indian War, and designed the British modifications to Fort Pitt. Due to a desire to settle his financial affairs in Philadelphia before heading south, Hutchins did not actually join Greene until early 1782.

[edit] Mapping the Road to Yorktown

On August 29, 1781, DeWitt received what was perhaps the most momentous order issued to the Geographers during the war. Washington wrote:

"Immediately upon receipt of this you will begin to Survey the road (if it has not been done already) to Princeton, thence (through Maiden head) to Trenton, thence to Philadelphia , thence to the head of Elk through Darby, Chester, Wilmington Christiana bridge.

At the head of Elk you will receive further orders. I need not observe to you the necessity of noting Towns, Villages and remarkable Houses and places but I must desire that you will give me the rough traces of your Survey as you proceed on as I have reasons for desiring to know this as soon as possible. I am, etc."

DeWitt may or may not have known the purpose of his orders at the time, but he was soon to discover that he was blazing the trail for the allied forces to advance on Yorktown, Virginia. On their route, the Geographers produced very simple route maps that bear a striking resemblance to modern day AAA Triptiks, focusing primarily on distances between towns and river crossings.

Little is known about the Geographers Department’s activities during the Siege of Yorktown, but it can be assumed that they were put to work supporting the activities of the Engineers and Headquarters Staff. On November 4, as Washington prepared to depart the Virginia Peninsula, he directed DeWitt to survey the roads from Williamsburg, through King William, Bolling Green, and back through Maryland. (14)

[edit] The End of the War

After Yorktown , it became obvious to DeWitt that the war was coming to a close, and that the time was ripe to begin documenting the geography of the seat of war through maps. At their Philadelphia headquarters, the staff prepared final versions of their maps, although Congress rejected a request by DeWitt to authorize the production of “A Map of the State of War in America .” Although Washington wholeheartedly approved of DeWitt’s request, Congress felt that the country’s finances were too strapped to undertake such a project. (15)

Ever since its formation, the Department was plagued with a somewhat unclear pay structure for its staff, causing officers to petition their superiors on several occasions. On November 12, 1782, Congress finally approved an official establishment for the Department:

"Whereas no provision has been made by Congress for the geographers to the armies of the United States; therefore,

Resolved, That the geographer to the main army and the geographer to the southern department, be each of them allowed sixty dollars per month, three rations per day, forage for two saddle horses, one two-horse covered waggon, six dollars and two-thirds of a dollar per month for a servant, for whom they shall be entitled to draw one ration per day, and the cloathing allowed to a private soldier.

That the assistant geographers if such officer shall be judged necessary by the Commander in Chief, be allowed thirty dollars per month, one ration per day, and forage for one saddle horse.

That when chain-bearers shall be employed, not being soldiers, they shall each be allowed half a dollar per day." (16)

On October 20, 1783, Congress issued its final orders to the Department: “That the Geographers to the U.S. be instructed to deposit in the office of the Secretary at War a copy of whatever surveys have been made in their respective Departments.” (17) After one additional unsuccessful attempt to publish a map of the war, DeWitt resigned his commission as Geographer of the United States on May 13, 1784 and accepted the post of Surveyor General of New York State, a position that he held for more than fifty years. (18)

Thomas Hutchins continued to serve as Geographer to the United States until his 1789 death in Pittsburg while surveying the Seven Ranges.

[edit] Organizational Structure of the Department

By all indications, the Geographers Department was never intended to be a large operation, which is fortunate since there were few men in the ranks of the Continental Army qualified to serve in the unit.

In addition to the Chief Geographer for each Department, more than half a dozen Assistant Geographers served. Most of these men were lieutenants and captains pulled from their units for special service, thereby becoming supernumerary. Some officers, such as William Gray, may have held active commissions with their regiments while on detachment with the Geographers. Most of these men were from Pennsylvania , perhaps because Philadelphia was a center of science in the 18th century.

To supplement the military staff, a number of civilian surveyors were contracted to conduct surveys of particular areas. In addition, soldiers from the infantry regiments were detailed to serve as guards for the Geographers as well as chain bearers.

In 1777, Erskine recommended that each Surveyor have six helpers: “two Chain-bearers, one to carry the Instrument, and three to hold flag staffs.” In 1780, he wrote to General Schuyler that “The number of Assistant Surveyors [this term is interchangeable with Geographer in Erskine’s lexicon] has varied from two to six; the mean number employed for a Constancy, I suppose to be one Assistant Draughtsman, three field surveyors, and eighteen chain-bearers from the Line.”

Known Assistant Geographers

Known Civilian Contractors

  • Mr. Henderson
  • David Pye, Merchant, Clarkstown, Orange County, New York
  • Isaac Vrooman, Albany County, New York

Known Chainmen or Chain Bearers

[edit] Footnotes

  • 1. Washington to Congress, July 19, 1777, Suffern’s Tavern
  • 2. Benjamin Franklin to Robert Erskine, October 16, 1776, Letters of Delegates to Congress: Volume 5 August 16, 1776 - December 31, 1776
  • 3. Robert Erskine to George Washington, August 1, 1777, Ringwood
  • 4. Robert Erskine to George Washington, November 24, 1777, Ringwood
  • 5. William Gray to Robert Erskine, October 28, 1778, Schohara
  • 6. John Jenkins’ account of the Groveland Ambush, http://www.captainselinscompany.org/grovlnd.html
  • 7. Erskine-Dewitt Map Series, “From Elizabethtownpoint, Newark, Acqauckonock, Wesel, Totowa” Map 79a, from Elizabeth Town Point to Newark. 11.5”x16.25”.
  • 8. Washington to Erskine, February 10, 1779, Headquarters; Washington to Erskine, March 3, 1779, Middlebrook; Erskine to Washington, March 20, 1779, Ringwood.
  • 9. Erskine to Philip Schuyler, May 7, 1780, Morristown .
  • 10. Huesser, pp. 217-220
  • 11. Guthorn, pp. 36
  • 12. Washington to Anthony Wayne, November 22, 1780, Headquarters
  • 13. Charles Thompson to George Washington, May 10, 1781, Philadelphia
  • 14. Washington to DeWitt, November 4, 1781, Headquarters near York
  • 15. Bedini, Thinkers & Tinkers, pp. 256
  • 16. General Orders, November 17, 1782, Newburgh
  • 17. Journals of the Continental Congress, October 20, 1783
  • 18. Bedini, Thinkers & Tinkers, pp. 256

[edit] External links

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