Engraved map with hand-coloring, 940 x 648 mm, old folds, marginal toning near top edge, few repairs on verso near top edge.

"THE MOST IMPORTANT MAP OF THE AREA AROUND PROVIDENCE AND NEWPORT ISSUED DURING THE REVOLUTION" (Rumsey). Rare first edition of Blaskowitz's important Revolutionary War map of Narragansett Bay, published by William Faden.

Charles Blaskowitz arrived in America in the early 1760s and joined Samuel Holland’s North American Survey in 1764, becoming his Deputy Surveyor by 1775. Among his earliest assignments was surveying Aquidneck Island and Narragansett Bay to assess Newport’s suitability as a British naval base. He revisited the region a decade later as part of Holland’s extensive coastal surveys for the Board of Trade and Plantations.

Published during the American Revolution, the map depicts a region of considerable strategic importance. Rhode Island became the first colony to declare independence from Great Britain in May 1776, and British forces occupied Newport later that year. As Nebenzahl observes, “It is certain that the British, after occupying Newport at the end of 1776, used this map for their operations in this pivotal area. The detail shown is remarkable, including even the names of farmers on their land locations.”

Combining the features of a nautical chart and topographical map, Blaskowitz’s survey records the intricate coastline, islands, inlets, and numerous soundings of Narragansett Bay, together with roads, individual landowners, and elevations indicated by hachures. The map identifies eight coastal batteries, with a corresponding key detailing their artillery. An elaborate dedication to Lord Percy appears below the map.

Blaskowitz’s surveys formed the basis of two published charts, issued by Joseph Frederick Wallet Des Barres and William Faden. Faden’s version was more elaborate, engraved on a larger sheet and, according to Pedley, costing about two and a half times as much to produce. It was issued separately, including in dissected and case-mounted form as here, and was also included in some copies of Faden’s North American Atlas. Cumming, British Maps of Colonial America, fig. 17; Guthorn, pp.12-14; Nebenzahl, Battle Plans of the American Revolution 34; Nebenzahl, Atlas of the American Revolution, pl. 16, pp.94-96; Phillips, p.458; Rumsey 3951.001.