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Description

Rare map of the Siege of Quebec during the War of 1812, by one of the most famous American mapmakers, John Melish.

The map shows the encampments and works of the British and French armies during the siege of 1759. The map also Includes a view of Quebec from Point Levi, along with an extensive reference guide to the map.

The map is extremely detailed and shows the exceptional engraving work of a still quite young Henry Schenk Tanner.

The map appeared in Melish's now very rare Military and Topographical Atlas. While most of the maps in this work were re-issued in other works, this is one of the few which did not appear in other published works by Melish.

Condition Description
Original hand-color, retouched. Backed with archival tissued. Some mending at original folds. Flattened.
John Melish Biography

John Melish (1771-1822) was the most prominent American mapmaker of his generation, even though his cartographic career lasted only a decade. Melish was born in Scotland; he moved to the West Indies in 1798 and then to the United States in 1806. By 1811, he had settled in Philadelphia and published Travels through the United States of America, in the years 1806 & 1807, and 1809, 1810, & 1811, which was richly illustrated with maps.

Melish created several regional maps of the highest quality, as well as the Military & Topographical Atlas of the United States (Philadelphia, 1813, expanded 1815). The latter work is widely considered to be the finest cartographic publication to come out of the War of 1812.

By far his best-known work is his monumental map of the United States of 1816, Map of the United States with the contiguous British and Spanish Possessions. He began working on the map in 1815 and sent it to Thomas Jefferson for comment in 1816. Jefferson enthusiastically reviewed the map and returned it with his edits. Jefferson later hung an example of the map in the Entrance Hall of Monticello and sent it to associates in Europe.

Melish’s finished product was the first map of the United States to extend to the Pacific Ocean. After its publication in 1816, Melish ensured the map was as up-to-date as possible; it was reissued in 25 known states published between 1816 and 1823. The map captured the then rapidly changing geography of the United States, as well as various boundary disputes, treaties, and expansion.