"Plan of the Bay, Rock and Town of Gibraltar, from an Actual Survey by an Officer Who Was at Gibraltar from 1769 to 1775...", Faden, William

This exquisitely engraved chart centers on Gibraltar Bay and details the clash between French and Spanish troops and the British in September and October 1782. It depicts the beginning of the end of the the Great Siege of Gibraltar, the largest and longest action fought during the American War of Independence. The chart shows fortifications, artillery, encampments, the positions and movements of the various combatants, and much more. Most impressive is "the enemy's combined fleet," a line of 49 ships in the Bay of Algeziras. In addition to the battle information, which was added to the chart in the second edition, there is intricate detail of the inland topography and plenty of navigational information in the water, including depth soundings and currents. Above the title is the Roman Obsidional Crown and an apt line from Virgil: "Parcere subjectis et debellare superbos" ("Spare the vanquished and subdue the arrogant"). A compass rose orients the north to the right.

Through much of the 18th century, Gibraltar served as a strategic port for controlling trade in the Mediterranean. In 1713, at the end of the War of Spanish Succession, Britain gained control of Gibraltar in the Treaty of Utrecht. Spain sought to recapture the peninsula, but repeated negotiations with Britain failed. In 1779, Spain signed a treaty with France to combine forces in recovering lost territories from Britain. After the outbreak of the American War of Independence, Spain declared war on Britain and sought help from its French ally to recapture Gibraltar. The height of the siege occurred on September 13, 1782, known as the Grand Assault (the battle depicted on this chart). The Spanish and French had formed a fleet of 10 battering ships just off the coast of Gibraltar, assisted by numerous Spanish gunboats and bomb-vessels, as well as an army of 35,000 Spanish and French troops on land. On September 13, they opened fire on the British from both land and sea, but were readily defeated by the British with their "red-hot shot." The Spanish failed to regain Gibraltar, with the siege finally ending on February 7, 1783.

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Condition: B+

A fine impression on a sturdy sheet with light offsetting and a tiny hole in an unengraved area. There are small centerfold separations at top and bottom and light toning along the edges, all of it confined to the blank margins. Remnants of hinge tape on verso.