[MAP]. DES BARRES, Joseph Frederick Wallet (1721-1824). The Harbour of Charles Town in South-Carolina... London, 1777.

Engraved map with old hand-coloring. Matted and hinged, sheet 851 x 629 mm, laid down on paper, some browning near centerfold, lower border partially in facsimile. Inset view of Charleston harbor.

A RARE AND IMPORTANT REVOLUTIONARY-ERA CHART based on surveys taken in the weeks prior to the unsuccessful British attack on Charleston in June 1776. Their ambitious assault on Charleston, South Carolina, aimed to seize control of the Southern colonies early in the American Revolutionary War. Under the command of General Sir Henry Clinton and Admiral Sir Peter Parker, British forces targeted Fort Sullivan (later known as Fort Moultrie), which guarded Charleston Harbor. Despite a formidable bombardment by the British fleet, the fort, commanded by Colonel William Moultrie and constructed from resilient palmetto logs, withstood the attack. The spongy nature of the palmetto wood absorbed the cannon fire, and the fort’s defenders, including the brave Sergeant William Jasper, managed to repel the British forces. This map would become the primary reconnaissance work for Charleston and unquestionably utilized by the British in the planning and execution of the subsequent siege in 1779. This second attempt proved successful marking one of the worst American losses of the Revolutionary War, giving the British control over the South Carolina port and a strategic foothold in the southern colonies.

According to the National Maritime Museum (Greenwich), this is the fifth or sixth state (watermark not visible) with more place names added and the inset re-engraved. Phillips, p.221; Streeter, 706 (the entry for the Atlantic Neptune, with Charleston chart included as vol. III item 19); Sellers & Van Ee 1537; Stevens Atlantic Neptune Collection, 162B.

Property from The Private Collection of Ms. Darla Moore, Charleston, South Carolina