Existing comment:
Reading the Map: Color and Time
Blaskowitz drew on fresh surveys and older maps to produce a base map of the region. Features of the map help the reader understand events as the occurred:
* Color amplifies the topography and reveals areas central to the New York Campaign.
* The "Explanations" legend invites viewers to examine the campaign's progress from the landing on Long Island in August to the capture of Fort Washington in mid-November.
* The "References to the Plan" makes use of the latest intelligence to identify the location of British, Hessian, and American positions throughout the area, all color coded.
* The inset map highlights the location of Washington's defeat at the Battle of White Plains in October.
Look closely at Lower Manhattan: the grey coloring indicates the sections of the city that burned in September during the early days of the occupation. |