A Newly Discovered Map Details the Battle of Craney Island

From the June 13, 2013, Daily Press "A newly discovered map of the War of 1812 Battle of Craney island" by Mark St. John Erickson.

The War of 1812 has a striking lack of artifacts and records about Hampton Roads' role in the war.  But recently, a map has been found detailing the city of Norfolk, Craney Island and the Elizabeth River and American defenses.

The map was found by Williamsburg historian Stuart L. Butler in the papers of Royal Navy Captain Robert Barnes, on the HMS Dragon, a 74-gun ship-of-the-line that saw service in the Chesapeake Bay.  It was found in the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Duke University.

It shows details of earthworks on Craney Island, the location of Forts Norfolk and Nelson and even the anchorage of the frigate USS  Constellation which had been bottled up in the harbor.  It even included the locations of American gunboats which defended the east side of the channel.

There were also soundings of the tidal creek which the British tried unsuccessfully to cross in their June 22, 1813 attack on Craney Island.

Butler said it was a mystery as to just how a British officer would come to have a map such as this.  Were their Britsh spies or some traiterous act?

A Real Piece of History.  --Brock-Perry