Michel Capitaine, Carte du Théatre de la Guerre dans l’Amérique Septentrionale (1780)

Assistance from the French was critical to the success of the Americans in the Revolutionary War. This map was used to convince King Louis XVI to send support to George Washington’s army. Commisioned by Marquis de Lafeyette it was created by Michel Capitaine du Chesnoy, his staff cartographer. After it was shown to the king and he agreed to aid the Americans, Rochambeau and his army were sent off to America. The map was later sold in Paris as an engraving created under the watch of cartographer Jean-Baptiste Fontin. The contents of the map display the course of the war up to 1778. The topography of the map was compiled from other maps of the landscape.