[MAP OF INTERIOR MEXICO 1850]. Map of the Valley of Mexico with a Plan of the Defenses of the Capital and the Line of Operations of the United States Army under Major General Scott in August and September 1847 [as issued in: Report of the Secretary of War, in Compliance with the Resolution of the Senate, a Map of the Valley of Mexico, from Surveys by Lieutenants Smith and Hardcastle. January 29, 1849. 31st Congress, 1st Session, Executive Document 11]

Washington DC, 1850. First Edition. Good. Text: 8vo (224 x 140 mm). 14, [2] pp. (including final blank leaf), some foxing. COMPLETE WITH LARGE FOLDING LITHOGRAPH MAP OF MEXICO, with U.S. Army routes in red (659 x 500 mm). Folds and short repairs where attached to text, light browning. Recent sympathetic drab wrappers, front cover lettered in manuscript. First edition of this excellent map illustrative of both the Mexican-American War and the cartography of Mexico, prepared by members of the U.S. Army Topographical Engineers. Our map is accompanied by the essential text which is not always present. Herein "cartographer M.L. Smith (Lieutenant of the Topographical (truncated) Engineers) writes to J.J. Abert (Colonel Corps Topographical Engineers) paying homage to the accuracy of Baron Humboldt’s map of the Valley of Mexico and stating that it was the only one in which they placed confidence for moving troops in to capture the city. He remarks, however, that he believes that the present map is the first survey of the valley ever made by triangulation. His colleague, E.L.F. Hardcastle, supplements the report with memoirs of the march made in his journal as events occurred. This sparse but pithy report has excellent details on military engineering." (Dorothy Sloan Auction 24a, lot 242). The present example comes from Dorothy Sloan's own Americana collection which was purchased by us in 2020.

Garrett & Goodwin, The Mexican-American War, pp. 296, 430-431. Haferkorn, p. 31. Tutorow 1632. (Inventory #: 3517)