Add MS 57653

R.U.S.I. MAPS. Vol. XVIII (1-5). Large maps.

1. ' Plan de la ville de Saint-Ghislain'; 1747. 1:3500 approx. Scale bar of 200 Toises (= 111mm.). French. 'No.82' in ink on verso. R.U.S.I. no. HJ 273.

645 x 855mm.

2. 'Waterloo [by] C. I. I. Hamilton, Lt & Capt S. F. Gds'; aft. 1815. 1:15840. 'Scale of 4 inches to a mile'. Scale bar of 1.5 miles (= 6 inches). Cf. Add. 57636, f. 3 for map by Hamilton dated 1843. R.U.S.I. no. A 8.16.

590 x 640mm.

3. 'Survey of the ground in the vicinity of Mont St Jean on which was fought the action of the 18th'; aft. 1815. 1:4800. Scale bar of 4000 feet (= 10 inches). R.U.S.I. no. A 8.40.

720 x 1030mm.

4. Sketch map of Waterloo, copied by W. Sheeney, 'l[ate?] of Quarter M. Genl Dept Plymouth 16 Sept. 1845'. No scale given. A note signed 'John Oldfield, Col. (late Brigade Major), R.E., and dated 31 Jan. 1846, gives a detailed history of the original of the map. It was based on reconnaissance sketches of the area ordered by Lt.-Col. James Carmichael-Smyth (later Sir James, 1st Bart.) of the Royal Engineers and made by Engineers officers in 1814-1815. Col. (then Capt.) Oldfield, as Brigade-Major, passed the map on 9 June 1815 to the Duke of Wellington, who then handed it on to his Quartermaster-General, Sir William Delancey. It is said to have been recovered from Delancey's coat pocket after his death at Waterloo, and obtained by Capt. Oldfield from the Quartermaster-General's Dept. en route to Paris after the battle and returned to Lt.-Col. Carmichael-Smyth. In Jan. 1846, the original was in the hands of Lady Carmichael-Smyth, Sir James's widow. However, there is a separate set of partly typewritten notes headed 'Copy of note on map of Waterloo offered as a gift by Col. W. A. Harrison, RE', and addressed 'To the Victoria & Albert Museum Oct. 3 1919', by the 'Act. Secy, R.U.S.I.', which gives two copies of the note on the map. One is an exact transcript in MS.; the other is typewritten and provides extra details, some contradictory of the map, although still said to be signed by Col. Oldfield. In this version of the note, it is said that a fair copy of the original sketch had already been sent to the Prince of Orange, and another had been ordered for Wellington, but because it was not ready in time, the original was sent to the field on 16 June 1815. While in charge of Lt. (later Lt.-Col.) Waters, R.E., it was lost and recovered in a melée with French cavalry at Quatre Bras. In this version of the note, Wellington is said to have called for the map when he decided to retire on Waterloo on 17 June; and Lt.-Col Sir Charles V. Broke is named as the officer from whom Oldfield recovered the map after the battle. R.U.S.I. no. A 8.39.

1030 x 1420mm.

includes:

• f. 1 Maps and Plans: Saint-Ghislain, Hainault: Plan of town of Saint-Ghislain: 1747: Fr.
• f. 2 Maps and Plans: Waterloo, Belgium: Captain C. I. I. Hamilton, SF Guards: Plan of Waterloo, by Capt. C. I. I. Hamilton: aft. 1815.
• f. 3 Maps and Plans: Waterloo, Belgium: Ground survey of area around Waterloo: aft. 1815.
• f. 4 Maps and Plans: Waterloo, Belgium: Lieutenant-Colonel Sir James Carmichael-Smyth, 1st Baronet RE: W. Sheeney, of the Quartermaster General's département: Sketch map of Waterloo, based on reconnaissance sketches ordered by Lt.-Col. Carmichael-Smyth: 1815: Copy, by W. Sheeney, 1845.
• ff. 4, 4* Maps and Plans: Waterloo, Belgium: Colonel John Oldfield, RE: Notes giving detailed history of sketch map of Waterloo, signed by Col. John Oldfield: circa 1845-1919: Partly typewritten copy.