3D Model of the Black Fort, Monterrey, 1846 « Thread Started on Nov 4, 2009, 5:23pm »
Those who have studied the September 1846 siege of Monterrey are familiar with the Black Fort, aka the Ciudadela, an unfinished church around which the Mexicans constructed a fortress. The Black Fort was part of the northern defenses of the city and figured in the battle. A Monterrey architect, José Ricardo Calvi Ávalos, has created a 3D model of the fort which appears to be pretty realistic. Calvi had access to a Mexican engineers' map of the fortress, a copy of which is included in the following article. However, he doesn't seem to have had access to the highly detailed map of the Black Fort made by the U.S. Army Topographical Engineers after the battle, in the National Archives
Sorry, you need to read Spanish to get the full gist of the article, but here it is:
Those who have studied the September 1846 siege of Monterrey are familiar with the Black Fort, aka the Ciudadela, an unfinished church around which the Mexicans constructed a fortress. The Black Fort was part of the northern defenses of the city and figured in the battle. A Monterrey architect, José Ricardo Calvi Ávalos, has created a 3D model of the fort which appears to be pretty realistic. Calvi had access to a Mexican engineers' map of the fortress, a copy of which is included in the following article. However, he doesn't seem to have had access to the highly detailed map of the Black Fort made by the U.S. Army Topographical Engineers after the battle, in the National Archives
Sorry, you need to read Spanish to get the full gist of the article, but here it is:
Re: 3D Model of the Black Fort, Monterrey, 1846 « Reply #2 on Nov 16, 2009, 8:46pm »
You say trk that exist a Black Fort map made by the U.S. Army Topographical Engineers. Are you have a copy of it?
I found the map sketched by the Mexican military engineers, along with a colleague, Dr. Pablo Ramos, researching in the Nuevo Leon State Archives. Later we gave a copy of it to José Ricardo Calvi, who after our counsel he create the 3D model of the fort.
If exist a map from the American side of La Ciudadela, I am very interested in getting a copy of it.
Re: 3D Model of the Black Fort, Monterrey, 1846 « Reply #3 on Nov 17, 2009, 8:28am »
Sr. Valtier, there is a map of the Black Fort at the National Archives, made by the U.S. Army Engineers, not the U.S. Army Topographical Engineers as I first reported. It is titled "Plan of the Citadel at Monterey [sic], Mexico" and is inscribed, "Surveyed and drawn with some assistance from a previous survey by Lt. Scarritt, and a drawing by Bvt. Major Mansfield, by William D. Fraser, Capt. Eng[ineer]s, June 1847." I assume that the copy I purchased from the National Archives is 100 percent of the size of the original map. My copy of the map is 32" wide by 24" high. At the center of the sheet is a plan (also with a scale of feet) of the fortifications, including the unfinished cathedral and the surrounding bastions. There are many numerical figures written over the plan, giving measurements and angles of slopes of different part of the fortifications. There are elevations that show what the unfinished cathedral as well as the drawbridge looked like from all four sides. There are also sectional views showing the profiles of numerous areas of the fort, including the bombproof magazines for storing ammunition which the Americans built after capturing the fort.
My copy of the map is in black and white. The original map at the National Archives is in color, and it uses red ink and dotted lines to show changes and modifications the Americans made to the fort after they captured it. You might now be able to order a copy of the map showing the true colors. Finally, the map also has lines showing the contours of the terrain in the area in and around the fort.
My copy, which I obtained from the National Archives 20 years ago, identifies the location of the original map as Record Group No. 77, Fortifications File, Drawer 112, Sheet 44. To order a copy of the plan, I recommend contacting the Cartographic and Architectural Reference Branch of the National Archives for instructions, at this link:
Re: 3D Model of the Black Fort, Monterrey, 1846 « Reply #4 on Nov 17, 2009, 3:21pm »
Here's a link to a detail photo of just the central portion of the map. The orientation of north is to the right of the photo. A plan of the unfinished new cathedral occupies the center of the image. Ammunition magazines are indicated on the northern end of the cathedral. Around the plan of the cathedral are elevation drawings of each side of the unfinished cathedral. At the left side of the photo are the southern fortifications, with the drawbridge at the center.
I should have mentioned that on this plan is a notation by James Mansfield, Corps of Engineers, that this plan was "Forwarded by letter of [illegible: 5th?] of July 1847 to Engineer Department with the report of the operations of the Engineers in the field for April, May & June 1847." That letter, if if can be located, may contain additional information on the work the engineers performed on the Black Fort during that period.
Re: 3D Model of the Black Fort, Monterrey, 1846 « Reply #5 on Nov 18, 2009, 3:56am »
¡Thanks a lot trk! for all the information regarding the map of the Citadel made by the U.S. Army Engineers and especially for the detail photo.
The map of the Black Fort is exactly as you say: “highly detailed”. Very superior to that made by the Mexican Engineers. I will treat to get a copy from the National Archives of it, just I hope doesn’t be too complicate for ordering a reproduction.
This is a photo of the Mexican map. It was made in 1852, which is 6 years after the battle of Monterrey, and is titled “Plano de la Ciudadela.
To create the 3D model, we used as well a very rare drawing of the La Ciudadela as was sketched in a plan of Monterrey made by a soldier of the Ohio Regiment.
However, after see the plan of the Citadel made by Major Mansfield and Lt. Scarritt from the U.S. Army Engineers, that you were very nice to show me; I think that Calvi will make some changes on his 3D model.
Are you have found any plan of the La Teneria Fort?
Thanks for your words on my articles regarding the battle of Monterrey. Are you read Spanish?
Re: 3D Model of the Black Fort, Monterrey, 1846 « Reply #7 on Nov 18, 2009, 10:35am »
avaltier, thanks for showing the photos of the map of Monterrey and sketch of the Black Fort by the Ohio volunteers. I remember when that map was offered at auction several years ago. Thanks, also, for the additional images of the 3-D model of the Black Fort.
I haven't found any good, detailed plans of La Teneria, but here's a link to a close-up of that fortification, from a large map of the city and its defenses by the U.S. Army Engineers in December 1846. The legend of the map describes No. 10 as: "A large stone Tannery (house) prepared with sand bags & occupied by Infantry & commanding redoubt No. 1." (No. 1 is the fortification at the top right of the photo.)
I have taken digital photographs of the plan of the Black Fort and can send them to you, but a new copy of the plan direct from the National Archives will be your best reference.
![[Home]](http://s4.images.proboards.com/menu/home.gif)
![[Help]](http://s4.images.proboards.com/menu/help.gif)
![[Search]](http://s4.images.proboards.com/menu/search.gif)
![[Calendar]](http://s4.images.proboards.com/menu/calendar.gif)
![[Login]](http://s4.images.proboards.com/menu/login.gif)
![[Register]](http://s4.images.proboards.com/menu/register.gif)
![[Search This Thread]](http://s4.images.proboards.com/search2.gif)
![[Send Topic To Friend]](http://s4.images.proboards.com/buttons/sendtopic.gif)
![[Print]](http://s4.images.proboards.com/buttons/print.gif)
Author
Logged
![[image]](http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g254/avaltier/PlanoCudadela-1.jpg)