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Post by TRK on Nov 4, 2009 17:23:35 GMT -5
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: fermintellez.blogspot.com/2009/09/me-dio-mucho-gusto-leer-un-articulo-que.html |
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Post by Kevin Young on Nov 4, 2009 21:57:08 GMT -5
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: fermintellez.blogspot.com/2009/09/me-dio-mucho-gusto-leer-un-articulo-que.htmlThat is way cool. Thanks! |
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Post by avaltier on Nov 16, 2009 20:46:12 GMT -5
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.
Ahmed Valtier.
Monterrey, Mèxico.
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Post by TRK on Nov 17, 2009 8:28:27 GMT -5
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: www.archives.gov/research/order/maps.html#contactBy the way, I have enjoyed reading some of your historical writings at labatallademonterrey1846.blogspot.com. |
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Post by TRK on Nov 17, 2009 15:21:05 GMT -5
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. i582.photobucket.com/albums/ss270/trkphotos/DSCN3035.jpgI 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. |
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Post by avaltier on Nov 18, 2009 3:56:04 GMT -5
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Post by Kevin Young on Nov 18, 2009 8:35:57 GMT -5
Very nice information. Would love to see your articles on the battle.
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Post by TRK on Nov 18, 2009 10:35:45 GMT -5
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.) i582.photobucket.com/albums/ss270/trkphotos/DSCN3045.jpgI 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. |
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Post by avaltier on Nov 22, 2009 14:50:47 GMT -5
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