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Map of Texas and the Country Adjacent: Emory, 1844

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  • Title: Map of Texas and the Country Adjacent
  • Author: William Hemsley Emory 
  • Date: 1844
  • Condition: See description 
  • Inches: 21 3/4 x 14 [Image]
  • Centimeters: 55.24 x 35.56 [Image]
  • Product ID: 308275

The First U.S. Government Map of The Republic of Texas, the Stovepipe Map

On a scale of 105 miles to the inch, this is the smaller issue of Emory's landmark map which was made for use by the United States Senate during negotiations for the annexation of Texas and is the first U.S. Government map showing Texas as a contained unit. The Republic of Texas is drawn with the boundary claims of the Texas Congress of 1836 based on the Second (Secret) Treaty of Velasco.  In the map, and according to the treaty, Texas lays claim to portions of present-day New Mexico, Colorado, Oklahoma and Wyoming. Streeter lists this issue in his bibliography noting that it is "on smaller scale, and with slight varying title" (Engeneers is misspelled). There is no order given as to which issue was printed first.

The map, with the exception of the scale, remains consistent across both editions and spans from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean, extending northward to the 42nd parallel. However, it offers detailed depictions only of the Texas and New Mexico regions. Lieutenant Emory prepared this map, which accompanied his memoir, presented to the Senate in President Tyler's message of April 29, 1844. This message is documented on page 55 of the Senate Proceedings and Documents concerning Texas, with the Injunction of Secrecy removed.  Emory's memoir, spanning pages 55-63 of the Proceedings, is particularly intriguing for its color-coded delineation of Texas's claimed boundaries according to the law of December 19, 1836. It also illustrates Texas's relationship with surrounding territories and marks various routes across Texas, including Zebulon Pike's in 1806, albeit omitting Albert Pike's route in the early 1830s.

An error in the map's positioning of El Paso just above the 32nd parallel, one half of one degree north of its actual location, holds significance, especially concerning the fertile Mesilla region. This error, replicated by Disturnell in the 1847 treaty map, contributed to the need for the Gadsden Purchase. The map's population statistics and cited authorities add further interest and utility.

The map's importance is underscored by its reproduction on a somewhat smaller scale (the instant map). Though the sequence of issuance between the “first” large-scale map and the two subsequent editions cannot be definitively established, it is likely that the large-scale map preceded the smaller edition. A Senate resolution on June 11, 1844, called for the publication of 1000 copies of the map at a cost not exceeding $400, with an additional 5000 copies to be provided on December 19, 1844, if the cost did not exceed 12 cents per copy, likely referring to the smaller scale edition.

This map holds considerable significance for any Texas collector.

The Secret Treaty of Velasco

The Texas borders reflect an interesting period in the history of Texas.  Except for the possible claim of the Rio Grande as the western boundary for the Louisiana purchase, the western boundary of Texas had no significance in international relations and practically no mention in Mexican interstate relations before Texas independence in 1836. In 1721 the Medina River was considered the boundary between Texas and Coahuila; in 1811 the Nueces River was the boundary between Texas and Tamaulipas. As internal elements within the Mexican State of Coahuila y Tejas began to agitate for independence, hostilities heated up in 1835, leading to direct military intervention by the Mexican army, led by General (and President) Antonio López de Santa Anna.

On April 21, 1836, the forces of the Mexican army led by Santa Anna were handed a decisive defeat by the Texians at the Battle of San Jacinto.  Santa Anna attempted to flee but was taken prisoner the following day.  On May 14, Santa Anna signed two peace treaties with the newly formed Republic of Texas. The Public Treaty of Velasco consisted of ten articles; a second, Secret Treaty of Velasco consisted of six additional articles. The secret agreement was to be carried out when the public treaty had been fulfilled.  Provisions of the secret treaty bound the Mexican army of Santa Anna to retreat beyond the Rio Grande and Texas not to claim land beyond that river.  Thus, the Texas claim to the Rio Grande as its western boundary sprang to life.  

The public treaty provided that hostilities would cease, and that Santa Anna would withdraw his forces below the Rio Grande and not take up arms again against Texas. In addition, he also pledged to restore property that had been confiscated by the Mexicans. Both sides promised to exchange prisoners on an equal basis. The Texans would send Santa Anna back to Mexico and would not pursue the retreating Mexican troops.  In the secret agreement, the Texans agreed to release Santa Anna immediately in exchange for his pledge to use his influence to secure Mexican recognition of Texas independence. Santa Anna would not only withdraw all troops and not take up arms against Texas again but would arrange for a favorable reception by the Mexican government of a Texas mission and a treaty of commerce. The Texas border would be the Rio Grande.

On May 26, General Vicente Filisola began withdrawing Mexican troops in fulfillment of the public treaty. However, the Texas army blocked Santa Anna's release by the Texas government. Moreover, the Mexican government refused to accept the treaties on the grounds that Santa Anna had signed them as a captive, under duress. Since the treaties had now been violated by both sides, they never took effect. Mexico was not to recognize Texas independence until the U.S.-Mexican War was settled by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848.

On December 19, 1836, the First Congress of the Republic of Texas declared the southern and western boundary of Texas to be the Rio Grande from its mouth to its source and thence a line due north to the forty-second parallel. The Texan Santa Fe expedition of 1841 was an unsuccessful attempt to assert Texas authority in the New Mexico area embraced in that land claim. 

Under the threat of war, the United States had refrained from annexing Texas after the latter won independence from Mexico in 1836. But in 1844, President John Tyler (1790-1862) restarted negotiations with the Republic of Texas, culminating with a treaty, and annexation in 1845.   Texas claimed the same western limits after annexation as before, including lands in Colorado. The treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848) affirmed the Rio Grande boundary to El Paso as the international boundary, but the Texas claim to Parts of Wyoming, Kansas, Colorado, and New Mexico, then occupied by United States troops, remained in dispute. Texas decreed a county, Santa Fe County, to include part of the area, but the people of New Mexico protested the Texas claim. After prolonged debate in Congress and the Texas newspapers and near-armed dispute, an adjustment was reached in the Compromise of 1850. The compromise line ran the Texas western boundary from El Paso east along the thirty-second parallel to the 103d meridian, up that meridian to 36°30" latitude, and along that line to the 100th meridian, thence down the 100th meridian to the Red River, giving us Texas’ present boundaries.

Background on Creator

William Hemsley Emory (1811 – 1887) was an American military officer, surveyor, and civil engineer. Emory is particularly notable for his contributions during the Mexican American War and his involvement in surveying and mapping significant portions of the United States.

During the Mexican American War (1846-1848), Emory served in the U.S. Army's Corps of Topographical Engineers. He played a crucial role in surveying and mapping the newly acquired territories, especially Texas and those gained through the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which ended the war. Emory's surveys helped establish accurate maps of the American Southwest, including areas that later became part of California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. After the war, Emory continued his work as a surveyor and engineer, contributing to various mapping and infrastructure projects across the United States. He also served during the American Civil War , for the Union.

Emory's legacy lies not only in his military service but also in his contributions to the mapping and development of the American West. His surveys and maps provided valuable information for settlers, explorers, and policymakers, shaping the expansion and development of the United States during the 19th century.

Condition

Old folds with archival tape repair to verso, scattered light foxing, waviness in some areas, minor offset in title the area.  Very good condition for a rare version of this important map.

References

Streeter 1543B.  Phillips Maps, p. 844 (Larger Version).