Map for rebuilding Fort Nassau

Title Leupe: Project wegens het maken van een vaste post by het geweesen fort Nassauw in de Colonie de Berbice.

During the evacuation of Fort Nassau and Nieuw-Amsterdam on 8th March 1763 due to the advance of Cuffy’s slave army, the Dutch set the fort alight to prevent its occupation. After the war was won, the need arose for new defenses.

In line with his instructions, François Samuel de Veije had drawn his first version of a design for the new fortifications intended to replace the ruined Fort Nassau on site in 1764, together with his project plans for a main fort on the confluence of the Berbice and the Canje as well as various secondary posts (Nationaal Archief number 4.OBPV 1.38). Once he returned to the Republic he was repeatedly asked to adapt or further elaborate on his plans and to give various explanations which meant that he was not able to complete his duties for the Society of Berbice until sometime in the year 1767. This map shows the first stage of De Veije’s plans for the fortifications at Fort Nassau which was never realized.

This original design depicts a simple but preferably stone redoubt (C) less than half as big as the destroyed fort (A).

A striking error is that the compass-rose is reversed; actual north is thus below.

Scale bars of 36 Rhineland rods = [approximately 1 : 1,165] / [profile] 36 feet = [approximately 1 : 95].