Plan of the siege of Meppen, 1761 (Meppen, Lower Saxony, Germany) 52°41'26"N 07°17'27"E

A plan of the fortress of Meppen besieged and taken by the French on 4 October 1761 under the command of Louis Joseph de Bourbon, prince de Condé (1736-1818). Seven Years War (1756-63). Oriented with east-south-east to top (cardinal points).

The attack on Meppen was part of the wider French attempt during 1761 to take Hanover. On 4 October the 500-strong Allied garrison of Meppen surrendered to the French. This plan, which distinguishes between marshy (prairie marécageux), cultivated or grazing ground (dark green) and rough grazing or solid ground (light brown), shows the positions of the French park of artillery, and the left and right parallels, the batteries and their lines of fire, and communications.

Additional text: [right, below title in rectangular panel, a key, 1-11, to the redoubts, bastions, gates and bridge of the fortification, and another key, 1-10, to the field fortifications and batteries of the attack.]

Condition: eleven fold lines: two sets of folds; abrasions to surface, bottom left, where two lines have been erased. Verso: paint smudges; induced discolouration; surface dirt.