Sketch of the Ceded Country between the State of Georgia and the Chicka Nation

What it is

This is a hand-drawn manuscript map made by John Coffee, showing what is now northeast Alabama and northwest Georgia. It marks Fort Armstrong, Fort Strother, Cherokee towns and other landmarks in brown ink, with a boundary line drawn in blue and red.

Why it matters

The map records the terrain of the Creek War, the campaign that first made Andrew Jackson famous as a military commander. Forts like Strother and Armstrong were key bases during that fighting. Maps such as this show how officers like Coffee planned movement through unfamiliar land, including territory belonging to Cherokee and Creek peoples.

Look closer

• What kinds of features did the mapmaker choose to include, and what might that tell you about his purpose?
• Whose land is being mapped, and whose names or towns are shown or left out?
• How might a map like this have been used by soldiers at the time?