Engraving, hand-colored;19 1/2 x 26 1/4. Published by Andrew Drury, London, 4 November 1776.
The title credits an actual survey by Benjamin Eas[t]burn,
who was Surveyor General of Pennsylvania from 1733 to 1741. In fact the map is based on a survey by Nicholas Scull, Surveyor General from 1748 until 1761.
The inset map, top left, is based on Eastburn.
Washington’s refusal to accept a salary for his services was emblematic of his somewhat ostentatious public virtue. He did open a public expense account, however, and some have claimed that he made money from it by overcharging Congress. In fact, the £150 per month that he requested for expenses was not just for him, but also for his entourage, which sometimes swelled to a crowd. His account books, which still exist, list charges for things like ferry fares, innkeepers’ fees, candlesticks, saddle repair, meat, fruit, mounds of cabbages and beets, and (admittedly) oceans of grog, liquor, and wine. Washington even charged Congress for fifteen shillings Cash paid a beggar by the General’s order.
But although he was not averse to placing his headquarters in the occasional mansion, he otherwise made do with precious few luxuries.