I read once about a 19th Century deed for a parcel of land in Texas, which read something to the effect of:
From [a given point], go southeasterly for six miles, until you get to the creek, then get into a boat and float downstream for half an hour. Get out of the boat on the eastern bank and walk northwesterly until you get to the prairie.
Now that's an exact science!
On the other hand, the 19th Century work of surveyors creating the USGS topographical maps is remarkably accurate. I worked for years with the Cherryfield (Maine) 15-minute topographic quad sheet, which hadn't been updated from 1902, and found very few discrepancies. Jedediah Hotchkiss, who served as a mapmaker for Confederate Generals Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee during the American Civil War, created accurate works of mapping art during his day. Lay a current USGS quad over his map of Harper's Ferry, and you'll have a tough time telling the difference.
As mentioned above, accuracy is directly related to the skill of the surveyor.