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With the start of the Civil War, the military situation in the United States was, naturally, of great interest to the readers of Johnson's atlas, so the firm of Johnson & Ward added this "New Military Map." The focus is on the situation of all the U.S. forts and posts throughout the country, including those in the South. As an important element in the war was the access to maritime trade, with the Union blockade of Southern ports, the firm also put in nine inset maps of various southern harbors, running from Baltimore to New Orleans.
The political division of the United States is also of interest in this map. Up to 1860, the increased population of settlers in the trans-Mississippi west created considerable pressure to create new territories there, but the debate over whether these would be free or slave territories prevented Congress from acting. As soon as the Southern Congressmen left, when their states succeeded, Northern Congressmen could pass what they wanted and three new territories were created in 1861. These new territories, Colorado, Nevada and Dakota, are all shown here. However, also shown is a territory not yet created and certainly not created as it is shown here, viz. Arizona.
The settlers in the southern part of the New Mexico had been trying since the late 1850s to create a territory of Arizona out of the southern part of that territory, but the fact that this would be a southern leaning, slave territory prevented this from happening. When the Confederacy was created, those settlers decided they didn't want to wait, so they voted themselves as a Confederate Territory. The U.S. Congress did eventually, in 1863, create an Arizona Territory, but running north-south, to the west of New Mexico, so it would not be a "southern," slave territory. The Johnson & Ward firm believed that the Arizona Territory was going to be created as originally proposed, and so that is what they show here, making this map both erroneous and particularly interesting. $275
"Johnson's New Military Map of the United States showing the Forts, Military Posts &c. With Enlarged Plans of Southern Harbors From Authentic Data Obtained at the War Department Washington." New York: Johnson & Ward, 1863. 17 1/2 x 23 3/4. Lithograph. Full original hand-color. Very good condition. Denver.
The second edition of Johnson's New Military Map (cf. above), with the correct territory of Arizona, lying to the west of New Mexico, shown. Also depicted is the new territory of Idaho. As emigrants moved into the area because of the Idaho gold rush, this territory was created from the eastern part of the old Oregon Territory and the western part of Dakota Territory. $275
"Johnson's New Chart of National Emblems." [Flags of the World]. Stone lithography (hand colored). New York: Johnson & Ward, 1863. 16 7/8 x 23 1/8. Center fold as issued. Slight browning. A few chips around the edges, else fine and bright.
Alvin J. Johnson began publishing his New Illustrated Family Atlas in 1860 and continued to publish it through the Civil War years and through to 1885. Many issues contained a double page such as this one illustrating flags of the world. The 1863 issue was one of the few which illustrated the flag of the Confederate States of America [top of bottom right quadrant] at a time when the Northern States did not recognize the Southern confederacy. Indeed, publishing sympathetic writings or pictures could be treasonous, thus a warning that this government was "so called"; is added to the description. Perhaps this phrase saved the publisher from a charge of sedition, but it also showed how Confederate warships and especially raiders were on the minds of the Northern public. The other flags reflect developments in various parts of the World. $225
"Map of The Seat Of War To Accompany the American Conflict." From Horace Greeley's The American Conflict. Hartford: O.D. Case & Co., 1866. 25 5/8 x 36 1/2. Lithograph, "Engraved by Oliver J. Stuart." Original hand color. Very good condition. Stephenson, 59-60.
A handsome and highly detailed map of the southern part of the United States, the "Seat of War" issued just after the end of the Civil War as an accompaniment to Horace Greeley's account of the conflict. This map was designed to be used to follow the events of the war and so it contains impressive detail of towns, borders, rivers, orography, and most importantly canals, roads and railroads. Also of considerable interest are the indications of important military routes taken by troops during the war, indicated by lines with arrows on the map. This large and decorative map, issued essentially contemporary with the events, is a superb cartographic document of the American Conflict. $725
Each of these large maps provides excellent detail of the topography, transportation routes, troop positioning and town names of the region that served as the theatre for the dramatic events of the Atlanta campaign. Importantly, the maps provide an illustration of these central components of Confederate infrastructure which were the primary motivation to take Atlanta for the Union leadership. The extended strategic movements of the Federal and Confederate forces, beginning in May of 1864 and ending with the occupation of Atlanta in September of that year, are clearly marked throughout the maps. These maps, produced from the official government documents, are important historic artifacts of this decisive period in the Civil War.
Plate 68. "Defensive lines 18th Army Corps from Fort Brady to Fort Burnham, October, 1864 / Defensive lines 10th Army Corps from Fort Burnham to right of New Market Road, October, 1864 / Battle-Field of Five Forks, Va., Saturday, April 1st, 1865 / Casement in Fort Burnham, January, 1865 plus 5 smaller maps.." Maps from the U.S. War Department's Atlas to Accompany the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Washington: Gov't. Printing Office, 1891-95. Lithographed map, with some highlight color. Double folio size. Very good condition.
Richard Stephenson has written, "This is the most detailed atlas yet published on the Civil War. It consists of reproductions of maps compiled by both Union and Confederate soldiers." [Stephenson, Civil War Maps, p 99.] The maps show many of the events of the Civil War with great detail, including topography, troop placements and movements, and other information of interest. These are the best near contemporary maps available of many of these battles, sieges, and other events of this conflict. $75
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