atlases |

SIEGE OF WASHINGTON (Part the Second)

In which we wrap up our discussion of the dark days in April of 1861 when Washington, DC was cut off from the North and in danger from Confederate invasion.

Our book recommendations for this episode are some Civil War atlases:

* The West Point Atlas of War: The Civil War – Chief Editor: Brigadier General Vincent J. Esposito

This is our favorite atlas.

“Originally published in 1959, The West Point Atlas of War: The Civil War allows readers to easily follow the entire course of a campaign or battle in detail while gaining a greater understanding of the war. From the First Bull Run Campaign to Sherman’s March to the Sea, detailed maps create a fascinating visual tribute to the ingenuity of troop movements by offering insight into the progress of the opposing forces from day to day (and sometimes from hour to hour).”

* A Battlefield Atlas of the Civil War by Craig L. Symonds

“From Fort Sumter to Appomattox, this military history explains the principal campaigns of the Civil War and all the major battles in a lively text, keyed to 49 full-page, two-color maps. It is a clear, concise and authoritative volume ideal for battlefield tours or classroom study. The third edition includes more complete coverage of the Atlanta Campaign and six completely new maps. The narrative accompanying each map enables the reader to see the action and sense the drama it held for the troops who fought in it. Symonds succeeds in depicting a battle from the point of view of the commanders in the field as they weighed the day-to-day problems of troop supply, morale, and losses against the larger strategic imperatives of the war. The maps are divided into four groups, each of which constitutes a chapter in the history of the war. In The Amateur Armies, Symonds describes the civilian volunteer armies that slugged it out at Bull Run and Shiloh. The Second Section, The Organized War, details the emergence of great war figures like George B. McClellan and Robert E. Lee. Confederate High Tide marks the peak of Southern hopes which collapsed in 1863 with the twin defeats at Gettysburg and Vicksburg. Finally, Total War tells about the last years of the Civil War, including Early’s Raid, the Atlanta Campaign and the road to Appomattox. A short introductory essay precedes each section, accompanied by contemporary photographs and drawings that portray America’s greatest military conflict.”

* National Geographic Atlas of the Civil War: A Comprehensive Guide to the Tactics and Terrain of Battle by Neil Kagan & Stephen G. Hyslop

“In this one-of-a-kind atlas, dozens of maps (both archival and newly created) trace the battles, political turmoil, and defining themes of the nation’s most pivotal conflict. Eighty-eight rare period maps and charts, many seen here for the first time, track the course of the American Civil War. Thirty-four new views focus on key moments in major battles, as diagrammed by National Geographic cartographers using state-of-the-art digital mapping data for precise representation of the terrain. Compelling text guides us through the maps in a unique way, bringing them to life and infusing them with personal dramas that highlight the human side of war. Completing the coverage, three comprehensive theater of war maps in the appendix highlight battles in the East, in the West, and on the water- helping us visualize at a glance how the years and events progressed.”

* Maps and Mapmakers of the Civil War by Earl B. McElfresh

“During the American Civil War, a good map could spell the difference between victory and defeat. This book collects, for the first time, the war’s most notable, interesting, and beautiful maps and tells the story of how they were made. Author Earl B. McElfresh provides the only thorough examination of Civil War maps, mapmaking, and mapmakers ever written, documenting the techniques and travails of the mapmaker in the field. Lively anecdotes are retold alongside discussion of the practical effect of the cartographer’s art on actual military operations. As historian Stephen W. Sears states in his foreword, ‘This finely crafted atlas and its insightful textual analysis of maps, their contents, their uses and effects, provides a unique and much-needed examination of the crucial role maps played in the waging, and the outcome, of the Civil War.'”