The West Point Atlas of American Wars: Vol. 1, 1689-1900

Presents maps with corresponding narratives covering every campaign in American wars from 1689 to the Korean War

Originally published in 1959 and unavailable for many years, this atlas has long been considered a classic. Prepared by distinguished members of the Department of Military Art and Engineering at the U.S. Military Academy, it has been used as an instructional tool at the academy. This new edition covers every military campaign from 1689 to 1900. During this period the Civil War was the major conflict; therefore, approximately 90 percent of the 158 maps are devoted to that war. As in the previous edition, all maps are in three or four colors; red signifies the enemy; blue, U.S. forces, and gray, topographic features. This new edition uses white paper instead of buff, which makes the topographical features stand out better. Approximately 41 errors noted by footnotes in the previous edition have been corrected. Most of these corrections concern names of people or places, but several show significant changes in troop movement and geographic features. For example, map 12c corrects the name Pakenham, map 5a notes the correct location of Harlem Heights, and map 94 adds a railroad and corrects troop locations. As in the former edition, the format is uniform with text on left-hand pages and maps on the right, which makes for very little turning of pages to match text and map.

A comparison of the present and previous editions shows the text to be almost identical. The introduction, chronology of events of the Civil War, and table of symbols are all the same. The bibliography at the end of the volume has been totally revised and contains about 230 monographs. Many of the titles have publication dates in the 1990s and reflect the latest scholarship. The brief annotations accompanying many entries in the first edition have been eliminated in this one. There are a few minor criticisms. Occasionally, place-names are obscured by other material. For example, on map 4b the name Lexington is cut in half by a directional arrow. Also, sometimes the map scales are difficult to read because of the small numerals. It is odd that there is the subject heading "The Indian Wars" in the bibliography, but no materials listed on the Seminole War or on the numerous Indian campaigns after the Civil War.

The excellent design of this unique atlas facilitates use by scholars and the general public. Because it has been an extremely popular work, libraries may find their copy damaged by heavy use and will want to replace it. Those lacking copies should give serious consideration to acquiring one. Because this is a History Book Club featured selection, it may be in demand by history buffs.