Maps and Mapmakers of the Civil War - Hardcover

McElfresh, Earl B.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0810934302 ISBN 13: 9780810934306

Publisher: Harry N. Abrams, 1999

Synopsis

Book by McElfresh, Earl B.

About this title

From the Publisher:

During the 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. Ranging from exquisitely detailed renderings reproduced in full color to rough pencil sketches drawn from horseback, these maps-many never before reproduced-are both striking works of art and invaluable historical artifacts. The lively, anecdotal text explains the techniques and travails of mapmaking during the war and reveals the little-known cartographic exploits of George Armstrong Custer, writer Ambrose Bierce, and Brooklyn Bridge engineer Washington Roebling, among many others. Here is an extraordinary gift for Civil War enthusiasts everywhere. 180 illustrations, 150 in full color, 911/2 x 1133/4 Subsidiary Rights: Selected by the History Book Club Earl B. Mcelfresh, a cartographer and map historian, is president of the McElfresh Map Company, which publishes much-sought-after hand-drawn maps of Civil War battlefields. He lives in Olean, New York. Stephen W. Sears, a renowned Civil War historian, is the author of The Landscape Turned Red and To the Gates of Richmond.

From Booklist:

According to historian Stephen Sears in the introduction, this map collection is the most comprehensive one published since the 1890s. If so, it's a vital acquisition for the Civil War collection. That the originals of the 180 maps reproduced are in the hands of institutions and private collections enhances its impression of being a once-in-a-century resource. In addition to captioning the 180 images, McElfresh explains in a textual section the techniques of making military maps in the era and delivers summaries of the cartographic careers of their makers. Of course, there's Jed Hotchkiss, famous as Stonewall Jackson's topographer, but the acid aphorist Ambrose Bierce also appears in a surprise drafter's role. The maps themselves require close examination to appreciate their detail, perhaps enabling the viewer to imagine the commander debating the military value of a ford, a road, a wood, or a hill. Some are roughly drawn field maps; others are sharper prints put together in calmer post-battle circumstances. In either case, immediacy is the effect, a quality cherished by the buffs. Gilbert Taylor

About this edition

• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0810934302
• ISBN 13: 9780810934306
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 272