Mapping the Civil War
A selection of maps detailing the terrain, history and progress of the war.
Matthew Shaw
Curator, North American History
The military campaigns of the Civil War demanded knowledge of the terrain, but popular interest in the course of the war, in Britain as well as America, led to the production of many new maps, many of which attempted to present geographical information in striking and appealing ways.
Curator's choice
Matthew Shaw highlights personal favourite items from the collection
Cruchley's New Map of the United States (East) with Upper and Lower Canada
The seceded Confederates states are outlined in yellow, the Union in green and the Canadian border in red
The Field of Battle
Portraits of Union Army generals surround a map of the main theatres of conflict in the Confederacy
Bird's-eye view of the Seat of War
Displays the region around the Chesapeake Bay and Potomac River, showing Washington D.C. and Richmond
Map, showing the Distribution of Slaves in the Southern States
Produced by a Union Army general, this map shows the extent of the slave system before the war
Lloyd's Military Campaign Charts, showing the principal places of interest
Depicts eleven maps including those of Virginia, the Mississippi River, Cairo and the North Carolina Coast
