Atlas to Accompany the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies

The ultimate authority on the cartography of the American Civil War.

The work of preparing what would eventually become known as the “War of the Rebellion Atlas” started even before the peace at Appatomox. In 1864, Adjt. Gen. E.D. Townsend of the U.S. Army filed the first request for copies of various battle plans and reports, attempting to compile a comprehensive narrative of the war. It would be another twelve years before the Secretary of War was provided legislative means to formalize publication, and three more (1874) until the project was finally laid on a sound footing by Lieut. Colonel Robert N. Scott. Scott diligently oversaw work on what would become the massive 70-volume Official Records of the American Civil War until his death in 1887.

The companion atlas, compiled by Calvin D. Cowles and seen here, was published in 1895 by the Government Printing Office on behalf of the War Department. Its two volumes provide a fantastically detailed account of both Confederate and Union campaigns during the Civil War. Over 1,000 individual graphical elements are incorporated across the 175 unique double-page plates.

The vast majority (over 150) are maps and battle plans based on firsthand accounts from soldiers on the field. These provide detailed insight into local terrain, troop strength, battle movements, supply, and more. Twelve plates are based on photographs and include images of sites like Fort Sumter and Missionary Ridge and explanations of various components of military science. The last category includes ten illustrated diagrams of fortifications, equipment, uniforms, and flags.

Source: Baylor University;