MAPPING THE U.S. CIVIL WAR

Dear Son,

As we've said, (1) to study history, to create a history collection, one should have primary sources, secondary sources, personal narratives, philosophies, political and military strategies and so on; and (2) we have a wonderful U.S. Civil War collection.  This collection includes a number of wonderful books presenting maps.  The first, as illustrated above, is MAPS AND MAPMAKERS OF THE CIVIL WAR by Earl B. McElfresh (Abrams, New York, 1999).  Historynet.com offers a good description, including the following excerpt:

In Maps and Mapmakers of the Civil War, McElfresh sought to achieve two objectives: to reveal the artistic dimension of mapmaking and to demonstrate the importance of the mapmakers' work. The book achieves both, making it a welcome addition to the scholar's bookshelf. Maps and Mapmakers of the Civil War is an atlas with a twist, however, as McElfresh does not allow the maps to stand by themselves. By supplying valuable contextual material, especially excerpts from memoirs, he brings out the experience of Civil War cartographers. His work sheds light on the behind-the-scenes work required to wage four bloody years of Civil War. 

The other books in our collection come from the well-regarded map series put out by Bradley M. Gottfried.  These are:

- The Maps of Antietam

- The Maps of Gettysburg

- The Maps of First Bull Run

- The Maps of Bristoe Station/Mine Run

Click on the links above for useful information about these books:

We hope you enjoy learning about the U.S. Civil War, the bloodiest conflict in U.S.-American history.  Beats zombies anytime!

Love,

Mom and Dad

P.S. Dad wants to remind you of the fancy word for map-making: "cartography."