William H. Forbes & Company

Description

Relief shown by hachures.Shows radial distances in mile increments from the city of Richmond."As a guide to note the approach of the Federal army, this map is invaluable, as the plan of its fortifications is taken from a correct drawing of a Southern engineer, who recently escaped to Europe."Description derived from published bibliography.Exhibited: "Torn in Two: The 150th Anniversary of the Civil War" organized by the Norman B. Leventhal Map Center at the Boston Public Library, 2011.One of the geographic strategies for both armies was the capture of the other's capital. Washington, DC, was situated precariously on the Potomac River, sandwiched between Maryland, a slave state which did not secede, and Virginia, one of the last slave states to secede. As a primary defense, Union troops constructed an extensive ring of earthen forts around the city. Richmond, which became the Confederate capital in mid-1861, was situated less than 100 miles south of Washington, DC. Confederate troops also fortified Richmond with a ring of forts, as depicted on this map published in Boston. As a reminder to a northern audience that Richmond was the target, the publisher placed a series of concentric rings around the city.

Record Contributed By

Boston Public Library

Record Harvested From

Digital Commonwealth