1862 Lathrop Map of the U.S. Civil War Western Theater (Kentucky and Tennessee)

This is a c. 1862 Confederate-printed map of the Western Theater of War during the American Civil War (1861 - 1865) created in New Orleans by Henry P. Lathrop. The Western Theater saw some of the war's most brutal fighting, and the Union's first major victories occurred in this theater. Confederate maps of any kind are exceedingly rare as most southern cities lacked supplies or a printing infrastructure capable of supporting map production.

A Closer Look

The map focuses primarily on Kentucky and Tennessee, but coverage embraces from the confluence of the Illinois and Mississippi rivers east to Marietta, Ohio, and from Bowling Green south to Spartanburg, South Carolina. Road and railroad networks are illustrated. Although promoted as a 'seat of war map', none of the engagements of the Civil War are noted. The map was printed early in the war, before the May 1, 1862 Union occupation of New Orleans. It is roughly contemporaneous with the sieges of Fort Henry and Fort Donelson, the absence of which on this map is telling. These were the first major Union victories of the war, and if printed during the occupation, would most certainly have been included.

Publication History and Census

This map was created and published by Henry P. Lathrop and lithographed by Julius Manouvrier in New Orleans c. 1862. This piece is well represented in institutional collections but is scarce on the private market.