Rare Civil War-Era Map of South Carolina from the Confederacy's Preferred Printer

"Map of the Seat of War, in South Carolina, and Georgia",

This rare Civil War pocket map of South Carolina was published and lithographed by Evans & Cogswell, a company based out of Charleston. The map spans from Savannah to Kingstree, extending as far west as Barnwell. It identifies Charleston, Savannah, Ft. Sumter, Beaufort, Summerville, Branchville, Orangeburg, and a number of other towns and cities. Drawn on a scale of one to five miles, it renders the region in impressive detail, with rivers, swamps, railroads, roads, bridges, ferries, churches, post offices, and even private residences located. There is also exquisite coverage of the coastline showing the islands, inlets, bays, and shoals. An inset at bottom right zooms in on Chatham County south of Savannah.

Founded in 1821, Walker, Evans & Cogswell became Evans & Cogswell after Walker stepped back to become a silent partner in 1860. During the Secession Convention of 1860, the company was retained as printer and eventually lithographed the Ordinance of Secession. The company served as printer and paper supplier to the Confederacy throughout the war, providing stationary, manuals, small denomination currency, bonds, a prayer book for soldiers, stamps, books on tactics and medicine, and more. After the bank next door to their operations was hit with a shell from Morris Island during the Union blockade of Charleston, Evan & Cogswell relocated to Columbia. In February 1865, the new location was burned during Sherman's March. The business rebooted back in Charleston after the war under its original name and continued to operate until 1982.

This example does not include the original covers.

References: Stephenson #359.

Condition: B

A fine impression on a relatively bright sheet with very light soiling. Issued folding and now flattened and backed with tissue to repair several fold separations, tears, and small holes along the folds, with a small amount of image replaced in facsimile. Most of the tears are less than 3" in length, with the exception of one at top right that measures 6".