"[Sheets 5 and 6] Map of the Territory of the United States, West of the Mississippi River. Prepared by Authority of the Hon. the Secretary of War...", U.S. Army

This incredibly detailed military map was prepared with the latest information provided by the War Department through the 1870's. Published by Edward Freyhold, the map was created under the direction of General Andrew Atkinson Humphreys, who served as Chief Engineer of the U.S. Army before being promoted to a Union General in the American Civil War. The map was published in six sheets depicting the United States from Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Ohio to the West Coast. This lot includes the southeastern sheet, which bears the map title, and the south central sheet. According to Wheat, the map was "a major new revision" of Freyhold's smaller map of 1868, Territory Of The United States From The Mississippi River To The Pacific Ocean, which itself was "the first major revision of Lieutenant Warren's general map of 1857." Freyhold's map was one of the most detailed and modern maps of the Western States of its time. Wagon roads, railroads, and telegraph lines are shown, illustrating the westward advancement of communication and economic prospects. Sheet 5, the south central sheet, is filled with intricate topography and watershed information. Despite the complexity of the cartography, the map is quite beautiful, described by Wheat as "a superb example of the mapmaker's art, as well as his science." The map includes a combination of printed color to denote water and original hand color outlining the states. Each sheet is dissected into 24 sections, backed with linen, and folds into marbled end papers with a title label written in manuscript, as issued.

References: Rumsey #3359.007; Wheat (TMW) #1295.

Condition: B+

Very light toning with minor soiling and a few small splits in the linen at fold intersections. The marbled covers are moderately soiled and worn.