{"product_id":"general-william-s-rosecrans-s-own-annotated-map-of-the-battle-of-chickamauga-signed-and-dated-1890","title":"General William S. Rosecrans’s Own Annotated Map of the Battle of Chickamauga, Signed and Dated 1890","description":"\u003cp class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchorContainer\"\u003eA unique Civil War artifact: an official United States War Department map of the Battle of Chickamauga, extensively corrected, annotated and signed by \u003cstrong\u003eMajor General William Starke Rosecrans\u003c\/strong\u003e, commander of the Union Army of the Cumberland during the battle.\u003cspan class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchor\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe large-format map (25 x 39) depicts the fighting of September 20, 1863, between Rosecrans’s Union army and General Braxton Bragg’s Confederate Army of Tennessee. Published under the authority of the Secretary of War by the Office of the Chief of Engineers, it was compiled under Colonel William E. Merrill and drawn by topographical engineer Edward Ruger. Union positions appear in blue and Confederate positions in red.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAcross the lower margin, Rosecrans added approximately nine detailed manuscript notes correcting the government’s placement and movement of troops. Writing as the battle’s commanding general, he discusses his headquarters at the Widow Glenn house, the positions of Sheridan, Wood, Van Cleve, Baird and Thomas, the movement of the Confederate left and the orders issued during the critical morning of September 20.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRosecrans also modified the map’s legend to distinguish positions occupied during the night from those corrected at daybreak. One annotation begins:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e“The Genl Headquarters was at Widow Glenn’s house until after battle began—say till 8 A.M.”\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnother disputes the representation of the Confederate position, while additional notes explain the movement of Union divisions and the location of the army’s defensive line. The final correction is signed in full:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“W. S. Rosecrans”\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe annotations are headed \u003cstrong\u003e“San Rafael, Cal., May 22, 1890.”\u003c\/strong\u003e Their date is particularly significant: Congress established Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park later that same year, while veterans and government officials were working to determine the exact placement of troops and monuments. Rosecrans’s markings may have been prepared as part of that larger historical review.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eChickamauga remained the defining controversy of Rosecrans’s military career. On September 20, 1863, an order intended to close a supposed gap instead opened a genuine breach in the Union line, allowing Longstreet’s Confederates to divide the army and drive much of it from the field. Rosecrans spent decades challenging accounts that he believed misrepresented his decisions. This map preserves his corrections directly upon the government’s official reconstruction of the battle.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondition:\u003c\/strong\u003e Overall toning, old folds, scattered staining, creasing and marginal wear. Several tears enter the printed border, including a substantial closed tear and weakened area at the lower left. Portions of the handwritten annotations are faded or affected by folds, but the text remains substantially legible. Rosecrans’s signature is clearly readable. Please examine the accompanying photographs.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFar more than a signed map, this is Rosecrans’s personal response to the official record of his most consequential battle—a remarkable combination of cartography, firsthand testimony and Civil War history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMore info...\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchorContainer\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePrinted title:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchor\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMap of the Battle Field of Chickamauga, September 20th, 1863, Between the United States Forces Commanded by Maj. Gen. W. S. Rosecrans and the Confederate Army Under Gen. Braxton Bragg\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSheet No. 2\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCompiled under the direction of \u003cstrong\u003eColonel William E. Merrill\u003c\/strong\u003e, Chief Engineer, Department of the Cumberland\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDrawn by \u003cstrong\u003eEdward Ruger\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eScale: \u003cstrong\u003e1:20,000\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePublished by authority of the Secretary of War through the Office of the Chief of Engineers, U.S. Army\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePrinted circa \u003cstrong\u003e1889–1890\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe map shows the Union and Confederate positions on September 20, 1863, printed in blue and red. It identifies divisions, brigades, roads, farms, mills and terrain across the battlefield.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eRosecrans’s Annotations\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAcross the lower margin, Rosecrans added approximately \u003cstrong\u003enine extensive manuscript notes correcting or challenging the official representation of the battle\u003c\/strong\u003e. He dated the annotations:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“San Rafael, Cal., May 22, 1890”\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne of the notes concludes with his full signature:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“W. S. Rosecrans”\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe annotations are written in the first person and discuss decisions he personally made during the battle. Among the subjects addressed are:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe location of Union headquarters at the Widow Glenn house\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe Confederate left flank as represented on the map\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePhilip Sheridan’s position and movements\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThomas J. Wood’s first and second positions\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHoratio Van Cleve’s division near Dyer’s field\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAbsalom Baird’s line and its adjustment after daylight\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe location of George H. Thomas’s forces\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUnion troop movements and orders during the crucial morning of September 20\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRosecrans also added symbols to the printed legend, explaining that certain troop positions were \u003cstrong\u003e“taken in the night”\u003c\/strong\u003e and others \u003cstrong\u003e“rectified at daybreak.”\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eThese are not casual ownership notes. They constitute Rosecrans’s personal, detailed criticism of the government’s official reconstruction of the battle he commanded.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eHistorical Importance\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Battle of Chickamauga was fought September 19–20, 1863, and was the most significant Union defeat in the Western Theater. During the second day, Rosecrans issued an order intended to close what he believed was a gap in the Union line. The resulting movement created an actual opening through which James Longstreet’s Confederates attacked, dividing the Union army and driving much of it from the field.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe accuracy of troop positions and responsibility for the collapse became intensely controversial. Rosecrans spent much of his later life defending his decisions and disputing accounts that placed primary blame upon him. The National Park Service still describes the misunderstood gap and Rosecrans’s resulting order as the pivotal event of the battle.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe timing is especially noteworthy. Rosecrans made these annotations in May 1890, the year Congress established \u003cstrong\u003eChickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park\u003c\/strong\u003e. The map may have been supplied to him for review as veterans and officials attempted to establish the historically correct placement of troops. That connection is a strong possibility, although it should be presented as an inference unless supporting correspondence or provenance is located.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAn unannotated version of this map is held by the Library of Congress and appears in the David Rumsey Map Collection.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Signature Documents LLC","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52822601531674,"sku":null,"price":17822.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2221\/0931\/files\/IMG_2990.jpg?v=1788803031","url":"https:\/\/www.thearchiveauthority.com\/en-ca\/products\/general-william-s-rosecrans-s-own-annotated-map-of-the-battle-of-chickamauga-signed-and-dated-1890","provider":"Signature Documents LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}