Military Map United States – 1861

Civil War Era Cartography and United States Military Defenses

Published in 1861 by J.H. Colton, this exceptional antique map delineates the United States at the pivotal outbreak of the American Civil War. The historical document is specifically designed to show the locations of military stations, army forts, and strategic defensive outposts established across both the rapidly dividing states and the vast, unorganized western territories of the period.

Nineteenth-Century Territorial Boundaries and Transcontinental Routes

The detailed steel-plate engraving showcases early western configurations, including expansive borders for Kansas, Nebraska, Utah, and New Mexico. Enclosed by Colton’s signature decorative vine border, this archival print maps out early transcontinental wagon roads, native territories, and major river basins, making it an invaluable primary source for historians studying nineteenth-century American military strategy and frontier expansion.