Authentic Mitchell's New General Atlas, Published 1864
The Mitchell's New General Atlas is an intact, surviving copy of an historic printing name and type. This particular printing of Mitchell's production is significant in that it was the year before the Civil War came to an end. The hand-colored maps and floral edges of the pages reflect a milestone in printing technology and design, as well as a personal touch of the maker. The colors were almost always applied by hand using watercolors.


The Condition of this Print
The leather spine is sturdy with small scuffs, and the cover has a light scratch. There appear to be light water stains; however, the name is very clear, and its original color is intact. Each page is bright and clean. There are some browed edges on the pages, but the illustrious individual maps and craftsmanship are especially untouched. All pages are intact. No page is missing.


An Atlas & Time Capsule

The 1864 print reflects a time of flux for both the United States and its premier printing hub in Philadelphia. No two "identical" maps from that year are the same. Individual artisans hand-painted each page, oftentimes with different persons completing them. Perhaps this contributed to shifting the global mapmaking epicenter from European countries to Philadelphia, PA.



The United States in 1864

The maps of Texas and California show territories that reflect an "expanding West" and a Native presence. Expansion was a promise that President Lincoln utilized to win the war campaign. This legislation, called "The Homestead Act," was passed after Southern Democrats and states seceded. Due to their fears of anti-slavery farmers settling out West, and thereby tipping the political scales, they had vehemently opposed it. Ultimately, the bitter irony is that what carried the Union to victory also violently displaced Native Americans from their ancestral lands.



The Attack on Native Life

1864 marked the largest U.S. Army expedition against Native Americans; specifically, against the Lakota, who were at the time led by Sitting Bull and other respected warriors fighting for their lands. As part of this show of force by the military, the Battle of Killdeer Mountain ensued in July 1864 in what was then Dakota Territory, in present-day Dunn County, North Dakota. With the buffalo herds already dwindling and their spiritual lands directly threatened, Sitting Bull and his fellow warriors were forced to retreat.


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