The Forts of Washington

E.G. Arnold, CE
Topographical Map of the Original District of Columbia and Environs: Showing the Fortifications around the City of Washington
New York: G. Woolworth Colton, 1862
Hand-colored engraving
Geography & Map Division (42A.3)

The city of Washington was extremely vulnerable to military attack during the Civil War. In order to remedy the situation, a ring of sixty-eight fortifications and batteries by the war's close had been built to encircle the city. This annotated map bears an inscription on the verso: "This map was suppressed by the Gov't because of the info it would give the rebels." The Library has the world's foremost collection of Civil War printed maps.