Gettysburg Battlefield Map 1863 — Framed Civil War Print

The story of this map

Emmor Cope was an engineer on General Meade’s staff, and in the weeks after the battle he surveyed the ground the Army of the Potomac had held: the hook of Cemetery Hill and Culp’s Hill, the long spine of Cemetery Ridge, the Round Tops at its southern end, the Emmitsburg Road and the Peach Orchard, and Seminary Ridge across the fields where Pickett’s men crossed on the third day. Edgar Hewitt drew the survey up and it was printed in blue; on the Library of Congress copy someone coloured the Confederate positions by hand.

It is the first map of Gettysburg made on the ground after the fighting, and the ancestor of every battlefield map since — Cope himself became the park’s engineer and spent forty years on the ground he had surveyed. The scan is small by our standards, so the print is offered at 12×18, where it carries 283 dots per inch.

Printed to order on archival matte paper, framed in the country of delivery.

Before and after

Left: the archive scan exactly as published. Right: the file that goes to the printer.

Gettysburg Battlefield Map, 1863: archive scan compared with the restored print

Archive scanRestored

Restoration notes

Restoration: cropped the scanner bed and mount margins, corrected levels and colour cast while keeping the paper tone, removed dust and specks, applied gentle sharpening. Fold lines, stains and period annotations are kept where they belong to the object; nothing is redrawn.

Every print carries its archive credit on the packing slip. Paper tone and small imperfections of the original are kept on purpose; nothing is redrawn.

Questions

What does the map show?

The battlefield south of Gettysburg as surveyed after the battle by Emmor Cope, an engineer on Meade's staff: the town, Cemetery Ridge and Cemetery Hill, the Round Tops, Seminary Ridge, the roads and farms, with the Confederate positions coloured by hand on this Library of Congress copy.

Is this an original antique map?

No. It is a new archival print made from a restored high-resolution scan of the original held by the Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division. We never sell originals; the archive record and its rights statement are on this page.

Is it accurate?

Cope's survey was the first made on the ground after the battle and became the basis of the later official maps; he spent the rest of his life as the park's engineer. Unit positions are as understood in 1863 and differ in places from modern scholarship.

Does it come framed?

Yes, if you choose a framed option: a black, white or natural oak wood frame, ready to hang, made in the country of delivery. Unframed archival matte paper and stretched canvas are also available at the larger sizes.

Colours vary between screens and paper. The tone you see here is a close match to the archival matte print; framed prints have no glass glare in these previews.

Pairs well with

Hang them together — 10% off the second framed print

Scull Map of Pennsylvania, 1770

William Scull · Library of Congress

$129 24×18 in framed · paper from $35

First Map of the United States, 1784

William McMurray · Library of Congress

$129 24×18 in framed · paper from $35

The discount is applied automatically at checkout when two or more framed prints are in the cart.

Size	Metric	Best for
12×16 in	30×41 cm	Desk, shelf, small wall, gallery groupings
12×18 in	30×46 cm	Desk, shelf, small wall, gallery groupings
16×24 in	41×61 cm	Above a desk or console, hallway, bedroom
18×24 in	46×61 cm	Above a desk or console, hallway, bedroom

Gettysburg Battlefield Map, 1863

Before and after

Restoration notes

Hang them together — 10% off the second framed print