46″ x 24″ map with margins ” MAP OF THE MILITARY DEPARTMENT OF THE GULF, PREPARED BY ORDER OF MAJ. GEN. N. P. BANKS…JANUARY 1864″. Map shows Gulf of Mexico with state of Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and parts of Texas, with military railroads. This map was purchased at a Boston auction from direct family descent, along with his Major General’s commission and presentation sword now part of an institutional collection. Map folds into 12″ x 9″ sections mounted on canvas like other military maps. General Nathaniel P. Banks (1816-1894) was a Massachusetts Congressman and Governor prior to the Civil Way and had the unique distinction of having no previous military service and being appointed Major General in the United States Army by President Lincoln in 1861. Banks was in charge of the 19th Army Corps and was most noted for being in charge of the Union troops during the siege of Port Hudson and then the later disastrous Red River Campaign where he was routed at the Battle of Mansfield. After the war, Banks returned to Massachusetts, re-entering Congress. Military maps for field use are quite rare, especially those belonging to such prominent and high ranking officers. PROVENANCE: Banks family descent, Willis Henry Auctions, Boston, February 7, 2009. CONDITION: Good to very good overall, fading, staining, cracks at folds and soiling on exposed panels of canvas. 52379-1 (2,000-3,000)