This is an 1861 Edward Sachse view of Camp Washburn, Baltimore, Maryland, and the 10th Maine Infantry Regiment. This view captures the arrival of the 10th Maine in Maryland, where they established themselves at Camp Washburn as a deterrent to 'secession fever.' This view was issued shortly after the regiment's arrival, making it as close to real-time reporting as possible during the Civil War.
A Closer Look
The view overlooks Patterson Park from the south. The Regiment and the encampment occupy most of the midground, with Fort McHenry (of Star Spangled Banner fame) in the background. Tents are labeled with each company's alphabetic designation. Others are identified as housing the cutler, the surgery, the quartermaster store, the hospital, the headquarters, the chapel, and the post office. The Regiment appears in the foreground, standing in formation. The Regimental band is on the left. In the background, Fort McHenry and Federal Hill are illustrated and identified below the bottom border.Camp Washburn
Camp Washburn was established in Baltimore's Patterson Park in 1861 and named after the then-governor of Maine, Israel Washburn. Soon after, the encampment was expanded and renamed Camp Patterson. As a border state, 'secession fever' was prevalent in Baltimore and elsewhere across the state. Military encampments were established in Baltimore and throughout Maryland not only to protect Marylanders from a Confederate invasion but also to squelch successionist sentiment. After the war, Patterson Park was redesigned by several famed landscape architects, including the Olmsted firm and George A. Frederick.The 10th Maine Infantry Regiment
The 10th Maine Infantry Regiment was organized in Portland, Maine, and mustered into Federal service on October 4, 1861, for an enlistment of 2 years. Under the command of Colonel George Lafayette Beal, and left Portland two days later. The Regiment first saw combat during the Battle of Cedar Mountain on August 9, 1862. The Regiment then fought at the Battle of Antietam. The oldest members of the Regiment were mustered out on May 8, 1863, at Portland. The remaining members of the Regiment fought at the Battle of Chancellorsville and then served Provost guard duty at the Battle of Gettysburg. The remaining members of the Regiment were amalgamated with the 29th Maine Regiment on May 29, 1864.Publication History and Census
This view was created and published by E. Sachse and Company in 1861. We note cataloged examples at the Library of Congress, the Maryland Center for History and Culture, and the Baltimore Museum of Art. This view was drawn between October 9, 1861, when the 10th Maine arrived at Camp Washburn, and November 4, when it moved to Relay House on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and encamped at Camp Beal.
Cartographer
Edward Sachse (1804 - 1873) was a German American artist, lithographer, and publisher. Born in Görlitz, Germany, Sachse operated a small lithographic firm and publishing house in Germany before immigrating to the United States in 1848. He settled in Baltimore, where he worked for E. Weber and Company briefly before opening his own firm, E. Sachse and Company, around 1850. During the 1850s, 1860s, and early 1870s, Sachse developed a reputation as the main lithographer of the Maryland - Washington D.C. area. One of his most recognizable accomplishments was the role he played in documenting the construction of the U.S. Capitol, along with other major building projects in Washington. He also created a massive twelve-sheet aerial view of Baltimore (which took three years and several artists to produce) and a four-sheet view of Syracuse. During the American Civil War, Sachse produced a series of lithographs of military campsites, hospitals, and barracks in Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Sachse sold these views at the bargain price of 25 cents to soldiers as souvenirs and often created multiple views of the same encampment when new regiments moved in, and the scenery, fortifications, and tents changed. Soldiers bought the prints and often mailed them home, sometimes with notes marking their specific tent. Sachse had a close working relationship with Charles Magnus (1826 - 1900), who published and sold many of Sachse's works. Sachse's firm also published advertising posters, book illustrations, labels, and business cards. More by this mapmaker...
Fair. Closed tears extending 5 inches, 3.5 inches, and .5 inches from top margin professionally repaired on verso. Infill to margins in both top corners.
Library of Congress Control Number 2003656646. Baltimore Museum of Art Object Number 2000.127.