"From the Hands of a General": Map Book from the Estate of General George D. Ramsey

It began in a dusty barn on a quiet Virginia farm—where time had stopped but history had not been forgotten. An extraordinary discovery surfaced: a Civil War-era map book, once owned by General George Douglas Ramsey, Quartermaster General of the United States Army during one of the most pivotal eras in American history.

Born in 1802 and a graduate of West Point, General Ramsey served for over five decades and oversaw the supply and logistical operations of the Union Army during the Civil War. Known for his strict discipline and administrative skill, Ramsey was a man whose desk may never have seen battle—but whose decisions helped shape the outcome of it.

This map book—likely used to reference the shifting theaters of war, supply routes, or troop deployments—is a remarkable artifact of that legacy. Its pages, delicately preserved, are more than cartographic documents; they are strategic instruments of 19th-century warfare. Found on a Virginia farm, this piece somehow escaped the formal archives and instead lived a quiet life—perhaps passed from hand to hand, or forgotten in an attic—until now.

Whether you're a collector of Civil War memorabilia, early American cartography, or military ephemera, this is a rare opportunity to own something directly tied to one of the U.S. Army’s most senior officers.