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Description

Highly detailed map of Southern Manchuria, drawn from Russian sources.

The seven maps cover the areas which include the cities of Liaoyang, Pensihu, Ssufangtai, Tentai, Kangiolishan, Yentai, Ssufangtai, Mukden, and Fushun, several of which were the sites of important battles.

In 1903 the United States Department of War was reorganized and the United States General Staff was established. The Military Information Division was placed under the supervision of the Second Division of the General Staff. Among its duties was the collection and dissemination of information on foreign countries, which included the preparation of maps.

The present map was the result of the United States Government's interest in the Russo-Japanese War (1904-5), which culminated, at Japan's request, in President Theodore Roosevelt's mediation of peace between the two nations. Roosevelt's primary concern was to protect American interests in the Far East and to curb Japan's more excessive demands as the victor over Russia. The war has been called the "first great war of the 20th century." It was the result of rival imperial ambitions between the two nations, and Japan's victory transformed the balance of power in the Far East and marked that nation's entry onto the world stage.

This seven sheet map, on a scale of 3 inches equals 4 miles, is devoted to a small area in southern Manchuria, centered on the cities of Mukden (Shenyang) and Liaoyang. The region was the site of the pivotal battles of the war. After the Battle of Liaoyang (Sept. 1904) the Russians retreated to the vicinity of Mukden. In the following winter, that city was attacked by the Japanese in one of the largest land battles fought before World War One. The Russians lost 90,000 casualties and the war was effectively brought to a close.

The map's detail is remarkable, with minute attention to topography, and even the smallest villages and minor trails carefully noted. Special attention is given to railroads, telegraph lines, mountain passes and other potential military objectives. A note in the lower margin states that the map was "Redrawn from the Russian 2 Verst Map." An adjoining key shows how the sheets were to be assembled.