Archaeologist Joan Markel, of the Frank H. McClung Museum, examines details of downtown Knoxville on a copy of a map created in 1863 by Union Capt. Orlando Poe.
Posted on 02/26/2009 11:32:16 AM PST by SmithL
Put a fedora hat and worn leather jacket on Joan Markel, place her in the dusty rows of Frank H. McClung Museum's skulls, bones, books and spooky artifacts, and you have the makings of a George Lucas-like blockbuster movie sequel.
Call the first one "Tennessee Markel and the Treasure of the Lost Map."
Well, maybe that's a little over the top. But you get the notion. Markel is a librarian and an archaeologist with a furious heart for finding the Civil War history of Knoxville.
She has uncovered a doozie.
Capt. Orlando Poe, architect of Union fortifications in Knoxville during the fall 1863 siege, constructed a reconnaissance map that played a major role in the federal victory that slammed the door on Confederate hopes in East Tennessee.
Poe produced his reconnaissance map in November 1863. Until now, the recon map was unknown, never seen.
Markel, University of Tennessee museum outreach director for the McClung Museum, found it during frenzied Internet research on Poe while working on the museum's permanent Battle of Fort Sanders exhibit.
The exhibit, which went up in 2007, features Poe's other masterpiece of cartography, the widely known defenses of Knoxville map. That map was created in March 1864 and places Fort Sanders, rifle trenches and fortifications. The reconnaissance map outlines homes, rivers, gristmills and other structures.
The detail-rich recon map shows homes and roads leading into and out of Knoxville, as well as the Holston, French Broad and Clinch rivers and other smaller waterways. The Knoxville city grid also is plainly visible, as are mountains and creeks.
Markel discovered a copy of the map on a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Web site while looking up information on the document's creator, Poe.
(Excerpt) Read more at knoxnews.com ...
fyi
Err...gloves and tender care with that map, Ma’am.
I would suggest also removing the books off the map.
Dixie ping
Read the caption. It’s a copy.
Does not matter.
What do you suggest she use to keep it flat?
How does one “discover” a “never before SEEN” map on the INTERNET? Did that map magic itself into digital form or what?
She found it on the web.
How odd is that?
Shades of Indiana Jones!
I think the idea is that the box of knowledge allows people to put 2+2 together, where before, if would have taken a lifetime of crawling around the stacks in the graduate libraries to find such things.
Which, in and of itself, is the bigger story.
Text beneath the picture indicate that it’s a copy.
“Until now, the recon map was unknown, never seen.... found it during frenzied Internet research...Markel discovered a copy of the map on a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Web site while looking up information on the document’s creator, Poe.”
*****
Either I am confused, and/or the reporter is. She found this map on the internet?? Seems that SOMEBODY had laid eyes on it then. And if so - spill your coffee? Print it out again.
Or - was she doing research on Poe, came across the “well known defenses of Knoxville map” that then led her to discover ANOTHER actual map (not a webpage!) somewhere?
Regardless - I love old maps. I have a large book about the Revolutionary War with copies of the battle sketch maps, old letters, etc. Neat stuff.
“...produced his reconnaissance map in November 1863. Until now, the recon map was unknown, never seen.
“features Poe’s other masterpiece of cartography, the widely known defenses of Knoxville map. That map was created in March 1864”
Okay. The recon map she found was made in 1863, so different than the 1864 map! And as someone else alluded to - its not JUST the information, it is putting 2+2 together and realizing WHAT the information is (and how important it is).
Poe created the map, Barnard photographed map, and when NOAA posted the archives on the web years later, Barnard's photo was included.
Interesting find no doubt, not sure I would claim she "discovered it" though
Albore put it there when he invented the innernet. Had to have SOME sort of content.
ping knoxville civil war
|
|
|||
Gods |
Just adding to the catalog, not sending a general distribution. |
||
|
· Discover · Nat Geographic · Texas AM Anthro News · Yahoo Anthro & Archaeo · Google · · The Archaeology Channel · Excerpt, or Link only? · cgk's list of ping lists · |
|||
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
![Kville Map [NOAA]](http://historicalcharts.noaa.gov/historical_jpgs/CWMKNO.jpg){kind=link}