Important Civil War Ms Battlefield Map Port Hudson, La.

This map is unpublished and written and drawn by 1 st Lt. Hartwell Freeman, 81th U.S. Colored Troops and shows a fortification labeled The Citadel top left with rebel rifle pits in front. The Citadel was the southern most of the group of fortifications nicknamed by Union forces the Devils Elbow. A second fortification at left with two deep fortified lunettes with artillery, each with written annotations, below are Union positions with river all along left margin with bluff in front of the Citadel with text reading:This is a bluff 30 feet high we took it from the rebs and built a rifle pit over the top so that our sharp shooters could protect us as we dug the covered way up the hill to the rebel works the one marked OO every time a reb tries to fire a gun our sharp shooters fire at them, strong black inked line labeled Covered way 10 ft wide 6 deep two strong X marks Union artillery, compass in center with north at top. From there east there is a line marked this is a hill inside this mark extending northeast then due east to east edge of map. On top of this hill behind fortifications is written and drawn 17 gun battery which I was at working so long. Just to right (west of this is area marked This is the cookout, left of that drawn and marked Mortar battery, line of marked rifle pits along south edge of map. Between the eastern rebel fortification is text reading: These guns were playing on us with shot, shell, shrapnel all the time we were digging between AA & BB which took us four or five days and we were all exposed every time they fired we had to lay flat down while digging there we were often fired at by reb sharp shooters sittin ??? at X a place then in their possession. Inside the rebel fortifications on the northeast of map labeled large Rebel Fort with text reading :O represents where we were mining, we had got two mines dug right under the rebel works for nearly 100 feet when they surrendered. This is the place I was standing when the man was killed near me; over text with two arrows pointing left (west) reading: Guns bearing on us as we worked. Reverse marked Hartwell; 1 st Lt. Hartwell Freeman, 81 st U.S. Colored Troops. General Nathaniel Banks conducted the what was one the longest siege of the Civil War against this brilliantly designed fortified area, under the command of CSA general Franklin Gardner. Drawn on single lined letter sheet, 7 ¾ x 9 ¾”. Condition light folds VG+.From a group of letters recently found in a Kentucky estate.