NOAA's Office of Coast Survey - Civil War Collection


Coast Surveyors assumed important combat roles during the Civil War, serving as topographers, reconnaissance specialists, scouts, intelligence officers, and combat hydrographers. For a contemporary record of combat mapping during the Civil War, see the war record of Frederick Dorr and John Donn. Browse biographical vignettes of Coast Surveyors, listed below.
Bache, Alexander Dallas Boutelle, Charles Boyd, Charles Harrod Dahlgren, John Donn, John Dorr, Frederic Fendall, Clarence Hassler, Ferdinand Rudolph Key, John Ross Lindenkohl, Henry Maffitt, John Newland Mathiot, George Oltmanns, John Peirce, Charles Sanders Peirce, Benjamin Platt, Robert Porter, David Dixon Rockwell, Cleveland Schott, Charles Anton West, Preston Whiting, Henry Laurens Harris, Joseph Smith Wampler, John Morris Hinrichs, Oscar Pegram, R.P.	Mathiot, George Middle Initial: Rank: Branch: Army, Navy Theater: Eastern Related: DC Bio: George Mathiot (born?- 1873) contributed significantly to the efficiency of producing accurate maps for the U.S. Coast Survey over a period of 20 years. In 1851, Mathiot submitted a plan for the electrotyping process, which allowed the unlimited reproduction of large engraved copper plates. Normally it would take three to four years to produce a copper plate, but this technology allowed the Coast Survey to produce unlimited copies of charts without destroying the original plate. Mathiot also developed a process before the war to photographically reduce or enlarge images of hydrographic and topographic field surveys to a desired scale. This was a significant step towards automating cartography, rather than forcing draftsmen to painstakingly reduce or enlarge field sheets. These contributions allowed Coast Survey to produce maps at a much faster and accurate pace, which was integral for war efforts.

Office of Coast Survey Historical Map and Chart Collection

Web site owner: NOAA's Office of Coast Survey