TOCWOC – A Civil War Blog

Author: Fred Ray

  • Another Day, Another (Fake) Lincoln Quote

    This time it’s author J.K. Rowling, who shows that while she’s a great writer of fiction, she’s no historian. “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling has added her voice to the cacophony of anger in response to President Donald Trump’s Twitter attack against “Morning Joe” co-host Mika Brzezinski Thursday morning — and added the voice of […]

  • Even Shorter Takes

    Indiana University Press is having a sale, which includes their Civil War books. Definitely worth a look. We’ve heard a lot about removing statues and even references to American slave owners. Apparently even figures like Sam Houston are under the gun, even though Houston opposed secession and refused to have anything to do with the […]

  • Short Takes

    One of the most famous Civil War cemeteries gets a facelift. Well, not really—it’s the Sad Hill cemetery from the epic Spaghetti Western The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. Given that the movie is set during Sibley’s 1862 campaign in New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado, it’s probably “Confederate.” Sad Hill cemetery is the setting […]

  • Inside the Henry Rifle

    The Henry rifle was a giant step forward in rifle technology, eventually becoming the iconic Winchester 94, which is still produced today. Some historians, like Philip Leigh, are of the opinion that its widespread adoption might have shortened the war as much as a year. Ian at Forgotten Weapons takes a very in-depth look at […]

  • They Came for General Lee

    They came for General Lee, and before him General Beauregard, after which Mayor Landrieu got up and gave a long speech about what a fine fellow he was for erasing the city’s history. Seeing how the Crescent City is perennially broke, I’d be curious as to how much the removal cost, especially for police overtime, […]

  • Pepperbox and Army sidearms

    Cap and Ball takes a look at the Pepperbox revolver. It’s generic term for a pistol that revolves the entire barrel assembly rather than just the cylinder, and was quite popular in the 1850s. At least a few were probably used in the Civil War, and they were certainly in use then by civilians. As […]

  • Dispatches from the Battles of New Orleans

    This time it’s Jeff Davis. Same MO—heavy, militarized police presence with body armor and snipers on the rooftops. Everyone is masked and the logos and license plates covered, statue moved to “an undisclosed location.” Pat Gallagher, who lives in Jefferson Parish, said she decided to go out to the intersection because she is concerned about […]