Author: Fred Ray
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Short Takes
Cap and Ball is at it again, this time with a P56 Enfield Short Rifle. This is the shorter version of the more common P53 Rifle Musket used extensively by North and South. The P56 (which also came in the slightly different P58 and P60 models) was a favorite of Confederate sharpshooters, both because of […]
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Dispatches From The War of Culinary Aggression
Now they’ve banned grits and biscuits made the right way. “We could originally serve half whole grains but that changed in 2012 when we had to start serving 100 percent whole grains,” said Stephanie Dillard, the child nutrition director for Geneva County Schools in Alabama. That meant no more grits. “And grits are a staple […]
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The Night They Drove ‘Ol Dixie down
The first of four Confederate monuments came down in New Orleans, but you have to wonder what the hey was going on. The minions of the Crescent City looked more like thieves in the night, with a very large touch of paranoia. Workers wore bullet-proof vests, helmets and facemasks as they went about the work, […]
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Adios “Hognose” R.I.P.
I was greatly saddened to learn yesterday of the untimely demise of Kevin “Hognose” O’Brien, who ran the excellent Weaponsman blog site, a mixture of weapons lore, gun politics, and Kevin’s own unique brand of blarney. Although I never met him, Kevin and I became acquainted earlier this year when he linked to one of […]
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Another Look At Timothy Murphy
If you are familiar with the Revolutionary War and especially the battle of Saratoga you’ve probably heard of Timothy Murphy. According the story, Murphy, one of Daniel Morgan’s riflemen, shot British general Simon Frazier off his horse with a double-barreled rifle at a distance of 300 yards, thereby winning the battle and perhaps even saving […]
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Origin of “Sniper”
In some previous posts we’ve looked at the origin of the word “sharpshooter,” tracing it back to the early 18th Century in German and to the last part of that century in English, when it passed from German to English. But what about “sniper?” Turns out that goes back pretty far as well, although its […]
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A Confederate Whitworth
Auctioneer James D. Julia has a rare Confederate Whitworth up on the block. This one even has the four power Davidson telescope. The brass tube Davidson scope was adjusted for elevation by turning the knurled knob on the right side of the forearm. This loosened the clamp on the left side so the 1-1/2″ bar […]