TOCWOC – A Civil War Blog

Author: Fred Ray

  • Short Takes

    Most students of the Civil War have at least heard of Clement Vallandigham, an Ohio lawyer who served in Congress and stood for governor of Ohio during the Civil War. Vallandigham was a prominent Copperhead Democrat who advocated a peaceful solution to the bloodshed, and was arrested, convicted by a military court martial, and eventually […]

  • Some Nice Period Rifles On The Block

    Three very nice Civil War era rifles up for auction, but you’d better have some extra cash as I think all their estimates are rather low. Nevertheless these are fine examples of the British arms used by both sides but the more so by the Confederacy. However, none of these have any actual connection to […]

  • As I Remember: the Reminiscence of Lewis Cass White 102nd PA

    As I Remember: A Civil War Veteran Reflects on the War and Its Aftermath by Lewis Cass White Joseph Scopin (editor, designer), forward by Benjamin Franklin Cooling Hardcover: 184 pages Publisher: Scopin Design (2014) ISBN-10: 0615983480 ISBN-13: 978-0615983486 You never know what you’ll find in a basement or attic. That moldering pile of papers just […]

  • Short Takes

    The Wall Street Journal has a very interesting article that covers several Civil War topics – primarily that the bills for a war keep coming in long after the guns go silent, but also that there are still widows from that conflict drawing pensions right here in NC, not to mention theirs was a real […]

  • The Killing of Uncle John Sedgwick – 150 years ago today

    One hundred and fifty years ago today the bloody battle of the Wilderness was over and the even bloodier battle of Spotsylvania Court House just beginning. One of those who fell this day was was the commander of the Union Sixth Corps, Maj. Gen. John Sedgwick. Here’s an article that I wrote about the incident […]

  • Sharpshooter Glasses – Or Sighting for Sore Eyes?

    Quite a number of books and articles mention sharpshooters (presumably Union & Confederate) using special glasses to gain clearer vision of their intended targets, and at any given time you can find several for sale on Ebay and other outlets, and at Civil War shows. Usually these are nickeled steel frame spectacles with orange lenses […]

  • Short Takes

    It’s Black History Month, so let’s take a look at the African-American volunteers from Connecticut. It shows the two views of black soldiery. One legislator opined that the authorizing legislation was the most disgraceful bill ever introduced into the Connecticut Legislature,” Democratic Rep. William W. Eaton of Hartford said he “would rather let loose the wild […]