Author: Fred Ray

  • William Holden at Corinth

    I have posted two of Iowa soldier William Holden letters before, one at the end of the war and one from Atlanta. This one is a detailed description of the Second Battle of Corinth fought on October 3-4, 1862 at Corinth, MS between the Confederates under generals Earl Van Dorn and Sterling Price, and the […]

  • Short Takes

    A large group of scholars and enthusiasts are gathering Tuesday at UNC Wilmington for a symposium on the remnants of the blockade runner Modern Greece. Sorry, it’s sold out. From the archives of the Manchester Guardian comes an editorial from 1861 about the impending “war to the knife” in the US. Like most of the […]

  • Short Takes

    What did the fabled Rebel Yell actually sound like? Smithsonian magazine digs up an old reunion tape to find out. The proposed slavery museum at Fredericksburg is on hold and is looking more doubtful by the day. It’s been dogged by controversy and poor financial management since its inception. Fold3 (formerly Footnote.com) looks at the […]

  • On the Skirmish Line Outside Atlanta With William Holden

    Sorry for the gap in posting—I have been down with a nasty G-I bug most of the week. I’ve been wanting to post parts of another William Holden letter I acquired, one of which I have posted already. Holden, an Iowa farm boy, was by 1864 and experienced soldier and held the rank of first […]

  • Short Takes

    While discussing the rivers going into Mobile Bay with Dan O’Connell I came across a really nice map of the Gulf coast in 1861, covering the area from the Louisiana delta to Pensacola. And…you can zoom in! Just the thing for following Dan’s campaign posts. Fold3 looks at The Curious Case of Adelia who, it […]

  • What Price Kindles?

    Thanks to everyone who voiced an opinion on Kindles and e-pubs in general. Sounds like the overwhelming consensus is that although it does not replace the printed book, many people prefer it. So I guess I should get with the program here. One other question. What do you readers consider a reasonable price for a […]

  • Shock Troops of the Kindles?

    I got an email message from a reader who wanted to know if I had any plans to put Shock Troops of the Confederacy on Kindle or something similar. He is moving and has been put on “a paper and printing diet.” I’ve lived that way in certain times and places, where you just can’t […]