TOCWOC – A Civil War Blog

Author: Fred Ray

  • History For Sale

    Window shoppers like me always enjoy looking at big auctions of historical items. Heritage Auction Galleries is having one that lists a wide collection of American, ranging all the way from pre-Civil War to the Sixties. Indeed one could outfit a nice museum with all the items. Of interest to Civil War mavens is a […]

  • Time For Another John C. Calhoun?

    All old ideas are suddenly new again. This time it’s pundit/author Thomas E. Woods on Nullification. Woods defines state nullification as the belief that states can and must refuse to enforce federal laws they deem to be unconstitutional. Though the federalist notion of “state’s rights” is often perceived as mere code for defending segregation, Woods […]

  • Blondie’s Gun

    Last year I posted about Clint Eastwood’s weapons in the Spaghetti Western The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly. In it I pegged Eastwood’s sidearm as an 1858 Remington cartridge conversion, but according to an article in the new issue of American Rifleman by Angus McClellan, it was an 1851 Colt Navy Conversion in .38 […]

  • Short Takes

    The Wisconsin Historical Society looks at election chicanery in 1864 when the Republicans, like the Democrats today, faced a stunning defeat. They did, however, have an ace to play, the military vote. Since they controlled the Legislature, Republicans passed a bill in September that enabled soldiers to vote while serving in the field, and authorized […]

  • Victorian Steampunk Machines

    I mentioned steampunk submarines in a previous post, but there’s more. T’was an elegant age in which designers were not afraid to make things beautiful as well as functional. There is a movement afoot in Britain to finally build Charles Babbage’s Analytical Engine. Babbage, one of the age’s greatest geniuses, designed but never completed a […]

  • University of Kentucky Press Sale

    The University Press of Kentucky is having a 25% off sale, just use code FPCN when checking out. The web site is not terribly well organized but they do publish a number of Civil War books including Wm. C. Davis’ bio of John C. Breckinridge and Spencer Tucker’s bio of John Imboden. The Social History […]

  • Short Takes

    After 235 years the US Army has dropped bayonet training from its basic training curriculum. The bayonet has been very much a part of military history since its introduction in the 17th century as a replacement for the pike. Early “plug” models simply fit into the muzzle, making it impossible to fire the gun. The […]