TOCWOC – A Civil War Blog

Author: Fred Ray

  • Short Takes

    Confederate general Ambrose Powell Hill, a man controversial enough in life, continues to cause problems 145 years after his death—or at least his portrait does. Nine years ago, amid considerable controversy, Hill’s portrait was removed from the county courthouse and put on display at the Museum of Culpeper History. During all that time, further controversy […]

  • More on Battle Ranges II

    I’ve done several posts on battle ranges and how and why they differ in various wars. Other bloggers have also addressed the subject either directly or indirectly. One is Sven Ortmann, a German blogger who specializes in international defence issues. In a recent post on Battlefield Visual Images he quotes and Israeli soldier on ranges: […]

  • Short Takes

    Henry Louis Gates, perhaps better known for his role in the “beer summit,” pens an excellent article on the slavery “blame game.” While we are all familiar with the role played by the United States and the European colonial powers like Britain, France, Holland, Portugal and Spain, there is very little discussion of the role […]

  • Were Confederate Soldiers Terrorists?

    Rarely does one get to read something that is both vile and silly, but Roland Martin, a CNN political commentator, manages to prove in one column that he knows nothing about the Civil War, history, military history, or terrorism, which is quite an intellectual tour de farce. His column “Were Confederate Soldiers Terrorists” is a […]

  • What Did Mr. Lincoln Know? (Conclusion)

    I several previous posts I looked at President Lincoln’s relationship to the Kilpatrick-Dahlgren Raid to get some idea of his culpability in the assassination attempt on Jefferson Davis and the Confederate leadership. In the first, I looked at the military and political situation in the winter of 1863-64, how Lincoln’s hopes of ending the war […]

  • Volunteers, To Arms!

    Yes, citizen, arm yourself with a rake, a trash bag, and other implements of destruction and help us preserve our common heritage. The cleanup, which includes 100 historic sights in 23 states, will be between April 8 and 10 at various Civil War battlefields, so there’s still time to make plans. The event is called […]

  • Short Takes

    I am happy to report that Lt. Alonzo Cushing, USA, will almost certainly receive a long-overdue Medal of Honor. Cushing died defending his guns at the climax of one of the most memorable events of American history—the Confederate attack on Cemetery ridge on July 3 at Gettysburg. Before Gettysburg, Cushing fought at Antietam, Fredericksburg and […]