TOCWOC – A Civil War Blog

Category: 150 Years Ago in the Civil War

  • 150 Years Ago, May 1863

    150 Years Ago May 1863 The quick bloodless war that men afraid they would miss is entering its’ third summer.  Both sides are showing signs of strain.  Black wreaths hang on many doors and the streets are full of maimed men.  Some historians think the dead were deliberately undercounted.  Both sides sent badly wounded and […]

  • The Great Escape: Taylor at Irish Bend

    April 1863 did not go well for Confederate General Richard Taylor.  At the beginning of the month he had hoped to take the initiative against US forces in lower Louisiana; but by end of the month he was struggling to hold together his broken army after having lost the initiative, lost half his fleet, and […]

  • Abe’s Taxes

    Yes, tomorrow is that day again — Tax Day. You can blame it on Abe Lincoln. Back in 1861 when the war began, President Abraham Lincoln could foresee problems in raising money to finance the war effort; at that time the only Federal income was through customs duties.  It was then that Congress got into […]

  • The Great Naval Showdown that Wasn’t

    On April 14th 1863, 150 years ago this week, a naval battle occurred in the Atchafalaya Basin that could have had a big impact on the war; but instead of a dramatic showdown, it turned into a turkey shoot. ———————————————————————————————- In the beginning of 1863 Confederate naval forces in the Gulf Coast region enjoyed a […]

  • The Atchafalaya

    150 years ago, U.S. Army General-in-Chief Henry Halleck had a grand plan for the war in the west — open the Mississippi River by a cooperative movement of Gen. Grant from the north and Gen. Banks  from the south.  The problem was that the two were separated by over 150 miles of river protected by […]

  • 150 Years Ago, April 1863

    150 Years Ago April 1863 The Naval Blockade, inflation and disruption of the transportation system are taking a toll on the Confederacy.  The combination of high prices and shortages cause the “Bread Riot”.  On the Second, in Richmond, a small group of women and children march for “bread”.  The group grows, turns into a mob […]

  • Creating the “Remember Gettysburg!” 150th Anniversary Poster

    Editor’s Note: The following guest post is from the creator of the “Remember Gettysburg!” 150th Anniversary poster, Jean-Pierre Got.  For those of you interested, the poster is sale at www.GettysburgAddress.com. My work as a «travelling poster artist» often takes me to many historical places. So when I was in Leesburg, signing its «Wine Country Half […]