TOCWOC – A Civil War Blog

Category: Eastern Theater

  • The Ewell Option

    We have a tendency to view history as if through a rear view mirror, looking back along the path taken and framing what happened by how it turned out.  Since we know that in May and June of 1862 General Thomas Stonewall Jackson led a famous campaign in the Shenandoah Valley, the events leading up […]

  • The Minutemen of ’61

    Last month I wrote a bit about the Massachusetts Militia before the war.  That led me to think about the response of Massachusetts at the start of the war 152 years ago this week. Years later chroniclers of the Massachusetts militia boasted of their impact:  “To the fact that Massachusetts for years had maintained a […]

  • Why Bobby Lee Had More Men (and Lost More Men) Than Anyone Knew in 1864

    The Overland Campaign: War of Attrition? The standard story of the Overland Campaign is this: Grant had at least a 2:1 advantage over Lee in the Overland Campaign (and Early maintains a 3:1 advantage!) Grant could gain ample new recruits, Lee had no manpower reserves to draw on Grant doggedly used these advantages to grind […]

  • Civil War Game Review: Campaign Overland by John Tiller Software

    Campaign Overland John Tiller Software John Tiller is a respected name in PC war games.  His Civil War gaming system is well established and enjoyed by many.  New from John Tiller Software is a true giant of a game on the Overland Campaign.  The main game covers May to June 1864, with all the battles […]

  • Best Books on the Civil War Battle of Fredericksburg: December 13, 1862

    Best Books on the Civil War Battle of Fredericksburg: December 13, 1862 While I typically create “best Civil War books on…” posts for the 150th anniversary of major (and sometimes not so major) battles, I usually come up with brand new things to say about them.  In this case I’ll mostly be letting my prior […]

  • “Hunker Doon Boys!”: The 140th Pennsylvania at the Siege of Petersburg

    Last time I introduced a 1902 New Orleans newspaper series on the Donaldsonville LA Artillery at the Siege of Petersburg.  John Hennessy is again responsible for sending along a great newspaper series on a unit at the Siege of Petersburg, this time the 140th Pennsylvania, a Second Corps regiment which saw a lot of action, so […]

  • The Donaldsonville LA Artillery at the Siege of Petersburg: A 10 Part Series

    In  late September I commented on the good stroke of fortune I experienced when NPS Historian John Hennessy contacted me with an offer of newspaper clippings focusing on the Siege of Petersburg.  One of the first emails I received from John contained an amazing set of ten articles on the Donaldsonville Louisiana Artillery, commanded by […]