Category: Social History

  • Ghosts of the South, Blowin’ in the Wind

    Bob Dylan, who by this time should probably be classed as a cultural institution, weighs in on Barack Obama, Elvis, US Grant and the Civil War ghosts of the South in the venerable Times of London. Turns out he read Grant’s autobiography. Who knew? He begins by talking about Obama’s Kansas roots: You know, like […]

  • Short Takes

    Regardless of what you think caused the Late Unpleasantness, state’s rights remain a live issue, enough to make the Christian Science Monitor devote an article to it. As you might expect, South Carolina is involved: Atlanta – There’s an old joke in South Carolina: Confederate President Jefferson Davis may have surrendered at the Burt-Stark mansion […]

  • Joseph R. Reinhart Responds to Chancellorsville and the Germans Review

    I recently received a long and interesting email from TOCWOC reader Joseph R. Reinhart about my review of Christian Keller’s book Chancellorsville and the Germans: Nativism, Ethnicity, and Civil War Memory.  Mr. Reinhart has been researching German-American involvement in the Civil War for over 15 years.  He is the editor of August Willich’s Gallant Dutchmen: […]

  • Footnotes to History

    I’ve subscribed to Footnote.com, which I’ve found to be a great resource even though it’s not cheap (tip: keep checking for sale rate). There is a wealth of Civil War primary documentation there, with more being added daily, including most of the Confederate service records. Accessing these online sure beats having to travel to Washington […]

  • MIT Press Journals Add Podcasts to the Reader Experience

    Johna Picco of MIT Press Journals passed along the interesting news that MIT Press Journals now has a new web site which will feature podcast discussions about some of the articles from MIT Press Journals.  The first podcast has a Civil War connection and covers David Naumac’s article “From Mashantucket to Appomattox: The Native American […]

  • History Carnival 73 Has Been Posted

    History Carnival 73 has been posted at diapsalmata.  Two Civil War blog entries made the cut, though neither entry was from a Civil War blog.  Go check them out!

  • War, Perception, and Social History

    J. D. Petruzzi has a thoughtful and perceptive post about how historical events are perceived by authors and readers. I would add that it’s all to easy to substitute opinion for fact, and deplore that many modern authors feel the need to put themselves on a higher moral plane so as to pass judgment on […]