TOCWOC – A Civil War Blog

Category: Strategy & Tactics

  • Fredericksburg: The Left

    FREDERICKSBURG: THE LEFT Once the town of Fredericksburg was secured, Burnside inexplicably waited a full day to attack. If he attacked on December 12th instead of the 13th he might have caught Jackson out of position and won the battle. But the troops plundered and vandalized and the union pattern again was one of indecision […]

  • Traffic Management & Snake Creek Gap

    A civil war army on the move uncoils and stretches out like a slinky.  The rougher the road, tighter the terrain and longer the march, the more attenuated the force becomes — “When these marches commenced, the men would be in regular military order, four abreast; but the first half-mile usually broke up all regularity.” […]

  • Fredericksburg: The Beginning

    Fredericksburg: the Beginning It was November 15th, 1862 and the Army of the Potomac was on the move. General Ambrose Burnside had taken command of the union army.  He replaced General McClellan after the federal forces failed to put away Robert E. Lee’s Confederates following the bloody battle at Antietam. Under pressure from President Abraham […]

  • On the Skirmish Line Outside Atlanta With William Holden

    Sorry for the gap in posting—I have been down with a nasty G-I bug most of the week. I’ve been wanting to post parts of another William Holden letter I acquired, one of which I have posted already. Holden, an Iowa farm boy, was by 1864 and experienced soldier and held the rank of first […]

  • Mahone’s Petersburg Failure: The Battle of Burgess Mill, Oct. 27, 1864 by Bryce Suderow

    Editor’s Note: Bryce Suderow completed this lengthy set of notes on the first day of fighting at the Battle of Boydton Plank Road (aka the Battle of Burgess Mill), fought on October 27, 1864 during the Siege of Petersburg, Grant’s Sixth Offensive. Bryce was gracious enough to share his research and has given written permission […]

  • The Crazy Delawares at the Battle of Antietam

    Editor’s Note: 2nd Delaware researcher and reenactor Sean Protas has generously agreed to do a series of guest posts focusing on the colorfully nicknamed ‘Crazy Delawares’.  Look for Sean’s posts to appear periodically here at TOCWOC – A Civil War Blog.  For more information on the modern day 2nd Delaware Volunteer Infantry reenactment group, check […]

  • Sharpshooting in the the War of 1812

    Since we’ve had some comments on the War of 1812 I thought I’d take the opportunity to post an excerpt from my sharpshooter book on the US Rifle Regiment—one of the few first-class US units. Virtually the only book on this important and nearly forgotten unit is John Fredricksen’s Green Coats and Glory: The United […]