TOCWOC – A Civil War Blog

  • McFarland Book of the Week: Civil War Hospital Newspapers: Histories and Excerpts of Nine Union Publications

    Civil War Hospital Newspapers: Histories and Excerpts of Nine Union Publications by Ira Spar, M.D. TOCWOC’s Take: I appreciate the niche in Civil War publishing which McFarland fills.  They are known for original reference works as well as reprints of long-forgotten items of importance to students of the Civil War.  In addition, they cover obscure but […]

  • Even Shorter Takes

    Indiana University Press is having a sale, which includes their Civil War books. Definitely worth a look. We’ve heard a lot about removing statues and even references to American slave owners. Apparently even figures like Sam Houston are under the gun, even though Houston opposed secession and refused to have anything to do with the […]

  • Short Takes

    One of the most famous Civil War cemeteries gets a facelift. Well, not really—it’s the Sad Hill cemetery from the epic Spaghetti Western The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. Given that the movie is set during Sibley’s 1862 campaign in New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado, it’s probably “Confederate.” Sad Hill cemetery is the setting […]

  • Inside the Henry Rifle

    The Henry rifle was a giant step forward in rifle technology, eventually becoming the iconic Winchester 94, which is still produced today. Some historians, like Philip Leigh, are of the opinion that its widespread adoption might have shortened the war as much as a year. Ian at Forgotten Weapons takes a very in-depth look at […]

  • They Came for General Lee

    They came for General Lee, and before him General Beauregard, after which Mayor Landrieu got up and gave a long speech about what a fine fellow he was for erasing the city’s history. Seeing how the Crescent City is perennially broke, I’d be curious as to how much the removal cost, especially for police overtime, […]

  • Pepperbox and Army sidearms

    Cap and Ball takes a look at the Pepperbox revolver. It’s generic term for a pistol that revolves the entire barrel assembly rather than just the cylinder, and was quite popular in the 1850s. At least a few were probably used in the Civil War, and they were certainly in use then by civilians. As […]

  • McFarland Book of the Week: Joseph Brown and His Civil War Ironclads: The USS Chillicothe, Indianola, and Tuscumbia

    Joseph Brown and His Civil War Ironclads: The USS Chillicothe, Indianola, and Tuscumbia by Myron J. Smith, Jr. TOCWOC’s Take: Author Myron J. Smith is no stranger to the naval war on the Western waters, as he has published multiple books on various ships which participated in these conflicts.  Here he covers the three ironclads built […]

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