TOCWOC – A Civil War Blog

  • Civil War Book Review: The Siege of Petersburg: The Battles for the Weldon Railroad, August 1864 by John Horn

    Horn, John. The Siege of Petersburg: The Battles for the Weldon Railroad, August 1864. (Savas Beatie: January 2015). 384 pages, 26 images, 22 maps, notes, bibliography, index.  ISBN: 978-1-61121-216-7. $32.95 (Cloth) With The Siege of Petersburg: The Battles for the Weldon Railroad, August 1864, John Horn and Savas Beatie have produced a new and improved […]

  • Grant & The Red River Campaign, Part 7

    Picking up where I left off a while back in Part 6… As the end of April approached, Grant became more focused on the main offensives in Virginia and Georgia. As a result his interest in the Red River campaign decreased and his frustration increased. Halleck, using his position as intermediary, pushed his own ideas. […]

  • Author Interview: Sean Chick, Author of The Battle of Petersburg, June 15-18, 1864

    Sean Chick, author of The Battle of Petersburg, June 15-18, 1864, recently agreed to answer some questions about the new book.  Sean’s book is only the second modern monograph on this battle, with Thomas Howe’s H. E. Howard volume the other.  Chick was quite gracious in complimenting his predecessor’s work in the foreword of his own book. […]

  • Civil War Book Review: Dawn of Victory: Breakthrough at Petersburg, March 25-April 2, 1865

    Alexander, Edward S. Dawn of Victory: Breakthrough at Petersburg, March 25-April 2, 1865. (Savas Beatie: March 2015). 168 pages, 172 illustrations, 7 maps.  ISBN: 978-1-61121-280-8. $12.95 (Paperback) The Emerging Civil War Series turns its eyes to the final days of the Siege of Petersburg in Dawn of Victory: Breakthrough at Petersburg, March 25-April 2, 1865 […]

  • A Look at Some Period Guns

    Just a quick look at some period firearms. Cap and Ball, whom we have met before, shoots an original .58 cal. Springfield rifle-musket. He shows it can shoot quite accurately at a distance, but OTOH he’s an experienced shot and has fiddled with it a bit. Then, a look at the Needham postwar conversion to […]

  • Grant & The Red River Campaign, Part 6

    Continued from Part 5. In previous posts I wrote about Grant’s orders to Banks on March 15 and March 31, 1864.  Grant continued to be anxious about the situation in Louisiana so in mid April he sent another set of orders to Banks.  This time he tasked Gen. Hunter with hand delivering the message and […]

  • Book Excerpt: The Battle of Petersburg, June 15-18, 1864, Part 8

    Editor’s Note: This post was first posted at The Siege of Petersburg Online and has been crossposted here. This series of posts offer a look at Sean Chick’s new book The Battle of Petersburg, June 15-18, 1864.  The Battle of Petersburg was part of Grant’s First Offensive against Petersburg. Sean Michael Chick is a 33 […]

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