Month: December 2008

  • Review: Antietam, South Mountain, and Harpers Ferry: A Battlefield Guide

    Antietam, South Mountain, and Harpers Ferry: A Battlefield Guide (This Hallowed Ground: Guides to Civil War) by Ethan S. Rafuse Product Details Paperback: 282 pages Publisher: Bison Books (December 1, 2008) Language: English ISBN-10: 080323970X ISBN-13: 978-0803239708 I am a battlefield walker!  I love to stand in the spot where … happened.  At these times, […]

  • Short Takes

    In the mail today was a copy of James W. Parrish’s Wiregrass to Appomattox, a history of the 50th Georgia. I blurbed the book after looking at a draft and will see how it all comes together, then write a review. It’s published by Angle Valley Press, which also did a very well-received history of […]

  • History in Motion

    A very cool site using flash animation to illustrate Civil War battles and campaigns, such as Stonewall Jackson’s ’62 Valley campaign. I’ve always thought that the static battle maps that we see in books do not really tell the story. Battles are interactive processes—moves are met by counter-moves in real time. You really need an […]

  • Review: Stonewall of the West: Patrick Cleburne and the Civil War

    Stonewall of the West: Patrick Cleburne and the Civil War by Craig L. Symonds Product Details Paperback: 328 pages Publisher: University Press of Kansas (October 1998) Language: English ISBN-10: 0700609342 ISBN-13: 978-0700609345 Patrick Cleburne established a record as an outstanding division commander with the Army of Tennessee during the war.  From Shiloh until his death […]

  • John West—Hero or Blowhard?

    Every war produces heroes, but also a number of blowhards, who somehow always seem to outnumber the heroes. Sometimes it’s hard to tell who’s who. One such case is John West, who claimed to be a “noted sharpshooter” in Virginia armed with a Whitworth rifle. I first ran across West’s account in John Morrow’s The […]

  • Review: The Rifle Musket in Civil War Combat

    Update: Welcome to TOCWOC for those of you who have found this page through a Google Search!  If you enjoy what you’re about to read below, feel free to Subscribe to TOCWOC’s RSS feed.  Be sure to check out the Civil War Book Reviews which have been posted here and browse through TOCWOC founder Brett […]

  • Amazon Changes That Impact All of Us

    Amazon determines who is a fan, are you? Unless you do numerous reviews on amazon.com, there is no reason to follow how the ranking system works. The simplest explanation is you accumulate points for reviewing and helpful votes, while losing points of not helpful votes. Nothing is that simple and the system contains a number […]