Month: October 2010

  • Short Takes

    Body armor has been around since Neolithic times and made somewhat of a revival in the Civil War. However it was never officially sanctioned and was mostly discarded both for its weight and because it left its wearer open to implications of cowardice. Modern soldiers wear quite a lot of it, but as in the […]

  • History For Sale

    Window shoppers like me always enjoy looking at big auctions of historical items. Heritage Auction Galleries is having one that lists a wide collection of American, ranging all the way from pre-Civil War to the Sixties. Indeed one could outfit a nice museum with all the items. Of interest to Civil War mavens is a […]

  • Time For Another John C. Calhoun?

    All old ideas are suddenly new again. This time it’s pundit/author Thomas E. Woods on Nullification. Woods defines state nullification as the belief that states can and must refuse to enforce federal laws they deem to be unconstitutional. Though the federalist notion of “state’s rights” is often perceived as mere code for defending segregation, Woods […]

  • The Civil War: Fresh Perspectives Symposium to Be Held November 20, 2010

    I was asked to pass along some news from this interesting new symposium to be held at the William G. McGowan Theater in Washington, D.C.  Registration is $50, and the event will be held on November 20, 2010: The Civil War: Fresh Perspectives Symposium Saturday, November 20, 2010, 9 a.m.–5:30 p.m. at the Washington DC […]

  • Blondie’s Gun

    Last year I posted about Clint Eastwood’s weapons in the Spaghetti Western The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly. In it I pegged Eastwood’s sidearm as an 1858 Remington cartridge conversion, but according to an article in the new issue of American Rifleman by Angus McClellan, it was an 1851 Colt Navy Conversion in .38 […]

  • Short Takes

    The Wisconsin Historical Society looks at election chicanery in 1864 when the Republicans, like the Democrats today, faced a stunning defeat. They did, however, have an ace to play, the military vote. Since they controlled the Legislature, Republicans passed a bill in September that enabled soldiers to vote while serving in the field, and authorized […]

  • Civil War Book Review: The Great Task Remaining: The Third Year of Lincoln’s War

    The Great Task Remaining: The Third Year of Lincoln’s War by William Marvel Product Details Hardcover: 464 pages Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; 1 edition (June 22, 2010) Language: English ISBN-10: 061899064X ISBN-13: 978-0618990641 Not one of his good books William Marvel is a respected historian, an excellent author who has produced some very good books.  […]