They Came for General Lee

by Fred Ray June 2, 2017

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, […]

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Pepperbox and Army sidearms

by Fred Ray May 29, 2017

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 […]

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Dispatches from the Battles of New Orleans

by Fred Ray May 14, 2017

This time it’s Jeff Davis. Same MO—heavy, militarized police presence with body armor and snipers on the rooftops. Everyone is masked and the logos and license plates covered, statue moved to “an undisclosed location.” Pat Gallagher, who lives in Jefferson Parish, said she decided to go out to the intersection because she is concerned about […]

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Short Takes

by Fred Ray May 3, 2017

Cap and Ball is at it again, this time with a P56 Enfield Short Rifle. This is the shorter version of the more common P53 Rifle Musket used extensively by North and South. The P56 (which also came in the slightly different P58 and P60 models) was a favorite of Confederate sharpshooters, both because of […]

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Dispatches From The War of Culinary Aggression

by Fred Ray April 26, 2017

Now they’ve banned grits and biscuits made the right way. “We could originally serve half whole grains but that changed in 2012 when we had to start serving 100 percent whole grains,” said Stephanie Dillard, the child nutrition director for Geneva County Schools in Alabama. That meant no more grits. “And grits are a staple […]

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The Night They Drove ‘Ol Dixie down

by Fred Ray April 25, 2017

The first of four Confederate monuments came down in New Orleans, but you have to wonder what the hey was going on. The minions of the Crescent City looked more like thieves in the night, with a very large touch of paranoia. Workers wore bullet-proof vests, helmets and facemasks as they went about the work, […]

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Adios “Hognose” R.I.P.

by Fred Ray April 20, 2017

I was greatly saddened to learn yesterday of the untimely demise of Kevin “Hognose” O’Brien, who ran the excellent Weaponsman blog site, a mixture of weapons lore, gun politics, and Kevin’s own unique brand of blarney. Although I never met him, Kevin and I became acquainted earlier this year when he linked to one of […]

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