TOCWOC – A Civil War Blog

Month: March 2012

  • Pocket Pistols Then & Now

    How far have pocket pistols come in 150 years? Let’s take a quick look. The Otis Smith revolver, which I posted about earlier, is a good example of the breed in the 1860s and 70s. It’s a knock-off of the Smith & Wesson Model 1½ introduced near the end of the Civil War. Smith introduced […]

  • DE ARAGON, Part 5 – The Kentucky Campaign

    Author’s note: This is the fifth installment in the series on Major Ramon T. de Aragon. After the battle of Shiloh the Confederate Army of the Mississippi withdrew to Tupelo, MS and Braxton Bragg was put in command. He reorganised the army and there were two changes which affected Major de Aragon. First, the regiments […]

  • Civil War Book Acquisitions: March 2012, Part 3

    Civil War Book Acquisitions: March 2012, Part 3 Title: Cape Fear Confederates: The 18th North Carolina Regiment in the Civil War Author: Gillispie, James M. Publisher: McFarland & Company ISBN-13: 978-0-7864-4847-0 Price: $35.00 (Paperback) TOCWOC’s Take: The 18th North Carolina, the subject of this new regimental history, is best known for having fired the volley […]

  • The Marching Campaign – Bristoe Part 3

    Auburn After several clashes with the Union cavalry Stuart continued to pursue the retreating Union forces nipping at the rear guard as opportunity presented itself. On the 11th his force was reunited as he joined Funsten’s Brigade and communication with Fitzhugh Lee’s division was reestablished. On the morning of the 13th he dispatched BG Lomax’s […]

  • Q and A with John Paul Strain

    Since 1991, John Paul Strain has been painting Civil War pieces, giving Civil War enthusiasts like myself the opportunity to travel back in time to pivotal moments in the War Between the States. Mr. Strain’s work allows the viewer to feel as though they are a part of that moment and experience the emotions of […]

  • Short Takes

    If you missed Gary Joiner’s interview on C-SPAN on his book One Damn Blunder From Beginning To End: The Red River Campaign of 1864  you can catch it on the web. The book’s on my list to read, based on good reviews and the interview. This campaign ought to get more attention than it does […]

  • The Marching Campaign – Bristoe Part 2

    Along the Rapidan The first significant action of the campaign occurred at the Rapidan River as Meade attempted to gauge the strength and disposition of Lee’s forces. On the morning of 10 October Buford moved his men to Germanna Ford. The enemies pickets there, comprised of 110 men from the 1st Maryland Battalion stretched from […]