TOCWOC – A Civil War Blog

Figures are inherently dry, but you can learn a lot from them. Here’s a look at the 1860 census. It gives you can idea of the advantages the North had over the South before the first shots were fired. I was struck by how small (by today’s standards) the “big” cities were, but then the […]

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Over at the Siege of Petersburg Online today, the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Five Forks, James F. Epperson and I (Brett Schulte) debate the following question: Was Sheridan’s relief of Warren at Five Forks justified? For those of you unfamiliar with this particular controversy, I’ll try not to take my side in the […]

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Shipping from the printer this week is the second edition of John Horn’s H. E. Howard book on the Battle of Globe Tavern and Grant’s Fourth Offensive during the Siege of Petersburg.  The second edition is entitled The Siege of Petersburg: The Battles for the Weldon Railroad, August 1864, and contains, according to the author “expanded […]

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Richard Sommers’ massive Richmond Redeemed, about the Fifth Offensive at the Siege of Petersburg, is getting a 2nd Edition courtesy of publisher Savas Beatie.  In addition to the print copy, a “SmartLayers” e-book edition is also getting produced.  Check out the YouTube video demonstration below as well as the Savas Beate press release: Savas Beatie […]

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Mention “Sheridan’s Ride” to a Civil War buff and they’ll inevitably think of Sheridan furiously riding the ten miles back to his retreating army at the Battle of Cedar Creek on October 19, 1864, rallying his army and saving the day.  It’s what I thought of when I ran across a poem entitled “Sheridan’s Ride” […]

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Editor’s Note: This post was originally posted at The Siege of Petersburg Online and has been cross-posted here for the benefit of TOCWOC readers. *** July 19, 1864: William F. “Baldy” Smith is Relieved from Command of 18th Corps, AotJ Today marks the 150th anniversary of William F. “Baldy” Smith’s removal from command of the […]

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Many people are familiar with the Bermuda Hundred Campaign of May 1864.  What fewer know is that the Bermuda Hundred front was “contested” throughout the entire Siege of Petersburg.  I placed the word contested in quotes because that front was not an area of focus in Grant’s major offensives against Richmond and Petersburg.  It was […]

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