TOCWOC – A Civil War Blog

I have been working my way through General Grant and the Rewriting of History by Frank Varney, that was published by Savas Beatie this past July, and I have a problem: I am so annoyed by it I might not be able to finish. I wanted to like this book, but do not be surprised […]

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Previously I wrote about who really won the battle of Iuka. This time I am going to dig deeper into Rosecrans’ performance at that battle. Attention has often been deflected from Rosecrans by questions about where Grant and Ord were during the battle. A lot of ink has been spilled about ‘acoustic shadows’, mis-communication or […]

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Brett’s post last month on the new book by Frank Varney inspired me to write this post. In my view, the standard conclusion about the Battle of Iuka is wrong, but not in the way Varney would like. I agree that the winner of the battle has been unjustly overlooked, but its not Rosecrans that […]

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IUKA – VICTORY AS FAILURE (Part 2) Battle Rages As soon as the opposing batteries were brought on line they began exchanging fire. Amidst the barrage both sides had senior officers arrive. Rosecrans immediately called up reinforcements from BG Jeremiah Sullivan’s brigade to secure his flanks. The 10th Iowa and the 12th Wisconsin Battery (2 […]

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IUKA – VICTORY AS FAILURE (Part 1) Introduction It is traditional to judge the outcome of battles by standards that may ignore the original intent of the commanders involved. While territorial gain, dominance on the field, or inflicting greater casualties are noteworthy accomplishments in themselves they do not always satisfy a claim to success. These […]

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Charge! Issue 7 Charge! Issue 7 Charge! Web Site Page 1 From the Editor’s Desk by Scott Mingus Editor Scott Mingus discusses John Zabawa’s Gettysburg Miniature Soldiers in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, gives a recap of his presentation on John Gordon’s Brigade to the Gettysburg Civil War Round Table, mentions his book Enduring Valor: Gettysburg in Miniature, […]

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