TOCWOC – A Civil War Blog

One hundred and fifty years ago today the bloody battle of the Wilderness was over and the even bloodier battle of Spotsylvania Court House just beginning. One of those who fell this day was was the commander of the Union Sixth Corps, Maj. Gen. John Sedgwick. Here’s an article that I wrote about the incident […]

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Brett recently posted an excerpt from an upcoming book section on Ft. Stedman, written by Bill Wyrick. It appears to be drawn from Wyrick’s article in Blue & Gray, which I had some comments about at the time. I had some problems with it then and still do. Interpretations are one thing, but there are […]

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The Day Lincoln Was Almost Shot: The Fort Stevens Story by Benjamin Franklin Cooling III The Scarecrow Press $45.00 May 2013 ISBN: 978-0-8108-8622-3       Most people would put the high water mark of the Confederacy at a copse of trees near the crest of Cemetery Hill just outside of Gettysburg, PA, on the […]

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With the Sesquicentennial of the Battle of Gettysburg almost on us I thought I’d post a couple of contemporary views of the town. As most of you know the Confederates swept through the town on July 1, driving the Federals before them and capturing large numbers of them. The Federals, however, held Cemetery Hill just […]

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The Massachusetts Andrew Sharpshooters: A Civil War History and Roster by Alden C. Ellis, Jr. Print ISBN: 978-0-7864-6489-0 Ebook ISBN: 978-0-7864-8820-9 76 photos, glossary, notes, bibliography, index 276pp. softcover (7 x 10) 2012 $40.00 Alden Ellis’ book covers the history and organization of two Massachusetts sharpshooter companies, the so-called Andrews Sharpshooters, named for the state’s […]

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Sorry for the gap in posting—I have been down with a nasty G-I bug most of the week. I’ve been wanting to post parts of another William Holden letter I acquired, one of which I have posted already. Holden, an Iowa farm boy, was by 1864 and experienced soldier and held the rank of first […]

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While discussing the rivers going into Mobile Bay with Dan O’Connell I came across a really nice map of the Gulf coast in 1861, covering the area from the Louisiana delta to Pensacola. And…you can zoom in! Just the thing for following Dan’s campaign posts. Fold3 looks at The Curious Case of Adelia who, it […]

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