Decoration Day and Memorial Day
TOCWOC – A Civil War Blog
by Fred Ray
10M ago
We sometimes forget that today’s Memorial Day came directly from Decoration Day, which originated to honor the dead of the Civil War. There has been a great deal of discussion about who originated it. In a recent article, Professor Richard Gardner takes a close look at the subject: In the years following the bitter Civil ..read more
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A look at the 1860 Census
TOCWOC – A Civil War Blog
by Fred Ray
2y ago
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 […] To read this full story and much more great Civil War content at TOCWOC - A Civil War Blog, click the title of this post above ..read more
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Review: Such Hard and Severe Service: The 85th Pennsylvania in the Civil War, Volume II, 1864-1865 by Dan Clendaniel
TOCWOC – A Civil War Blog
by Brett Schulte
2y ago
Note: This review originally appeared at The Siege of Petersburg Online and has been cross-posted here at TOCWOC – A Civil War Blog. ***** SOPO EDITOR’S NOTE: This review covers the second volume in a two-volume unit history of the 85th Pennsylvania.  While the first volume will be briefly discussed, the main focus of the […] To read this full story and much more great Civil War content at TOCWOC - A Civil War Blog, click the title of this post above ..read more
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Sharpshooting “Myths”
TOCWOC – A Civil War Blog
by Fred Ray
2y ago
I have ordered a copy of Scott Hippensteel’s new book Myths of the Civil War. Drew Wagenhoffer has a review here. Much of the book seems to be about “sniping” and about debunking various incidents. I am skeptical about books that talk about “myths” but would like to see what Hippensteel has to say, so […] To read this full story and much more great Civil War content at TOCWOC - A Civil War Blog, click the title of this post above ..read more
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Fold 3 Free!
TOCWOC – A Civil War Blog
by Fred Ray
2y ago
Just a heads up for TOCWOC readers that the reference site Fold 3 has their Civil War records accessible for free for another week and a half, until July 18. It’s a great opportunity to research your ancestor’s CW service without having to subscribe. Fold 3 has most (but not all) of the CW CSRs […] To read this full story and much more great Civil War content at TOCWOC - A Civil War Blog, click the title of this post above ..read more
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Confederate Gold in Pennsylvania?
TOCWOC – A Civil War Blog
by Fred Ray
2y ago
Might even be stolen U.S. gold from the Federal Mint. Archer wrote that he also spoke with a journalist who had done extensive research on a Civil War-era group called the Knights of the Golden Circle. The KGC, Archer wrote, was a secret society of Confederate sympathizers that had purportedly “buried secret caches of weapons, […] To read this full story and much more great Civil War content at TOCWOC - A Civil War Blog, click the title of this post above ..read more
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Big Guns and Bombs
TOCWOC – A Civil War Blog
by Fred Ray
2y ago
Everyone probably knows what a revolver is, but do you know which one is the biggest? The S&W 29, beloved of Dirty Harry? The Colt Walker? Naah, not even close. It was Pate’s revolving cannon. Not a hand cannon, mind you, but a real one on a carriage. Each ball for the revolving cannon weighed […] To read this full story and much more great Civil War content at TOCWOC - A Civil War Blog, click the title of this post above ..read more
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Lorenzo Barber’s “Combo” Gun
TOCWOC – A Civil War Blog
by Fred Ray
2y ago
Some time ago (in 2006) I wrote a post about John Jacob and his unusual rifle. In it I said that Lorenzo Barber, the “Fighting Parson” of the 1st U.S.S.S., used a Jacob rifle because he is mentioned as having a double-barrel rifle with one barrel loaded with buckshot and the other with a bullet. […] To read this full story and much more great Civil War content at TOCWOC - A Civil War Blog, click the title of this post above ..read more
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The Effect of Bayonets, The Oldest revolver
TOCWOC – A Civil War Blog
by Fred Ray
2y ago
Cap and Ball is at it again, this time to answer a question that often comes up about Civil War rifles. Did the addition of a bayonet have any effect on accuracy? He also has some commentary on the use of bayonets during the war. We often hear that Sam Colt invented the revolver, and […] To read this full story and much more great Civil War content at TOCWOC - A Civil War Blog, click the title of this post above ..read more
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Civil War Amputation Kit
TOCWOC – A Civil War Blog
by Fred Ray
2y ago
Amputation of wounded limbs was not new but reached somewhat of a high point in the Civil War. The Minie ball, in particular, was notorious for shattering bone. Doctors soon found that trying to save a limb was counterproductive—it almost always became infected and the patient died. We have all seen gruesome photos of severed […] To read this full story and much more great Civil War content at TOCWOC - A Civil War Blog, click the title of this post above ..read more
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