2019

Sharps Firearms: The Percussion Era, 1848–1865. Bibliography, endnotes, index, 439 pp., 2019. Northwood Heritage Press. $100 hardcover. Reviewed by…

U.S. troops there. Owens describes the killing of the trapped Union soldiers in the crater as “the most revolting sight ever witnessed in this lost…

After his victory at the second battle fought at Manassas, Lee led his men across the Potomac. Lincoln, dissatisfied with Pope, turned again to…

At the outbreak of the Civil War, William d’Alton Mann joined the 1st Michigan Cavalry, where his charisma won him election as a captain, even though…

Look at the cover of this paperback (price 95 cents!) and you’ll know just how long I’ve been reading Sam Watkins’ famous memoir, “Co. Aytch.”

In 1857, the firm of E. Remington & Sons introduced their first percussion revolver. Since the founding of the firm in 1816 by Eliphalet Remington…

The Last Battleground: The Civil War Comes to North Carolina. By Philip Gerard. Selected sources, bibliographical references, illustrations…

Another feature of the English accoutrements was that the cap pouch was not worn on the waistbelt. The British accoutrement set was issued with a…

“I think that one defect in Gen. Jackson’s character as a soldier was his religious belief.”—E. Porter Alexander

USMC, Sergeant I Corps, Helicopter Support Vietnam (1969-1971)

Some notable titles in Civil War writing are listed below. Match the book with the author.

With the April 12, 1861, firing on Fort Sumter and the subsequent outbreak of hostilities that was the American Civil War, a concerted effort was…

100 Significant Civil War Photographs: Atlanta Campaign. By Stephen Davis. Introduction, bibliography, index, 126 pp., 2019. Historical Publications…

beer, made from beer seed. The seed multiplied several hundred fold monthly, is my recollection. I know that a seed the size of a grain of sugar grew…

on their starboard side. Acting Ensign Charles W. Howard leapt to the gangway hailing, “Boat ahoy! Boat ahoy!” Not receiving a response Howard…

Edward Porter Alexander was a military professional, a keen observer, a thoughtful analyst, and a gifted writer. All these traits make his memoirs…

Garry Yee, author of Sharpshooters 1750–1900: The Men, Their Guns, Their Story, a book that has become an instant classic and go-to source on the…

Voices of the Civil War Series, Peter Carmichael, Series Editor.

In 1836, the British military officially adopted the percussion cap to replace flint as the ignition system for small arms, although it would be 1839…

Illusions of Emancipation: The Pursuit of Freedom and Equality in the Twilight of Slavery. By Joseph P. Reidy. Illustrations, notes, bibliography…

for a substitute. Dough-nuts or “nutcakes” were popular with civilians and soldiers at any meal. They were cut into squares and diamonds, not the “O”…

After being repulsed Kennesaw Mountain, Sherman reverted to his tried-and-true tactic of maneuvering to his right, threatening Johnston’s…

During Centennial, when historians were less aware of historical firearms, it was commonly believed that Brigadier General John Buford’s horse…

So they’re talking about removing the seventh U.S. president from the twenty-dollar-bill because he was a slaveowner. What about taking the face of…

The American Civil War provided an opportunity for European arsenals to divest themselves of a wide array of obsolete and unwanted small arms in a…

The Fight for the Old North State: The Civil War in North Carolina, January-May 1864. By Hampton Newsome. Illustrations, maps, notes, appendices…

was touched to the vent to ignite the charge. Based on advances in small arms technology, the matchlock musket was replaced by the flintlock around…

years ago – 1762.” That reader was desperate to have his say.

I know a guy who uses a reproduction Colt. 44 caliber Walker six gun for plinking and wild hog hunting. The gun has performed reliably for him over a…

George C. Rable, DamnYankees! Demonization & Defiance in the Confederate South. Louisiana State University Press, 2015.

During the latter part of the 1850s, the Spanish military adopted a family of .577 caliber, percussion ignition, muzzleloading long arms based on the…

properly packed and turned over to the Quartermaster Department for transportation to Watervliet Arsenal.

The reports contain no reference to any train except the one belonging to a single division. Rosecrans dealt with this problem on the first day of…

While there are serious and legitimate disputed interpretations and reinterpretations of history, the past, especially in the popular view, has…

I think I learned the word funky from Rockford (James Garner) back in the ‘70s.

The topic of this article was recently suggested by one of my customers. I appreciate the suggestion and welcome them from the readership.

Inglorious Passages: Noncombat Deaths in the American Civil War. By Brian Steel Wills. Notes, bibliography, index. 416 pages. University Press of…

Two letters of your “Local” have within the past few weeks appeared in your paper ridiculing and execrating the habit of “dipping snuff.” I do not…

The chocolate chips have become a tradition. As the bus rolled homeward, south Interstate 75 from the northwest Georgia battleground, we ate homemade…

If I were asked to choose my favorite firearm among the many I own, there is no doubt I would instantly select my Model 1863 Springfield .58 caliber…

Most readers wishing to bone up on Confederate Lt. Gen. Thomas J. Jackson, or check on a specific fact about his life, will probably turn first to…

It is interesting to note that the three most advanced, self-contained metallic cartridge handguns to see use during the American Civil War were…

Reviewed by Brian S. Wills

compared to the richer black teas it is most similar in taste to a mildly bitter, weak green vegetable broth. The flavor is often described as…

How absurd to suppose that the ever-vigilant McCook, always on the alert, should permit any troops under his command to be surprised! How absurd to…

One of the most interesting historical small arms related businesses I have come across in some time is Eras Gone Bullet Molds. Company founder Mark…

Brigade: Diehard Western Confederates

It is interesting to note that the three most advanced self-contained, metallic cartridge revolvers to see use during the American Civil War were all…

Upon the Fields of Battle: Essays on the Military History of America’s Civil War. Edited by Andrew S. Bledsoe and Andrew F. Lang. Notes, index, 304…

“Gettysburg, Penn. July 3, 1863. We went out and picked up Springfields and left our Enfields. Nearly everyone did so.”– Diary of William Livermore…

The muzzles of a hundred cannon belched forth fire, shot, and shell, and the earth and air were tremulous with the terrific vibration. – Brig. Gen.…

In my December column, I wrote about the confusion at the Civil War Centennial reenactment of the Battle of Antietam. In doing so I ventured an…

if any papers ever produced a more thorough sensation than did the letters written by Major Smith during the War.”5

Of all the imported arms utilized by the U.S. government during the American Civil War, the Suhl Contract Model 1861 Rifle Musket is probably one of…

Reviewed by Christopher L. Kolakowski

An interesting topic came up on one of the Civil War internet forums about whether a particular musket followed the soldier to whom it was issued…

Wes Freeman’s career has been marked by great variety. The Vietnam veteran did a 10-year stint with the DeKalb County, Ga., Sheriff’s Department…

In my December 2018 column, I wrote about problems British troops had during the Sepoy Rebellion in India when their Enfield P53 rifles fouled up so…

Irenus Watson Landingham was born in Alabama in 1839. His family moved to the vicinity of Houston, Texas, before the war. Landingham enlisted in the…

With all of the trials and tribulations experienced during the life of the Gibbs Carbine, it is a story might best be entitled The Carbine That Was…

Reviewed by Stephen Davis

killing the owner. The two most common Confederate issue canteens are the smaller (six-inch) tin drum which was inexpensive to produce, and some…

Cenotaph noun. A sepulchral monument erected in memory of a deceased person or persons buried elsewhere. < Greek kenos, empty and taphos, tomb

As most readers of this column know, I have been acquiring original news photos of twentieth century battle reenactments. A recent acquisition…

Last month we looked at the background and evolution of Thomas Wilson’s Breechloading Rifle. This month we will look more deeply into Confederate…

Lincoln’s Final Hours: Conspiracy, Terror, and the Assassination of America’s Greatest President. By Kathryn Canavan. Photos, notes, index…

and used to produce Special Model of 1861 Rifle Muskets at either Colt, LG&Y or Amoskeag. So, the grand irony is that while the Virginia Model Musket…

In December 2017, Ed Ayers spoke to the Atlanta Civil War Round Table on the subject of “War and Reconstruction.” He discussed, inter alia, the…

In response to my last column on British ammunition problems in India during the Sepoy Rebellion, my friend Bill Adams added that, “They were still…

Lincoln’s Final Hours: Conspiracy, Terror, and the Assassination of America’s Greatest President. By Kathryn Canavan. Photos, notes, index…

The Wilson Patent Breech Loading Rifle is one of the rarest and most sophisticated of the small arms imported by the Confederacy during the American…