Magazine Preview--Blue & Gray

Blue & Gray Magazine Volume XXVII #6

Contents of this issue include:

The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House May 13-20, 1864. Written by Chris Mackowski and Kristopher D. White. This article concludes a four part series begun in 2001 with Greg Mertz's feature on Upton's Attack at Spotsylvania. The second piece is from 2004 and was also written by Mertz. This covered the march of Grant and Lee's armies from the Wilderness battlefield to Spotsylvania May 7-8, 1864. Part three from 2009 was written by Mackowski and White and covers the fighting that took place at the Bloody Angle on May 12, 1864. Loaded with maps and photos this is a must have for students of the battle. A nice secondary article is included in this issue that discusses a local newspapers reporting of the 1st Maine Heavy Artillery and their participation at the Battle of Harris Farm. The 1st Maine suffered a 67% casualty rate during this battle.

Also included is the regular feature of Wiley Sword's War Letter Series. The letter this month details fighting at Columbia, TN on November 24, 1864 from a civilian point of view.

Fort Abercrombie is the subject of "On the Back Roads" this issue. Known as the "Gateway to the Dakotas" Fort Abercrombie was the first military fort established in North Dakota. This was mostly used during battles with Indians. Be sure to check out their nice website.

A nice selection of book reviews is included.

The issue wraps up with the always helpful General's Tour driving tour. Fifteen stops, beginning at the Spotsylvania Battlefield Exhibit Shelter, are discussed in depth and shown in modern photos. Excellent maps and GPS coordinates are included.

This magazine consistently puts out a quality product and should be purchased or subscribed to by any student of the war.

Magazine Review--Blue & Gray

Blue & Gray. Volume XXVII Issue 3. 66 pages $5.95.

Feature article--Van Dorn's Holly Springs Raid by Thomas E. Parson

• Where Was Julia Grant During the Raid? by Tom Parson

• WILEY SWORDS WAR LETTERS SERIES— A Massachusetts Socialite Gets A V.I.P. Tour of the Custis-Lee Mansion in April 1864, and Tells All In A Letter Home, Including Lee Family Items Taken As Souvenirs and Her Views on Emancipation

• DRIVING TOUR—The Holly Springs Raid by Dave Roth with Tom Parson.


The magazine lives up to its reputation. Excellent mix of current and historical photos along with a boat load of maps. Also included is a section of book reviews. If you like a magazine to be tightly focused on one subject Blue & Gray is for you.

Magazine Review

Here's a very quick overview of a couple of magazines I have picked up recently. I haven't gotten into them in depth but I did want to post they are out with a brief look at what is included.

Blue & Gray. Volume XXVI Issue #2. $5.95. The main focus of this issue is the Battles of Bristoe Station written by J. Michael Miller. Included with the article are campaign and battle maps and also orders of battle for both 1862 and 1863. Also included is a driving tour of the battlefields that would prove invaluable when touring the area.

The monthly Wiley Sword's War Letters Series discusses Shiloh-Before and After with letters from a Sergeant of the 7th Illinois Infantry. A nice section of book reviews rounds out this issue.

A highly recommended magazine with nice maps that are easy to read. Both vintage and contemporary photos help round out the articles nicely.

North & South. Volume 11 Issue #5. $6.99. William Garrett Piston has this month's lead article with Struggle for the Trans-Mississippi. Alex Mendoza writes about the issues between Confederate generals Braxton Bragg and James Longstreet. Several other articles round out this issue including an article dealing with the making of the film Glory.

Overall not a bad looking issue. Period engravings and photos are mixed with some maps to help add to the articles. For me the maps are not of the quality that other Civil War magazines provide and this is something that should be addressed considering the scholarly bent that the magazine strives for.


I apologize for the bare bones nature of this post. I've gotten behind on my reading and just haven't gotten to these. I hope to be able to do a better job on future magazine issues and give them their due.

Magazine Review--Blue and Gray

It's amazing how quickly you can fall behind on magazines if you aren't careful. I realized I have a whole pile to weed through let alone try to post about. Well I'll try to get started here by discussing a couple recent issues of Blue and Gray magazine.

Blue and Gray: For Those Who Still Hear the Guns. Blue and Gray Enterprises, Inc. Volume XXV #6 2009. $5.95.

The 150th issues of Blue and Gray focuses on Richmond, Kentucky and the late August 1862 battle that took place there. The feature article was written by B. Kevin Bennett. A nice article that contains many period photos, mostly of the major players, numerous detailed maps, and end notes. Bennett's sources include both primary and secondary resources. I'm a believer magazines should include notes for those who wish to do further research or want to verify what the writer has said. B&G is to be commended for this.

In addition to the article there is the normal "General's Tour" article that provides a nice driving tour to many points of interest for this battle. The article is accompanied by more maps and also contemporary photos to help you find your way. Very interesting.

Also included are the normal slate of book reviews and an article I found extremely fascinating that concerned Union Identification Discs. These are basically a precursor to government issued "dog tags". Author Joseph W. Stahl points out there are 49 known styles of tag and he proceeds to discuss the three most common. This is an interesting sideline article helping to bring a human element to the war.


Blue and Gray: For Those Who Still Hear the Guns. Blue and Gray Enterprises, Inc. Volume XXVI #1 2009. $5.95.

Chris Mackowski and Kristopher D. White treat us to an in depth article on this months feature which is Spotsylania Court House. The article is titled " The Battle of the Bloody Angle or 'Mule Shoe': Spotsylvania Court House May 12, 1864". I haven't finished up this article yet but have enjoyed it so far. Included are the expected maps, period photos, and a long selection of end notes. "The General's Tour" for this issue provides both driving and walking tours. Start at the Chancellorsville Battlefield Visitor Center and go from there. The tour article contains several detailed action maps and contemporary photos for armchair travellers and also to help you get oriented.

A round of book reviews are included as is a very interesting article about a city that you wouldn't normally associate with the Civil War. The article is titled "Sacramento's Civil War Legacy" and was written by Robert Bundy. Several locations are discussed including Historic City Cemetery which is home to over 250 Union soldiers, several Confederates, and a General from each side, George B. Cosby (CSA) and George Wright (USA). Another must see stop is the Stanford Mansion, where wartime governor Leland Stanford's wife and friends met to make underclothes for Union soldiers. After a recent $22 million upgrade the home is open for tours and is still used as a reception center for the California governor.

Overall I enjoyed these issues. I have a couple others but must admit to never having gotten around to reading them. I'll need to pull those out and also look at ordering back issues.