The U.S. Army and the Texas Frontier Economy, 1845-1900

by Smith, Thomas T.

• ISBN13: 9780890968826
• ISBN10: 0890968829
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1999-11-01
• Publisher: Texas A & M Univ Pr

Summary

Seventy million dollars in fifty-five years. From Texas' annexation in 1845 until the turn of the twentieth century, the U.S. Army pumped at least that much or more into the economy of the fledgling state, a fact that directly challenges the popular notion of Texas as the state with roots of pioneer capitalism and fervent independence.

In The U.S. Army and the Texas Frontier Economy, 1845-1900, Thomas T. Smith sheds light on just who bankrolled the evolution of Texas into viable statehood. Smith draws on extensive research gathered from both government archives and Texas army posts in order to evaluate the symbiotic relationship between army quartermasters and Texas' economy. Texas was the army's largest -- and most costly -- engagement, absorbing up to 30 percent of the total operating budget.

Writing with exceptional detail and clarity, Smith expands on historian Robert Wooster's theory that the military was allied with the political authority in Texas, and using documents such as army contracts for freighting, foraging, and fort leasing, he illustrates h

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	ix
List of Tables	x
Acknowledgments	xi
The Army Dollar in Texas	3	(12)
The Army Logistical System in Texas	15	(33)
Transportation: Prairie Schooners, Steamers, and the Iron Horse	48	(23)
Forage: Corn, Hay, and Oats	71	(7)
Real Estate: Fort Leasing, Purchase, Building, and Repair	78	(25)
Additional Expenses: Fuel, Rations, Beef, Horses and Mules, Military Cemeteries, and Sutlers and Post Traders	103	(19)
Payday: Paymasters, Soldiers' Silver, and Civilian Employment	122	(14)
Army Engineers: Exploration and Mapping, Road Building, and River and Harbor Improvement	136	(19)
Contributions to the Economic Network: Stagecoaches, Mail, the Military Telegraph System, and the Weather Service	155	(19)
Conclusion: Swords, Cities, and Plowshares	174	(9)
Appendix 1. Wagon Freight Contractors with the U.S. Army in Texas, 1849--1890	183	(12)
Appendix 2. Steamship Contractors with the U.S. Army in Texas, 1850-1890	195	(8)
Appendix 3. Forage Contracts with the U.S. Army in Texas, 1850--1860	203	(6)
Appendix 4. Beef Contractors with the U.S. Army in Texas, 1849--1860	209	(6)
Notes	215	(46)
Bibliography	261	(24)
Index	285