Magazine Articles of Note or Interest (2001-2002)

[Pat Holscher]

Western Horseman, May, 2001.

This issue has a very short article on "Horse-Soldier Traditions; The U.S. Cavalry is still alive at Fort Riley Kansas", by Christie Vanover. It is a very short, and not terribly informative article, but it does depict and discuss the Commanding General's Mounted Color Guard at Ft. Riley. A very short, and not very complete, snippet on their equipment and uniforms is also included.

In the same article there is a fairly pathetic, in my opinion, article on some dude operation out of Lander, WY. Given as this is sort of in my backyard, and I found the article to be fairly deceptive, or at least not too accurate as to the location and nature of the items depicted, I mention this. Indeed, I'd probably avoid buying this issue of the rack, if I saw it there, as this article would only make me mad, and the Ft. Riley article is not so extensive or complete that a person would buy it just for that.

Pat

[Pat Holscher]

Western Horseman, June 2001, Vol 66. No. 6

This issue has an article by Dwight G. Bennett, DVM, Ph.D., on Foot and Mouth Disease. I know, of course that this is off topic, and that horses do not get it (they can spread it). However, it is of interest to us all in one fashion or another.

Pat

[Brent O.]

Military Classics Illustrated (no volume or issue number), $4.99 US, $5.99 CN

I found this publication on the magazine rack at the local Barnes & Noble. It is apparently not a periodical, but a single-issue publication in magazine format, from "emap USA, inc." Fine print on the cover says "Display Until 9/18/01."

There is a short but profusely illustrated article about the Punitive Expedition entitled "Chasing Villa," written by John P. Langellier with Kurt Hamilton Cox. This features a mix of period black-and-white photos, and new color pictures of a reenactor (with horse) in correct uniform and tack, respectively. The text appears to be an accurate, if greatly condensed, overview of the PE, concentrating on the raid on Columbus, New Mexico and events which immediately followed. Sidebars in the article deal with troopers' personal gear and horse equipment, with a good deal of attention paid to weapons.

I thought it was well done.

Brent O.

[Pat Holscher]

Wyoming Law Review. Vol 1., No. 2. "Wyoming' Pioneers of Prohibition: The United States Army, The U.S. District Court, and Federal Enforcement of Laws Governing Morality" by Phil Roberts.

Ever on the look for the informative, arcane or unusual which may pertain, no matter how vaguely, I bring you a law review.

As many here undboutedly know, a law review is a periodical which deals with various legal topics. Usually the law review features articles by professors of law, a lawyer or two, and various students. The topics typically deal with such themes as the latest development in criminal law, or some new insurance case, or a tort or two.

Here, however, I have found something a little unusual, and possibly of interest to the student of the military unusual. Phil Roberts has authored this article in the current Wyoming Law Review (formally the Land & Water Law Review, formally the Wyoming Law Journal) dealing with, of all things, the study of the Army's role in laws governing alcohol and prostitution.

It is actually a pretty interesting article. The article goes into the early background of the Army's handling of vice. For example, the article deals with early efforts to detour soldiers from vice by making military reservations sufficiently large such that it was a long hike to endulge in it. It also details acts of Congress, starting in 1865 when Congress acted to ban whiskey sales from commissaries. By 1899 Congress had acted to ban the sale of intoxicating beverages by soldiers on post (as I read this, it wouldn't appear to ban civilian sales to soldiers).

None-the-less, the sales continued off post, and were a topic of Congressional action in the Progressive Era. At the start of World War I Congress acted to sell booze to a soldier entirely, expressing the viewpoint of Rep. Cooper of Ohio that "If my boy goes to the trenches of Europe and is killed in battle, I do not want him to be filled up with whiskey when he draws his last breath". A prohibition zone was set up around military installations banning the sale of alcohol and the maintenance of "bawdy houses". All in all, according to the author, the Army had a significant role in introducing prohibition to the minority of states which didn't have it at that time.

This article isn't for everyone, but it does present an interesting picture of one of the lesser discussed aspects of military life from 1865 to 1919. If anyone should wish to view the article, I certainly would just seek to obtain it alone, as a library reprint, or as an extract. A following article on the role of the Army in discovery and continental "fulfullment" is very disappointing, and it is doubtful that very many cavalry students are interested in Article 9 of the Uniform Commerical Code.

Pat

[Pat Holscher]

An interesting CMH article on Maneuver and Firepower. Cavalry is addressed, and there are a few interesting photographs.

http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/books/Lineage/M-F/index.htm


Pat

[Pat Holscher]

It's funny how these topics go. We've just had some discussion on the trapdoor Springfield above. I was having a discussion with somebody about it as a result, and low and behold they referred me to this just published article on trapdoor carbines. There must be some trapdoor kharma out there circulating.

Anyway, the September 2001 issue of the American Rifleman has an article by Bruce Canfield entitled "The Gun That Really 'Won The West' ", bestowing that title on the trapdoor series of carbines. It isn't too bad.

For those who aren't familiar with him, Bruce Canfield is an author who writes, in so far as I am aware, soley on US military firearms. Indeed he is creating a nitch for himself, or maybe already has, as the expert on that topic. Having said that, I generally find that his articles are not particularly illuminating for the knowledgable, as they are merely condensed repititions of generally known material. Indeed, I sometimes find that Mr. Canfield omits material that should have been included, or which would have lead to genuine exploration of new or missed material. So far, however, I've never found a Canfield article that plowed any new ground, or even plowed the entire field.

This article is probably no exception, but I enjoyed it, perhaps because I am not familiar with all of the odd variants of the trapdoor carbines. The article provides a good little synopsis of each variant and, therefore, is of value to folks like me who did not know the ins and outs of every variant.

In the same issue there is a very interesting article on London Colts, that is Colt pistols marked as manufactured in London. I was also unaware of this material, and found it to be quite intersting. That article is by Peter Smithhurst.

Pat

[Rick Throckmorton]

Pat,
Be advised that the photo of the '86 XC carbine is incorrect. That carbine had a 3/4 length stock and the barrel was longer than the standard carbine but still crowned with the standard crowning tool. Additionally, the swivel at the front band was curved to conform to the shape of the stock. I didn't read the article yet. The photo kind of threw me off of reading it.
Rick T.

[Pat Holscher]

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Pat,
Be advised that the photo of the '86 XC carbine is incorrect. That carbine had a 3/4 length stock and the barrel was longer than the standard carbine but still crowned with the standard crowning tool. Additionally, the swivel at the front band was curved to conform to the shape of the stock. I didn't read the article yet. The photo kind of threw me off of reading it.
Rick T.


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Rick, thanks. I appreciate the correction. As noted, I'm not an expert on trapdoors, and I have some reservations regarding Mr. Canfield's articles in general.

I hate to be too critical of Canfield, as this is an area in which it would be nice if some riflemen of stature were authoring some good texts. Canfield has stepped up to the plate, but I find that, where I know the story, he tends to miss stuff. My principal complaint with Canfield is that he seems to recycle the general encyclopedic firearms text, without bothering to really research the actualities of anything. Last month he authored an article on paratrooper weapons, for example, which was markedly that way, failing to accurately reflect the actual story of M-1 Garands in airborne units in particular, and the 1903 in US use in general. Given as none of that has much to do with cavalry, I'll forego complaining about it more, but I think it tends to be typical of Canfield's work.

Thanks again. I think this article will serve as a basic introduction to the trapdoor carbines to somebody who is largely unfamiliar with them, and also help demonstrate that everyone in the west wasn't packing a Winchester carbine. It will probably be like most Canfield pieces, however, in that if a person wants the detailed story they'll have to research it themselves.

Pat

[Pat Holscher]

New Zealand Mounted Corps web article

This is a link to an interesting article, apparently originally published in the early 70s, about the New Zealand Mounted Corps. The photographs accompanying it are also interesting.

I can't claim credit for finding this, as I picked up the link from the Universal Pattern Website.

http://www.equusplazanz.com/abouthorses/nzmr/


Pat

[Pat Holscher]

New Zealand Mounted Corps web article

This is a link to an interesting article, apparently originally published in the early 70s, about the New Zealand Mounted Corps. The photographs accompanying it are also interesting.

I can't claim credit for finding this, as I picked up the link from the Universal Pattern Website.

http://www.equusplazanz.com/abouthorses/nzmr/


Pat

[Pat Holscher]

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote><font size=1 face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>
Wyoming Law Review. Vol 1., No. 2. "Wyoming' Pioneers of Prohibition: The United States Army, The U.S. District Court, and Federal Enforcement of Laws Governing Morality" by Phil Roberts.

Ever on the look for the informative, arcane or unusual which may pertain, no matter how vaguely, I bring you a law review.

As many here undboutedly know, a law review is a periodical which deals with various legal topics. Usually the law review features articles by professors of law, a lawyer or two, and various students. The topics typically deal with such themes as the latest development in criminal law, or some new insurance case, or a tort or two.

Here, however, I have found something a little unusual, and possibly of interest to the student of the military unusual. Phil Roberts has authored this article in the current Wyoming Law Review (formally the Land & Water Law Review, formally the Wyoming Law Journal) dealing with, of all things, the study of the Army's role in laws governing alcohol and prostitution.

It is actually a pretty interesting article. The article goes into the early background of the Army's handling of vice. For example, the article deals with early efforts to detour soldiers from vice by making military reservations sufficiently large such that it was a long hike to endulge in it. It also details acts of Congress, starting in 1865 when Congress acted to ban whiskey sales from commissaries. By 1899 Congress had acted to ban the sale of intoxicating beverages by soldiers on post (as I read this, it wouldn't appear to ban civilian sales to soldiers).

None-the-less, the sales continued off post, and were a topic of Congressional action in the Progressive Era. At the start of World War I Congress acted to sell booze to a soldier entirely, expressing the viewpoint of Rep. Cooper of Ohio that "If my boy goes to the trenches of Europe and is killed in battle, I do not want him to be filled up with whiskey when he draws his last breath". A prohibition zone was set up around military installations banning the sale of alcohol and the maintenance of "bawdy houses". All in all, according to the author, the Army had a significant role in introducing prohibition to the minority of states which didn't have it at that time.

This article isn't for everyone, but it does present an interesting picture of one of the lesser discussed aspects of military life from 1865 to 1919. If anyone should wish to view the article, I certainly would just seek to obtain it alone, as a library reprint, or as an extract. A following article on the role of the Army in discovery and continental "fulfullment" is very disappointing, and it is doubtful that very many cavalry students are interested in Article 9 of the Uniform Commerical Code.

Pat
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Thought I'd bump this oddball article up as the topic of troops and booze has come up in the Traildrive grub thread. This article might be of use to anyone who was researching this rather narrow topic, although it is an interesting one. It's hard to imagine a group of troops in any era and not imagine some booze somewhere, and of course drinking is noted to have been a problem in the frontier Army.

Pat

[Pat Holscher]

Two magazine articles of interest:

Montana, Winter 2001:

Nelson A Miles, Crazy Horse, and the Battle of Wolf Mountains. Jeffrey V. Pearson. This isn't a cavalry article per se, but it does discuss one of the final actions of the Great Sioux War, of which the Battle of the The Little Big Horn is the most famous. An interesting article on the battle, which did feature the use of mounted infantry and artillery. Probably not an article somebody soley interested in cavalry would appreciate, however.

Sports Afield, January 2002:

Mountain Fighters, Mountain Men. Bob Butz. This is an article on the 10th Moutain Division in WWII. It is also not really an article on a cavalry theme, but it does have some minor entries on the 10ths use of horses and mules (indeed it claims the 10th was the last US division to use horses and mules for supply and scouting). The article features some interesting photographs including a mule with a tube of a small artillery piece being loaded on its back, a mule going through a field with snow up to its neck, and a sniper with a bow and arrow set he apparently actually carried afield. The article discusses the origin of the troops in this unit, which did feature a high percentage of outdoorsmen. It also advances the point, to a certain degree, that outdoorsmen and people employed in outdoor activities made superior troops in some instances, which used to be taken as a give, but has been criticized by some revisionists of late.

Pat

[Pat Holscher]

Two magazine articles of interest:

Montana, Winter 2001:

Nelson A Miles, Crazy Horse, and the Battle of Wolf Mountains. Jeffrey V. Pearson. This isn't a cavalry article per se, but it does discuss one of the final actions of the Great Sioux War, of which the Battle of the The Little Big Horn is the most famous. An interesting article on the battle, which did feature the use of mounted infantry and artillery. Probably not an article somebody soley interested in cavalry would appreciate, however.

Sports Afield, January 2002:

Mountain Fighters, Mountain Men. Bob Butz. This is an article on the 10th Moutain Division in WWII. It is also not really an article on a cavalry theme, but it does have some minor entries on the 10ths use of horses and mules (indeed it claims the 10th was the last US division to use horses and mules for supply and scouting). The article features some interesting photographs including a mule with a tube of a small artillery piece being loaded on its back, a mule going through a field with snow up to its neck, and a sniper with a bow and arrow set he apparently actually carried afield. The article discusses the origin of the troops in this unit, which did feature a high percentage of outdoorsmen. It also advances the point, to a certain degree, that outdoorsmen and people employed in outdoor activities made superior troops in some instances, which used to be taken as a give, but has been criticized by some revisionists of late.

Pat

[Pat Holscher]

The CMP's on-line magazine "The First Shot" has an article by Dick Culver, on PDF, regarding competitive shooting that some here may find of interest.

http://www.odcmp.org/202/

Pat

[Pat Holscher]

March 2002. Western Horseman.

The First Roundup In West Texas, by Stephen Zimmer.

This article details an attempt to roundup buffalo by Spanish soldiers in the southwest in 1599. It is a short, but interesting, article. It comes with a couple of drawing by Jose Cisneros from a book entitled "West's Riders Across the Centuries: Horsemen of the Spanish Borderlands". I'm unfamiliar with that book but the drawings (two) are interesting. I wonder if they are accurate?

Pat

[Light Dragoon]

Pat;

Jose Cisneros produced some wonderful illustrations of the West in the course of his career, some of them quite good. Unfortunately, most of them are, shall we say, rather fanciful, especially in regards to early Spanish explorers and soldiers.

LD

"After God, we owe our Victory to our Horses"

Gonsalo Jimenez de Quesada, 1543

[Ron Smith]

I srongly urge anyone interested in classical military equitation to read the article by Col. Christian Carde, Former director of Saumur; this is in the USDF Connection issue, January 2002.

It stresses the aspect of correct equitation as opposed to fad equitation (my words). This is a modern look at what is considered old hat by many so called trainers in Dressage. It is the way it should be, a very refreshing look at proper riding.

Regards,
Ron Smith

[Pat Holscher]

Montana. Vol 52, No. 1. Spring 2002

The Texas Ranger Tradition Established, Jack Hays and Walker Creek, by Robert M. Utley.

Mr. Utley, who I am sure is familiar to us all, has had this article, which is taken from an upcoming book on the Texas Rangers, printed here. This story is probably familiar to all of us here, but it is well told and interesting. It deals with the earliest history of the rangers, the personalities, the battle noted, their arms, etc.

Pat

[Joseph Sullivan]

PAt:

We have spme early Ranger-related stuff at the Haley, including Rip Ford's manuscript documents from the WBS and after. Also, Mike Cox, the author of our receltly published bibliography <i>More Basic Texas Books</i>is working on another Ranger history. Webb's <i>The Texas Rangers, A Century of Frontier Defense</i>, is still the definitive word, but even Webb himself found some fault with it in later years -- primarily that he felt that he had showed some bias against the Mexicans. Nevertheless, it is a fine work.

Joe

[Pat Holscher]

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PAt:

We have spme early Ranger-related stuff at the Haley, including Rip Ford's manuscript documents from the WBS and after. Also, Mike Cox, the author of our receltly published bibliography <i>More Basic Texas Books</i>is working on another Ranger history. Webb's <i>The Texas Rangers, A Century of Frontier Defense</i>, is still the definitive word, but even Webb himself found some fault with it in later years -- primarily that he felt that he had showed some bias against the Mexicans. Nevertheless, it is a fine work.

Joe


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Joe,

I appreciate that information. I will make an effort to locate a copy of Webb's book.

I have to admit here that I have never read a text on the Rangers. I have, of course, picked up bits and pieces from works on other topics, but I've never read one just on them. It sounds as if Utley's work will cover the same time perod as Webb's, ie., the first century. I'll go ahead and pick that one up as well, being familiar with his other books.

I had meant, some time ago, to pick up a copy of The Men Who Wear The Star, but it is already out of print. I could pick up a used one, but that makes me wonder, was the text a good one?

Pat