In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

232Southwestern Hütorical QuarterlyOctober realize that they are perfectly content to stick with die old Bardett, the one they already know, the man of die Southwest. Texas Slate University-San MarcosJames McWilliams TheFirst TexasNavy. ByJohn Powers. (Austin: Woodmont Books, 2006. Pp. 320. Maps, appendices, notes, bibliography, index. ISBN 0966962222. $49.00, cloth.) Before the appearance of air power, Annapolis lecturer Capt. Alfred Thayer Mahan argued that prosperity rested on security afforded by a strong navy. Fifty-five years before publication ofMahan's strategic treatise, the Texas Committee ofNaval Affairs recommended the establishment ofa naval force. Texas's lifeline, stretched between New Orleans and the Texas coast, was vulnerable to Mexican war vessels. In a determination to slough off Mexican rule, Texas had to create its own navy in order to keep open die supply lanes between Texas and the sympadietic world at large (or at least enterprising merchants willing to supply the cash-strapped revolutionaries). In The First Texas Navy, former Texas Court ofAppealsjudge and retired naval captain John Powers has focused on the formation and exploits of Texas's first combat fleet, beginningwith the acquisition ofthe schooner Liberty in New Orleans inJanuary 1836 and ending with the loss of its last fleet vessel in an October 1837 storm. It is a turbulent history of a small navy imperiled by inadequate funding, insufficient staffing and supplies, and personality clashes, but never wanting for courage. By the end ofJanuary 1836, Texas could boast of a four-schooner fleet, two of which were direct purchases in New Orleans (the Liberty and the Independence). One (the Brutus) entered service through letters of marque while another (the Invincible) came by purchase from a coastal merchandise import firm. Disposition of this fleet provoked controversy and quarrels widiin die struggling government. Broadside exchanges between die men serving aboard the Liberty and two other vessels presented disagreements over issues ofpride and protocol. Ship commanders feuded with each other and in one instance, delayed a change of command. In May 1837 Pres. Sam Houston vetoed a congressional resolution to order Texas's remaining two vessels into Mexican waters on a diplomatic mission. Rejecting congressional intrusion on his commander-in-chief prerogatives, Houston then ordered the fleet on an extended campaign off the Yucatán accompanied by Sec. of the Navy S. Rhoads Fisher. Although both vessels returned, Fisher's career was over following a senate trial at the behest ofHouston, prompted by matters arising out of a personal quarrel. Adding to these difficulties were problems of outfitting and maintaining war vessels. While private subscriptions saved the Brutus and the Invincible from fatal attachments for repairs in New York, Texas lost the Liberty in 1 836 to creditors for repairs in New Orleans. "Navies, then as now, are notoriously expensive" (p. 4), Powers reminds us. The First Texas Navy is a well-researched, straightforward history augmenting traditional landlocked studies of the revolution in Texas. Beginning with a concise 2007Book Reviews233 summary ofTexas's revolutionary circumstances, Powers presents in six chapters a bird's-eye understanding ofthe war at sea as he mingles commanders and missions ofall active vessels. Two chapters are devoted to the naval inquiries into Capt. Henry Thompson's loss of the Invincibleand Secretary Fisher's curious affair. Powers makes no exaggerated claims for the accomplishments of these brave men, yet one cannot dismiss his postscript assessment. Seaborne resupply, protection of coastal residents, recognition of Texas's belligerent status, and similar issues would have been more complicated without the presence of this abbreviated armada, whose total service enrollment at any one point would have numbered less than theAlamo roll call. Houston and Fisher may have collided over naval funding, but die SanJacinto victors had no misgivings about sharing battlefield spoils with their seafaring comrades. To a financially desperate navy, the army awarded $3,000 of Santa Anna's gold. To paraphrase Winston Churchill, in Texas's revolutionary struggle, so much is owed to these few. Such homage, however, must yield annually to the chants of the faithful amid renewed strife: Go Army, Beat Navy. Austin Community CollegeBob Cavendish Reluctant Rebels: TheEleventh Texas Cavalry Regiynent. By Allen G. Hadey. (Hillsboro, Texas: Hill College Press, 2006. Pp. 191. Illustrations...

pdf

Share