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

• 11 • RECOLLECTIONS,1874–91 F or Walter Lane, the decision to retire from the adventurer’s life was not a conscious one. Joining expeditions was very much a younger man’s business, but the old general occasionally felt that familiar yearning for the elsewhere. In 1877, at age sixty, Lane wrote to the state adjutant general, offering his services for the field, if the occasion required.1 In 1886, when he did not receive the Citizens’ Party nomination for tax collector, he threatened to sell his house and move west—a few months shy of his seventieth birthday. Although he may not have accepted it, Lane was too old to endure an adventurous life. In order to exorcize those old demons, he met with his fellow veterans and retired adventurers, to wax romantic about the days of San Jacinto and the harsh years of the Civil War. Instead of performing feats of manliness, veterans would swap tales of past exploits, which testified to their manliness. Lane attained a reputation as a storyteller, placed his recollections in print, and contributed to the creation of Texas lore. In September 1872, some thirty veterans of the Texas Revolution gathered at the Navarro County Fair in Corsicana, and they called to their old comrades to meet at the state fair in Houston. The reunion attracted “the largest collection of the old veterans since the battle of San Jacinto,” a report boasted.GeneralLaneattendedthemeeting,andhiscomradesplacedhimon a distinguished panel to review a pre-drawn constitution. The next day, the veterans approved the bylaws and proceeded to elect officers. They selected Francis W. Johnson president and William J. Russell first vice-president. Both men had participated in the so-called Anahuac disturbances in 1832 and fought during the siege of Béxar in 1835. For second-vice president, the group elected Walter Lane.2 CHAPTER 11 168 Although Lane insisted on calling the group, “the San Jacinto Veterans ,” membership in the Texas Veteran Association included all soldiers and sailors, as well as appointed and elected officials of the old republic. By design, it was largely a male organization. Jerome B. Robertson recognized this fact when he introduced a resolution to “the surviving pioneer women.” He reminded his comrades that the ladies “were sharers in the trials and privations of that period, and whose patriotism was equal to the occasion.” Although the veterans adopted the resolution with its “kindest regards and remembrances,” its inclusion demonstrated the veterans’ intention to maintain a masculine environment.3 Like other veteran groups, the Texas association served a practical function —namely, lobbying lawmakers to grant pensions to former soldiers. For Lane, however, visiting with his old comrades was the primary draw.4 One of the stated objects of the association was sponsoring state and local gatherings of veterans, for “a more intimate acquaintance and intercourse for mutual assistance and pleasure.” In 1874, at the second annual meeting in Houston, Lane met his old comrades Robert K. Goodloe, Young P. Alsbury, and William Crittenden. In the intervening four decades, he had sporadically encountered these men, but under the auspices of the Texas Veteran Association, they could look forward to a more regular fellowship and reminisce about more vital days. As a reporter at the 1886 Dallas reunion noted, these reunions “made the old men feel as young.”5 The events also reinforced the old bonds of manly affection. As one of his closest companions, Mary Jane witnessed the warm expressions of friendship that passed between the general and his friends. She observed the moments when “the old veterans and his [Lane’s] comrades in the various relations of his life would meet him. With the former, it is with the tenderest love, as if perhaps it might be the last time they would ever see him this side of the grave, with the latter, it is a comingled [sic] feelings of great love respect and admiration.”6 In addition to the old, Lane formed new friendships. As an officer, he corresponded regularly with other leaders of the association. For example, the general exchanged letters with Moses Austin Bryan for over fifteen years. At first, the two communicated with the cordiality of businessmen, but expressions of friendship later emerged. In 1885, while preparing for one of the reunions, Lane encouraged Bryan, “Work up fast and let us have a good time.” When Bryan claimed that he would not attend, the general emphatically implored, “It wont [sic] do. You must come.” A warm relationship developed between Lane...

Share