Texans and War

Beginning with tribal wars among Native Americans before Europeans settled Texas and continuing through the Civil War the soil of what would become the Lone Star State has frequently been stained by the blood of those contesting for control of its resources. In subsequent years and continuing to the present its citizens have often taken up arms beyond its borders in pursuit of political values and national defense. Although historians have studied the role of the state and its people in war for well over a century a wealth of topics remain that deserve greater attention: Tejanos in World War II the common Texas soldier&;s interaction with foreign enemies the perception of Texas warriors throughout the world the role of religion among Texans who fight or contemplate fighting controversial paramilitary groups in Texas the role and effects of Texans&; ethnicity culture and gender during wartime to name a few. In Texans at War fourteen scholars provide new studies perspectives and historiographies to extend the understanding of this important field. One of the largest collections of original scholarship on this topic to date Texans and War will stimulate useful conversation and research among historians students and interested general readers. In addition the breadth and originality of its contributions provide a solid overview of emerging perspectives on the military history and historiography of Texas and the region.  CONTENTS List of Illustrations                                                                                                     ixAcknowledgments                                                                                                     xiIntroduction                                                                                                               1Alexander Mendoza and Charles David GrearPART  I. Texans Fighting through Time: Thematic Topics1. The Indian Wars of Texas: A Lipan Apache Perspective                                    17                 Thomas A Britten2. Tejanos at War: A History of Mexican Texans in American Wars                      38                Alexander Mendoza3. Texas Women at War                                                                                         69                Melanie A Kirkland4. The Influence of War and Military Service on African Texans                           97                Alwyn  Barr5. The Patriot-Warrior Mystique: John S.  Brooks Walter P. LaneSamuel H. Walker and the Adventurous Quest for Renown                                113                Jimmy L. Bryan  Jr.6. All Eyes of Texas Are on Comal County: German Texans'' Loyaltyduring the Civil War and World War I                                                                   133                Charles David  Grear PART II. Wars in Texas History: Chronological Conflicts 7. Between Imperial Warfare: Crossing of the Smuggling Frontierand Transatlantic Commerce on the Louisiana-Texas Borderlands1754-1785                                                                                                             157                  Francis X. Galan 8. The Mexican-American War: Reflections on an Overlooked Conflict                178                  Kendall Milton 9. The Prolonged War: Texans Struggle to Win the Civil War during Reconstruction                                                                                            196                  Kenneth W. Howell                                                                             10. The Texas lmmunes in the Spanish-American War                                         213                 James M. McCaffrey11. Surveillance on the Border: American Intelligence andthe Tejano Community during World War I                                                            227                 Jose  A. Ramirez12. Texan Prisoners of the Japanese: A Study in Survival                                    248                  Kelly E. Crager13. Lyndon B. Johnson''s Bitch of a War: An Antiwar Essay                                  269                  James M. Smallwood14. Black Paradox in the Age of Terrorism: Military Patriotismor Higher Education?                                                                                              283                  Ronald E. GoodwinContributors                                                                                                            297Index                                                                                                                       301