The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 80, July 1976 - April, 1977 Page: 244
492 p. : ill. (some col.), maps, ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Southwestern Historical Quarterly
A Yankee Guerrillero. By Thomas W. Crouch. (Memphis: Memphis State
University Press, 1975. Pp. vii+ I65. Illustrations, bibliography, index.
$8.95.)
Frederick Funston of Kansas lived adventures straight out of the fiction
so dear to young readers in his lifetime. Funston did scientific field work
in Alaska Territory as a young man, fought with the Cuban rebels in
1896-1897, and played a major role in the Philippine Insurrection after
1898. He helped save San Francisco after the earthquake of 1906, and
undoubtedly would have been a hero in World War I had he not died
early in 1917.
This little book covers Funston's activities with the Cuban rebels. It
gives much detail on the use and care of artillery, camp life, and methods
of surviving in jungles. Crouch also depicts some unfamiliar aspects of the
insurrection. He uses Funston to illustrate how the rebels evaded American
neutrality laws to bring men and materiel to Cuba. He concludes that the
rebel leaders meant to destroy Cuba's economy and demoralize her popula-
tion if that was necessary to exhaust Spain or provoke American interven-
tion. He only skirts conflicts of aim and personality among the Cubans, but
clearly delineates their military actions during Funston's service. He also
quotes Funston's criticisms of the guerrillas for wastefulness, disorganiza-
tion, and dangerous indifference to sanitation and health care. Funston was
a volunteer soldier, but understood that the best guerrillas were careful and
competent soldiers in another guise, however committed to the unusual or
unexpected action. Many a traditional commander has learned this at great
cost since then.
Crouch tells an interesting story and has used a variety of source ma-
terials. His focus is narrow and often too detailed. He does not analyze
the story's ramifications for diplomatic or military history often enough.
But the book is a useful case study of nineteenth-century guerrilla combat,
and adds to our understanding of the conflict that became the Spanish-
American War.
University of Oklahoma H. WAYNE MORGAN
The Texas Rangers: Their First 150 Years. By John L. Davis. (San An-
tonio: Institute of Texan Cultures, 1975. Pp. 114. Photographs.
$5.95.)
Probably only the Alamo exceeds the Texas Rangers in statewide his-
torical interest. Early in their history of more than 150 years the Rangers
attained an enviable reputation for courageous and effective law enforce-244
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 80, July 1976 - April, 1977, periodical, 1976/1977; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101204/m1/276/?rotate=180: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.