The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 93, July 1989 - April, 1990 Page: 167
598 p. : ill. (some col.), maps, ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Army and Politics of Expanszon
needed every ally it could get. As such, the Texas congressional delega-
tion demanded vigorous action along the Rio Grande in return for sup-
porting pro-army measures.46
The issue also suggests that the beliefs of no single leader dominated
the post-Civil War army. Although Sherman and Sheridan each left
his mark on the army, their subordinates often disagreed with their
views on military affairs. This lack of unanimity did not necessarily lead
to outright insubordination; it did, however, make consistent planning
extremely difficult.47
Corruption, factionalism, and rampant patronage often tainted poli-
tics during the Gilded Age. Such excesses inevitably affected the army.
That American society produced men who wanted to share in the prof-
its of western settlement is not surprising; that it produced ambitious
men who saw their personal advancement as equivalent to the national
interest was also to be expected. At the same time, however, the army's
involvement in the southwest borderlands after the Civil War shows
that crass opportunism did not determine the actions of every officer.
Federal authorities frequently left the interpretation and implementa-
tion of policy to the military. Within this context, the army could have
precipitated a war with Mexico. A number of military men were not
interested in such a conflict, even though it might have helped them
regain what they perceived to be their proper position in society. That
they would go to great lengths to please political allies in Texas was
clear; that they would risk a war to regain their lost prestige was a dif-
ferent matter.
46Schleicher to Sherman, Apr 2, 1877, XLVI, Sherman Papers (UT, reel 24); Sherman to
Sheridan, Nov. 29, 1877, XC, ibid (reel 45)
7 For a more extensive examination of the role of individual leaders in the army after the
Civil War, see Wooster, The Mzlitary and U S. Indian Polzcy For a different view, see Hutton, Phzl
Sheridan.167
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 93, July 1989 - April, 1990, periodical, 1990; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101213/m1/207/: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.