The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 55, July 1951 - April, 1952 Page: 519

Book Reviews

live in Texas with so little communication with other thoughtful
Texans? Was he able, in so much communication with Europe,
to ignore so many aspects of science and philosophy? In this book
he seems to live so by choice and indulge his ignorance deliber-
ately. These facts would not necessarily diminish his stature.
They would separate him, nevertheless, from the list of intellec-
tual Texans headed by Ashbel Smith and characterized mainly
by a combination of intense concern for immediate affairs and
a wide-mindedeness that included the whole republic of thought
and letters.
HARRY RANSOM
The University of Texas
History of Fort Sam Houston. By Mary Olivia Handy. San An-
tonio (The Naylor Company), 1951. Pp. 111. Illustrations.
$2.00.
Mary Olivia Handy has been closely associated with the army
throughout her life. She was born at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas,
and has lived at various army posts in the United States. Miss
Handy's father, General Thomas T. Handy, was commander of
the Fourth Army, with headquarters at Fort Sam Houston, dur-
ing the time The History of Fort Sam Houston was being written.
It was quite fitting that Mary Handy should record the history
of the army post in which she had such personal interest and
about which she had so much direct knowledge.
Ten pages of interesting photographs, depicting some of the
highlights in the history of the post, precede the 111-page book.
The first part of the book concerns the early history of San An-
tonio-"the settlement which was a post before it became a town."
As early as February, 1846, the citizens of San Antonio offered
land for the establishment of a permanent military installation,
but it was not until many years later, in May, 1875, that construc-
tion was actually begun on the Quadrangle, the first building of
the new post. A quartermaster depot and arsenal were established
in San Antonio in 1846 and 1855, respectively. Troops were quar-
tered in temporary barracks in the town proper. In 1849 the
quartermaster depot became headquarters for the Eighth Military
District, and since that time, San Antonio has almost continuously

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