Vol. 24, No. 2, Fall 1994
Table of Contents
"Floating a Republican Idea: Jefferson's Gunboats at New Orleans," by Gene A. Smith
ABSTRACT: This article examines the relationship between Thomas
Jefferson's ideas about gunboats and defense and the implementation,
albeit on a small scale, of his defensive scheme prior to the
battle of New Orleans. The geography of the Gulf coast made
Jefferson's multifarious plan for defense reasonable.
KEYWORDS: Gunboats, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas ap Catesby Jones,
Republican Ideology
"Santa Anna's Greatest Weapon: The Effect of Disease on the American Soldier During the Mexican War," by James M. McCaffrey
ABSTRACT: Like all American wars before the mid-twentieth
century, the Mexican War saw more soldiers die of disease than
of hostile action. Lack of concern for personal hygiene, the
inexact state of medical education, and the occasional shortage
of medicines all contributed to the death toll.
KEYWORDS: Mexican War, Santa Anna, Disease, Military Medicine
"'I Long to Return to Fort Concho': Acting Assistant Surgeon Samuel Smith's Letters from the Texas Military Frontier, 1878-1879," edited by John Neilson
ABSTRACT: In the late 1870s, Dr. Samuel L. S. Smith (1844-1925),
a U.S. Army surgeon serving in frontier Texas, wrote a series of
poignant letters to his family in Indiana. Rich in the details of
the daily affairs of an army surgeon, these previously unpublished
accounts offer fresh insight and new perspectives into frontier
military and pioneer conditions.
KEYWORDS: Military Medicine, Indian Wars, Frontier, Fort Concho