April 2016 - Fort Concho National Historic Landmark

Fort Concho Museum
April 2016
Non Profit Org.
Fort Concho Dispatch
Sgt. Major’s Desk
U.S. Postage
Paid
San Angelo, Texas
Permit No. 60
National Historic Landmark
630 South Oakes
San Angelo, Texas 76903
SEND TO:
“ Politics: A strife of interests
Masquerading as a contest of principles.
The conduct of public affairs
For private advantage.”
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Questions and comments can be directed to the above personnel by calling Fort Concho at —
325-657-4443 or 325-657-4444.
E-mail—[email protected]//WEB:: www.fortconcho.com
The Fort Concho Dispatch may also be viewed on our website.
Look for us on Facebook.
Sic Semper Tyrannis
Robert Bluthardt……….….Sgt.Major//Site Manager
Christopher Morgan….…Ordnance//Quartermaster//Artillery//Education
Paul Cook……………………..…Staff Liaison//Buffalo Soldiers//Stable Sgt.
Cory Robinson…………….…Staff Liaison//Cavalry//Baseball
King Walker…..….……..…...Sgt//Company F, 16th
Ron Perry………...………..….…1st Sgt//Company D, 4th
Rick Brown……………………...1st Sgt//Company A, 10th
Amy Bishop……………………...Schoolmarm
Ambrose Beirce
Upcoming Events
April 1-3//Stribling Art Show
Fort Concho
April 6, 13, 20, 27//Speaker Series
Fort Concho
April 8-9//Brady Living History Event
Brady, Texas
April 21-23//Regional Cavalry Competition
Fort Concho
April 30//Frontier Day at Fort Concho
Our thanks to fort staff and volunteers who
travelled to Fort Clark on March 4-5 and enjoyed a very well run event that hosted hundreds of school kids on Friday and many quests
on Saturday. Dates for next year are March 3-4.
Two dozen ladies enjoyed the School of the
Victorian Lady on March 11-13 and on Saturday sixteen men took part in the School of the
Soldier. And we appreciate the artillery crewmembers, mortar crew, vintage baseball players
and others who assisted over the spring break
week of March 14-20. Mostly pleasant weather
saw many quests enjoy the demonstrations
throughout the week. Brady’s annual event
( second year! ) happens on April 8-9 and we
have a new baseball history//vintage baseball
event here on April 15-16. See enclosed info.
Some of our vintage base ball players will travel
to Farmers Branch on April 2 for a series of
games; contact Cory Robinson at
[email protected] for details. The regional US Cavalry Competition takes place on
April 20-23 with pre-event instruction on the
20th and memorial ceremony on the 24th.
Schedule is posted on our website at
fortconcho.com. All mounted living history
people are invited. Dismounted living history
welcome too to set up camp and visit with
quests. And we end the month with our second
largest event of the year, Frontier Day, on Saturday, April 30, with breakfast at 6.30 am and a
morning of demonstrations, crafts, games, vintage baseball, drills and entertainment. A salute
our friend in Lubbock, Ray Thomas, who coordinated an outstanding 1916 living history camp
in Columbus, NM ( continued on page 2 )
( continued from page 1 ) to mark the centennial of the Pancho Villa raid on that town. Several
dozen living history people participated along with hundreds of modern military and special quests.
Our reconstruction project for Barracks & Mess Halls 3 & 4 has an architect selected and as soon as
we get a contract approved by City Council, the planning can begin! And on April 5 we hope to have
Council approve an architect for the Visitor Center improvement project for Barracks 1 & 2. SAVE
THE DATE: Annual Volunteer Party is set for Saturday, October 1, evening, Barracks 6. Details to
come later in the year. Thank you for your service. See you at the fort or on the road!
1890 Enchilada Sauce ( modified )
3 tblspns Bacon Grease
1 medium Onion, chopped
4 Garlic Cloves, chopped
1-28 oz can Whole Tomatoes
1-14 oz can Whole Tomatoes
14 oz Water
2 tspn Salt
1/4 tspn Pepper
1 Ancho-chili pepper
2 tspn Chili Powder
1 tspn Sugar
Sauté onion and garlic in bacon grease. Add tomatoes and water.
Drop in chili pod. ( do not remove skin ) Bring to a boil, lower
heat and simmer until tomatoes and chili pod cook to a mush.
About an hour. Sieve through a colander or puree in a blender
Return to saucepan. Add chili powder, sugar and more water
to desired thickness. Bring slowly to a boil and then let cool.
Presidential Trivia: Lyndon Baines Johnson was the
36th president of the United States from November 22, 1963—
January 20, 1969. Johnson was born August 27, 1908 in Stonewall, Texas, the oldest of five children. In school, Johnson was
an awkward, talkative youth and was elected president of his
11th grade class. At age 15, he was the youngest member of his
graduating high school class ( 1924 ). In 1926 he enrolled at
Texas State University and participated in debates and campus
politics. He was also the editor of the school newspaper, The
College Star. Graduating in 1930, he became a teacher in Pearsall, Texas and later moved to Houston to teach public speaking. Johnson married Claudia Alta Taylor “ Lady Bird “ on November 17, 1934 after he attended Georgetown University Law
Center for several months. They had two daughters, Lynda Bird
and Luci Baines. From April 1937 to January 1949 he served as
a congressman from Texas’s 10th congressional district. In 1941, Johnson ran for the US senate and
lost to the sitting governor and radio personality, W Lee “ Pappy “ O’Daniel. 1n 1940, Johnson was
appointed a Lt Commander in the US Naval Reserve and was called to active duty three days after
the attack on Pearl Harbor. Johnson was sent as an observer by MacArthur to determine the needs
of the US troops fighting in the Pacific theater. The B-26 he was flying in was damaged by enemy fire
and was almost shot down but made it back to friendly lines. Johnson was released from active duty
in July 1942, promoted to Commander in October 1949 and resigned from the Navy Reserve in
1964. In 1948, Johnson ran and won a seat in the US Senate. A 60-cigarette per day smoker, Johnson suffered a near-fatal heart attack on June 2, 1955 and as a result quit smoking cold turkey. He
did not resume the habit until he left the White House in 1969. From 1961– 1963 , Johnson was the
Vice-President of the United States. He sought to delegate more authority to the traditionally ineffective nature of the office. He was appointed by Kennedy to be the Chairman of the National Aeronautics Space Council and tasked with catching up and beating the Soviet Union in the “ Space Race “.
Even though the Kennedy clan disliked Johnson, they needed him to garner favor amongst southern
voters. Johnson was quickly sworn in on Air Force One in Dallas on November 22, 1963, just 2
hours and 8 minutes after Kennedy was assassinated. On November 29, 1963, Johnson issued an
executive order to rename NASA’s Apollo Launch Operations Center and the NASA/Air Force
Cape Canaveral launch facilities as the John F Kennedy Space Center. Johnson oversaw the Revenue
Act of 1964 that would reduce the budget below $100 billion and cut taxes. Johnson worked 18-20
hours a day and was apparently absent of any leisure activities. The Civil Rights Bill was passed in
1964 after some 15 years of being rejected by the House and Senate. Johnson won the 1964 presidency by a landslide 61 percent of the vote with 44 states. In 1967, Johnson nominated Thurgood
Marshall, the first African-American to the Supreme Court. In 1969, Johnson became the first president to witness a rocket launch. During his presidency, Johnson issued 1187 pardons, granting over
20 percent of such requests. Failing health and low approval ratings dictated his not running for reelection. Lyndon Baines Johnson died on January 22, 1973. He is buried in his family cemetery
which is located in Stonewall, Texas on the family ranch. The ranch , donated by Johnson to the
state of Texas is now a National Historical Park.
Bullets
A bullet is a projectile propelled by a firearm, sling, slingshot or airgun.
The history of bullets far predates the history of firearms. Originally, bullets
were made of stone or purpose-made clay balls used as sling ammunition, as
weapons and for hunting. Eventually as firearms were developed, these same
items were placed in front of a propellant charge of gunpowder at the end of
a closed tube. As firearms became more technologically advanced, from 1500 to 1800, bullets changed very
little. They remained simple round lead balls, differing only in their diameter. The development of the hand
culverin and matchlock arquebus brought about the use of cast lead balls as projectiles. “ Bullet “ is derived
from the French word boulette which roughly means little ball. The original musket bullet was a spherical
lead ball smaller than the bore, wrapped in a loosely fitted paper patch which served to hold the bullet in the
barrel firmly upon the powder. ( Bullets that were not firmly upon the powder on
firing risked causing the barrel to explode, with the condition known as a short
start.) The first half of the 19th century saw a distinct change in the shape and function of the bullet. In 1826, Delvigne, a French infantry officer, invented a breech
with abrupt shoulders on which a spherical bullet was rammed down until it caught
the rifling grooves. Delvigne’s method, however deformed the bullet and was inaccurate. Square bullets, invented by James Puckle and Kyle Tunis, were briefly used in one version of the
Puckle gun. The use of these was soon discontinued due to irregular and unpredictable flight patterns.
Among the first pointed or “ conical “ bullets were those designed by Captain John Norton of the British
Army in 1823. The soft lead Minie was introduced in 1847 and a similar bullet called the Nessler ball was
developed for smoothbore muskets. Between 1854 and 1857, Sir Thomas Whitworth conducted a long series of rifle experiments, and proved the advantages of a smaller bore and an elongated bullet. About 1862,
W.E. Metford carried out exhaustive experiments on bullets and rifling and invented the system of light rifling with increasing spiral and a hardened bullet. The next important change occurred in 1882, when Major
Eduard Rubin, director of the Swiss Army Laboratory, invented the copper-jacketed bullet with a lead core.
The surface of lead bullets fired at high velocity may melt due to hot gasses behind and friction with the
bore. Because copper is harder and has a higher melting point, this allows greater muzzle velocities. European advances in aerodynamics led to pointed “ spitzer “ bullets and the latest development was the “ boattail “ design around 1901 invented by a LTC Desaleux. Bullet designs have to solve two primary problems.
In the barrel, they must first form a seal with the gun’s bore. If a strong seal is not achieved, gas from the
propellant charge leaks past the bullet, thus reducing efficiency and accuracy. The bullet must also engage
the rifling without damaging or excessively fouling the gun’s bore and without distorting the bullet, which
will also reduce accuracy. Bullets must have a surface which will form this seal without causing excessive
friction. The primary factors affecting the aerodynamics of a bullet in flight are the bullet’s shape and the
rotation imparted by the rifling of the gun barrel. Rotational forces stabilize the bullet gyroscopically as well
as aerodynamically . Any
asymmetry in the bullet is
largely cancelled as it spins.
Generally, bullet shapes are a
compromise between aerodynamics, interior ballistics
( barrel ) and terminal ballistics. ( flight )
School of the Soldier
16 soldiers from various units and time lines attended the
School of the Soldier held at Fort Concho on March 12. Captain
Ragan and 1st Sgt Gonzales drilled the troops on the finer details
of proper etiquette for morning and evening colors. Thanks to
Chris Morgan of the Fort Concho Commissary for providing
breakfast and lunch. As Napoleon Bonaparte said,” an army
marches on its stomach.” Sgt Phillips provided an air of military
flair with his bugle and Mother Nature was most compliant with
moderate weather. A good day for all.
Tattoos Tattooing has been practiced around the globe since Neolithic times as evidenced by
mummified preserved skin, ancient art and the archaeological record. The oldest discovery of tattooed human skin dates to between 3370 and 3100 BC. Tattoos have been used as cultural symbols
among tribal peoples as well as caste-based populations. Many cultures used tattoos as a symbol of
status or for healing. Sometimes even as a form of punishment. Prisoners were often tattooed with a
symbol that represented their crime. During the gradual process of Christianization in Europe, tattoos were often considered remaining elements of paganism and generally legally prohibited. The
word tattoo comes from the Samoan word “ tatau “. In the period shortly after the American Revolution, to avoid impressments by British Navy ships, sailors used government issued protection papers
to establish their American citizenship. However, many of the descriptions of the individual described in the seaman’s protection certificates were so general and it was easy to abuse the system,
that many impressments officers of the Royal Navy simply paid no attention to them. One way of
making them more specific and more effective was to describe a tattoo, which is highly personal as to
subject and location and thus used that description to precisely identify the seaman. As a result, many
of the official certificates also carried information about tattoos and scars, as well as other specific
identifying information. This also led to an increase and proliferation of tattoos among American
seamen who wanted to avoid impressments. During this period, tattoos were not popular with the
rest of the country, and rarely did the general public adorn themselves with tattoos. Using simple
techniques and tools, tattoo artists in the early republic typically worked on board ships using anything available as pigments, even gunpowder. Men marked their arms and hands with their initials or
those of a loved one, significant dates, symbols of seafaring life, liberty poles, crucifixes and other
symbols. That tattooing was somehow reintroduced to the Western world is a myth. Tattooing has
been present in Western society from the beginnings of society in ancient Greece. During the classic
Greek period, tattoos were only common among slaves. Although Captain James Cook’s voyages to
the South Pacific imported the word tatau, tattooing was not novel at the time. A long history of
European tattoo predated these voyages including pilgrimage tattooing in the Holy Land and at sites
in Europe and tattoos on explorers among Native Americans. The first documented professional
tattoo artist in the USA was Martin Hildebrandt, a German immigrant who arrived in Boston in
1846. Between 1861 and 1865, he tattooed soldiers from both North and South. Because it was so
painful and expensive, tattoos became a mark of wealth for the crowned heads of Europe. The oldest direct proof of tattooing in Europe appears on Otzi the Iceman who was found in the Otz valley
in the Alps and dates from the 4th millennium BC. Studies have revealed 61 carbon-ink tattoos.
Among Native American tribes, tattoos were a means by both men and women to identify their tribal
affiliation or as a means to commemorate an event. Warriors would often get a tattoo to show off
their battle prowess. With many tribes a tattoo was done to enhance ones natural features and to ensure passage into the afterlife. Many times a tattoo was given as a means to ward off illness or evil
spirits and demons. Once thought off as deviant and immoral, tattooing in the modern world is generally accepted by all classes of citizens with varying degrees. Even modern medicine has adopted
tattooing as a means to cover scars, disfigurements and other skin conditions. So if you want to get a
tattoo, go for it. Even though tattoos can be removed, the process is very expensive and is much
more painful than the experience of the tattoo itself. So if you are going to get a tattoo, make sure it is
something you can live with.