The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 62, July 1958 - April, 1959 Page: 306
617 p. : ill., maps, ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Southwestern Historical Quarterly
Two days before it adjourned, the First Congress passed an act to
fix the regular military establishment at one regiment of cavalry,
one of artillery, and four of infantry, in addition to a number of
staff positions.32 Since the indications are that the army was never
recruited, its control never presented any difficulties.
The chief executive still had the bull by the tail and sought
relief in his second alternative, sending an already disciplined
man to command the army. As early as December 22, he wrote
Albert Sidney Johnston in New Orleans to urge his prompt re-
turn, since he had been nominated for the grade of brigadier
general and was scheduled to command the army.a3 The Presi-
dent's problem was not yet fully solved, however, because when
General Johnston arrived at army headquarters, he received a
challenge from General Huston, and in the duel which fol-
lowed was wounded seriously enough to be delayed in exercis-
ing command.
There seems to have been no further serious trouble before the
Second Congress convened on May i. Affairs were still casual,
however, for General Felix Huston felt free to come to the capital
to seek congressional approval of the recurrently planned expedi-
tion to Matamoros. The President, taking advantage of Huston's
presence as his guest, directed that the secretary of war grant
indefinite furloughs to all but six hundred members of the army.34
Some six months later Congress made the action final when it
authorized the secretary of war to discharge all officers and en-
listed men then on furlough."
After May, 1837, the Republic of Texas was not seriously threat-
ened by her armed forces, but she was to continue reaping annoy-
ance from the short-term enlistees and militiamen called to active
service from time to time, and was far from being rid of insubor-
dination and self-seeking among the officers. Although control of
the army had not been assured, an act creating a Corps of Regular
Cavalry, passed in May, 1838, showed one ingenious attempt to
32Gammel, Laws of Texas, I, 1223-1224.
33Houston to Johnston, December 22, 1836 (Miscellaneous Microfilm Collection,
William Preston and Albert Sidney Johnston Papers, Barker Texas History Center,
University of Texas).
34Llerena B. Friend, Sam Houston: the Great Designer (Austin, 1954), 87.
38Gammel, Laws of Texas, I, 1353-306
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 62, July 1958 - April, 1959, periodical, 1959; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101173/m1/369/: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.