The Land of Opportunity

[David]

chilidog

Registered to :Aug 22, 2001
Messages :100
From :Baton Rouge, LA USA
Posted 02-09-2001 at 23:40
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John S. Ford was born in South Carolina in 1815. He moved to Texas at age 17 and served 2 years in the Texas Army. Next, he practiced medicine for 10 years, then was elected to the Texas legislature at age 29. He fought in the Mexican War, then his explorations in West Texas helped open the Ford and Neighbors Trail (age 34). He became a captain in the Texas Rangers, then was elected to the Texas Senate at age 37. He served for the duration of the Civil War and commanded the Confederate forces in the last recorded battle of the war, which was fought one month after Gen. Lee surrendered. After the war, he was the mayor of Brownsville, TX, a state senator, and the superintendent of the Texas Deaf and Dumb school. Also mixed in his long career, he was the editor of 3 different news papers.
Whew! What a guy.

chilidog


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Tamaroa

Registered to :Aug 21, 2001
Messages :35
From :West Haverstraw, NY
Posted 04-09-2001 at 13:33
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If you look at what he did during his life, he would probably be classified as a renaissance man today. Trouble is there were so many others cut from the same cloth as Ford during the 19th century, how do you explain the lack of the same kind of people today? I think we are actually regressing in many ways.

Certainly half the people in congress today are nowhere near the role models that they ought to be. On the Yankee side one of my favorite officers is Caspar Tyler, Lt. Col. of the 141st Pa. He was a lawyer before the war, wounded 4 times, owned 2 papers in Crawford county. He was on the Meadville city council and was elected to the Pennsylvanis legislature. Ford and Tyler were seemed to be the norm amongst educated folk back then.

What can you say about the same class of people now?


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chilidog

Registered to :Aug 22, 2001
Messages :100
From :Baton Rouge, LA USA
Posted 04-09-2001 at 14:01
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Its the credentials. Look at Ford. He came to Texas when he was 17. He served 2 years in the Army of Texas, then practiced medicine for 10 years before going into politics. He couldn't have had very much education, and certainly not a college degree. A person in these days with his education wouldn't have a chance of doing any of the things he did, except the soldiering part.

chilidog


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Tamaroa

Registered to :Aug 21, 2001
Messages :35
From :West Haverstraw, NY
Posted 05-09-2001 at 22:54
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Just came back from my Civil War Round Table Meeting.Guess what the subject was? the CW in the SW. I asked the speaker Steve Laird to e mail me his bibliography for you. He discussed Baylor, et al. Maybe there will be something there to help you?

Bill
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"Sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug."


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chilidog

Registered to :Aug 22, 2001
Messages :100
From :Baton Rouge, LA USA
Posted 06-09-2001 at 09:46
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The topic was the Southwest, huh? Sounds like "da-jaw-view." Why don't you start a new tread about the round table? I've heard about them for years, but I don't know anything about them. What do they do? How often do they meet?
I've browsed through the member's list and I noticed that several new members are interested in Civil War; they can jump in any time now too.

chilidog


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Tamaroa

Registered to :Aug 21, 2001
Messages :35
From :West Haverstraw, NY
Posted 06-09-2001 at 20:53
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Civil War Round Tables are clubs that usually meet once a month except in the summer to discuss the war. We meet 10 times a year. Usually 2 or 3 meetings are conducted by the members themselves in terms of lectures, etc. The remainder of the meetings are speakers that we get. Some are National Park Historians, some are authors and quite a few are descendants of famous soldiers. We have three trips a year on the agenda. One in the spring to go to a Civil War battlefield. One in the fall where we go to Gettysburg. We adopted the monument for the 124th NYV. We clean it up and the surrounding area every year. then we usually do something in July local to New York and the Civil War. They are not for profit organizations. any money we collect via dues, donations or whatever goes to battleflag or battlefield preservation. I have given several lectures. We pool our speakers as well. I have presented talks in Westchester County and Connecticut. They really are a blast. Here is our web site, please enjoy!http://www.geocities.com/rcwr1




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"Sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug."