Under the Double Eagle: Citizen Employees of the U.S. Army on the Texas Frontier, 1846–1899

In the first detailed study of its kind, Col. (Ret.) Thomas T. “Ty” Smith, known for his extensive research and writing on the U.S. Army in Texas, presents an in-depth examination of the civilian employees of the U.S. Army in the nineteenth century. Under the Double Eagle: Citizen Employees of the U.S. Army on the Texas Frontier, 1846–1899 reflects the fact that citizens employed by the frontier army in Texas came under the impact of two symbolic eagles. The first was the eagle impressed into gilt buttons on the uniforms of the army officers for whom they labored. The second was the double eagle twenty-dollar gold piece they often received at the pay table, especially in the antebellum era when all army wages were paid in hard coin rather than paper. Those two eagles had a lasting impact on the Texas frontier.

Between 1846 and 1899, the U.S. Army in Texas issued more than $3 million in wages to citizen employees. Smith offers a detailed accounting of these wages, but his primary interest is in the people. After an introductory essay providing an overview, historical context, and demographic profiles, the author examines post by post the 111 army forts, camps, and stations documenting a civilian employee. He provides a brief history of each post, the names of the individuals employed, and where possible the position, wage, and length of employment. Altogether Smith names 1,721 army employees, and sample biographies demonstrate the diversity of the characters involved. Included among these employees are 309 contact civilian physicians. In the appendix, Smith offers biographies of 180 of these contract doctors who greatly contributed to the advance of medicine in Texas. This work will be of importance to historians, to the general public with an interest in Texas history or Texas medicine, and especially genealogists.

About the Author :
Thomas T. “Ty” Smith, Col. (Ret.) U. S. Army, of San Antonio, is the author of numerous articles and books including The U. S. Army and the Texas Frontier Economy, 1845–1900 (Texas A&M University Press, 1999), The Old Army in Texas: A Research Guide to the U. S. Army in Nineteenth-Century Texas (Texas State Historical Association, 2000), and The Old Army in the Big Bend of Texas: The Last Cavalry Frontier, 1911–1921 (Texas State Historical Association, 2018). He is a fellow of the Texas State Historical Association.

Review :
Anyone interested in Texas’s military history will want to have a copy of this study. Military historians will certainly consult Under the Double Eagle for their research, and this publication will be oft-cited in years to come. It is the gold standard on this topic. The wealth of data it contains is a treasure trove for researchers, genealogists, etc. This will be a standard reference work found on many readers’ bookshelves and in libraries across the state. The amount of research compiled in this manuscript is staggering. Smith is known for the depth and breadth of his scholarship, and this study is no exception. Those who follow in his footsteps will use this work as a starting point for in-depth profiles of doctors, surgeons, and other citizen employees, incorporating Smith’s data with letters, journals, diaries, newspapers, and other published accounts. Smith has provided an excellent reference work that is certain to be put to good use." - Glen Sample Ely, author of The Texas Frontier and the Butterfield Overland Mail, 1858–1861

"Having read hundreds of manuscripts over four decades, I can safely say this is one of the most impressively I have seen. With a complete list of all the military outposts in the Lone Star State and details on individuals employed by the army during these six decades, the study will be valuable to anyone interested in Texas history or military history in general." - Jerry Thompson, author of Tejano Tiger: Jose de los Santos Benavides and the Texas-Mexico Borderlands, 1823–1891