Posted on 11/09/2003 12:00:33 AM PST by SAMWolf
For a while in 1860, Lee stayed at Ringgold Barracks at present day Rio Grande City. Ringgold Barracks was named after Major Ringgold, mentioned in your history of the Mexican War in the Valley.
My great-great-grandfather was stationed at Ringgold Barracks in 1864-65 while in the Confederate Army under Colonel RIP Ford. My ancestor's unit fought Cortina in 1864, as well as Federal troops on the coast.
RIP Ford was something else. While leading a Ranger Company in 1859 and again in the Civil War, he went across the Rio Grande in pursuit of Mexican invaders and defeated them on their own soil.
Too bad we don't have men who are willing to do that today.
Thanks for the links and background on the "Cortina War". I seem to recall some border problems in the early 1900's with Pancho Villa.
I guess every once in a while we need to show Mexico that we do have a border.
We just needed to show them there was a better form of government and we were going to have it. Once we convinced them to move along, we remained civil.
It's all in the culture of the people you are fighting,imo. ;)
Glad you enjoyed the movie and got to witness our fighting spirit.
<=== Mash ThisThey were not, and became recent political pawns.
I worked for the re-election of Congressman Bill Redmond elected to fill Bill Richardson's seat in 1997 who ran on a promise to honor the grants.
Direct descendants had been petitioning members of the government and Redmond--a conservative Republican anglo minister from Chicago--was the first to put the matter before the House.
Udall of the ecowhacko Udalls defeated Redmond and the matter died.
Of note is this: one of the most outspoken of the direct descendants reported that the major obstruction lies with a prominent family of Democrat attorneys who own some of these grants.
And the outspoken descendant? Another active lifelong Democrat.
The victim and the villain uniting to defeat the would-be rectifier of historic wrong.
As the city councils of Santa Fe and Albuquerque resolve not to cooperate with the INS and all my neighbors hablan Espanol solamente.
The Colt Whitneyville-Walker Pistol
Lt. Col. Robert D. Whittington, III
A study of the genesis of the first great Colt gun. Traces the lively collaboration between the inventor and Captain Samuel Walker, the gun's heroic champion.
The Colt Whitneyville-Walker Pistol, AKA: the U.S. Model 1847
Date: 1847
From The Colt Whitneyville-Walker Pistol by Lt. Col. Robert D. Whittington, Ill., Taylor Publishing Company, Dallas, Tex., 1984
“The Colt Whitneyville-Walker Pistol, also known as the U.S. Model 1847, was the first repeating pistol purchased by the Army Ordnance Department for service use. . . the term ‘pistol’ is used in the text primarily because the term ‘revolver’ was not in general use during the period.”
The Ordance Department contracted for 1,000 of the pistols, which were serial numbered by the company.
Model 1841 6-pounder field guns
The Model 1841 12-pounder was the standard field howitzer used in the Civil War. Because of its higher trajectory at which it was typically fired, it could fire a shell over 1,000 yards with less than one pound of powder.
Canister Shot - These are CSA canister shot. They were all dug together at Knoxville, TN. These are a little rusty due to their composition but in otherwise perfect condition. They measure about 1" in diameter. VERY NICE!!!!
Federal
Conical
DIAMETER: 3.59 inches
GUN: 6-pounder smoothbore, 3.67-inch caliber
LENGTH: 6 7/8 inches
WEIGHT: 7 pounds 8 ounces
CONSTRUCTION: Canister
SABOT: Wooden cylinder
FUZING: None
This specimen is non-excavated and is an example of the most common style canister used in the 6-pounder (3.67-inch caliber) smoothbore cannon. It is 3" shorter than the standard style 20-pounder canister, also for a 3.67-inch bore. Both Northern and Southern forces used this size canister. After attachment of the cartridge bag, which was tied to the deep grooves cut into the wooden sabot, the round was referred to as fixed ammunition. Note the vertical solder seam running the length of the tin cylinder.
Federal
Conical
DIAMETER: 4.50 inches
GUN: 12-pounder smoothbore, 4.62-inch caliber
LENGTH: 8 inches
WEIGHT: 14 pounds 11 ounces
CONSTRUCTION: Canister
SABOT: Wooden cylinder
FUZING: None
This non-excavated specimen is the standard-style canister that both the Federal and Confederate forces used in the 12-pounder (4.62-inch caliber) smoothbore cannon. Canister was designed to be fired at close range with a resulting devastating effect on the enemy. A 12-pounder field gun with a powder charge of 2.0 pounds, fired a 12-pounder canister with an initial muzzle velocity of 1,262 feet per second.
Federal & Confederate
Conical Canister
This specimen was reconstructed to illustrate the interior view of a standard 12-pounder (4.62-inch caliber) canister. Sawdust filled the spaces between the iron balls found in the pictured specimen. The tin sides are missing, as is the wooden sabot. Note that the top plate is thinner than the bottom plate, which had to absorb the initial discharge force during firing. This pattern of construction is typical of both Federal and Confederate canisters.
Espero que usted sólo hable con ellos en inglés!
English first! I hate that my tax dollars go to translate OUR AMERICAN language into any other language to be voiced or printed to the masses that refuse to learn. /rant
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.