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The EagleThe Newsletter of the Army Residence Community
Volume 35 Number 5 May 2021
Paul Roush, USMC Mike Covey, USCG Mariann Stratton, USN Steve Fuller
Carol
Mary
Huebner, USA
Brown, USAF
Army Residence Community:Welcoming all the Armed Forces for over 34 years
Inside The Eagle May 2021
2 The Eagle May 2021 The Eagle editor is Kevin Scott, at [email protected].
The Eagle is a monthly publication of the Army Residence Community. The paper edition is distributed the last day of the month. The online Resident Portal edition is at armyresidence.com. Future Residents receive an online edition via email from the Marketing Department. Unsolicited articles and ideas are welcome but are not guaranteed to be printed. The submission deadline is the 20th of the month.
Contents
1 Front Cover: Armed Forces Day 2 Contents 2 Mother’s Day Buffet 3 Birthdays and Passings 3 ARC Angels Juice Cart Volunteers 3 Seniors of Note Concert 3 4 - 5 A Conversation with the CEO 6 The Eagle Luncheon Returns 7 The Library 8 - 9 The Front Desj – An Important Hub 10 – 11 An Early Morning Conversation with
Achim Barrow 12 Traveling Treasures 12 Hyperlinks Explained 13 Golden Diggers 13 Front Door Cat Update 14 - 15 May Activities 16 May Movies and Broadway Musicals
The Resident Portal edition continues with our Military History series, by Mike Huebner:
The American Revolution, 240 Years Ago: May 1781, “Now or Never, Our Deliverance Must Come.”
The American Civil War, 160 Years Ago, May 1861, “An Armed Race is Advancing.” Mobilizing for War.
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Our Front Cover: On Armed Forces Day, the ARC’s inclusive eligibility requirements are noted. Our name says Army, but we have served in all the Armed Forces. Please see page 4 for the introductions.
The EagleThe Newsletter of the Army Residence Community
Volume 35 Number 5 May 2021
Paul Roush, USMC Mike Covey, USCG Mariann Stratton, USN Steve Fuller
Carol
Mary
Huebner, USA
Brown,
USAF
Army
Residence
Community:Welcoming
all the
Armed
Forces
for over
34 years
Birthdays and Passings
May 2021 The Eagle 3
MAY BIRTHDAYS
01 Mariel Garber 01 Duane Solley 02 Ernest Irons 05 Garry Thompson 08 Edgar Bradley 09 Marva Cooper 09 Terrance Robinson 09 Deri Rosow 09 Gary Wallace 10 Janet Olson 11 John Foncannon 12 Delia Brister 13 Susan Greer 13 Jim Mosley 14 Barbara Proctor 15 Ray Bagg 16 Tom Shelton 17 Charlie Cheever 18 Lorna Dressler 18 Eleanor Ohman 19 Maureen Sherman 20 Barbara Cook 21 Shirley Buss 21 George Tracy 22 Gordon Armstrong 24 Patricia Eckert 25 Quentin Masters 26 Alice Neel 31 Tom Crumal 31 Vilma Rega
BIRTHDAYS – BEGINNING JUNE 01 Bill Moore 01 Jim Reed 02 Ronald Blackburn 02 Jo Ann Knight 02 Douglas Repaal
PASSINGS SINCE LAST ISSUE
--------------------------------------
ARC Angel's Juice Cart
We are getting close to restarting our juice cart service for Healthcare Residents. Since this service was suspended over a year ago, there has been quite a turnover of our volunteer list.
Consequently, we are in need of more volunteers. All that is required is a willing heart, smiling face, and a couple hours every two weeks.
Our service is greatly appreciated by our fellow Residents in Healthcare. They look forward to our visits which breaks up the monotony of the four walls of their room.
Please call Mary Hoxworth at 210-646-5575 if you can volunteer for this service. -------------------------------------- Memorial Day will be observed with a virtual program, and Ceremonial Taps at the Flagpole.
On Monday, 31 May, at 2 PM, at the High-Rise flagpole, Mr. Emilio Casarez will sound Taps.
Dr. Loretta Zimmerman 6 April
To add, delete, change, or confirm a future entry in the Birthday list, please contact Kevin Scott, at 210-646-5820 or [email protected]
A Conversation with the CEO
4 The Eagle May 2021 Note: Hyperlinks are active in the Resident Portal edition of The Eagle
Note: A Conversation with the CEO is an impromptu exchange between Eagle editor Kevin Scott and CEO Steve Fuller. This conversation does not make official policy announcements. Those are made through Resident Updates. This exchange took place 21 April.
Steve Fuller: It looks like I walked into a picture taking event. What’s the occasion?
Kevin Scott: The May issue of The Eagle will celebrate Armed Forces Day 2021 (May 15) with a cover photo of Residents from each of the Armed Forces. The photo (at right) in this article shows Residents who reflect the ARC’s military service diversity.
From top left to right, they are Paul Roush (Colonel, USMC, Ret.), Mike Covey (Lieutenant Commander, USCG, Ret.), Mariann Stratton (Rear Admiral, USN, Ret.), Steve Fuller, and in front from left, Carol Huebner (Colonel, USA, Ret.) and Mary Brown (Major, USAF, Ret.). Our community’s name says “Army,” but our Residents’ service is from all the Armed Forces.
SF: Absolutely, including other Government service in grades GS-14 and above, and their surviving spouses.
Our Marketing team has done well in getting the word out on our community’s inclusive eligibility. I’m glad the front cover shows the Armed Forces Day theme of May 15th, 2021. Come to think of it, that date is also my third anniversary here.
KS: Time flies when you’re having fun!
SF: It has been absolutely positive, although “fun” isn’t the right adjective. There’s a sincere sense of joy to see a Resident meet their 100th-year birthday, as Mrs. Marjorie Boyson did this April 7th. It’s both a personal and a community cause for celebration. There are several other current Resident centenarians.
It’s also wonderful that there are Residents able to live independently who were adults, and veterans, during the World War II era. And when a higher level of care is appropriate, we’re here for them to continue the journey.
KS: Is now the time to announce setting aside other Covid restrictions?
SF: No. Those decisions are coming, but we’ll use the decision process that served us well for over a year. Every decision we make considers how it will maintain the health and safety of Residents, and be implemented by our team in Healthcare, Dining Services, Resident Services, Housekeeping, and others.
(Both laugh.) You can tell Covid has gone more than a year! Our speech patterns now sound like a government announcement!
May brings Mother’s Day, Memorial Day, and other celebrations. We rightfully expect events like visits, parties and reunions. Right now, we continue our efforts to balance holiday gatherings with our protective measures. There is an outstanding buffet-style Mother’s Day brunch being planned for residents. There’s also a series of New Resident receptions coming in the Auditorium. But the current plans are that the Memorial Day observance will be a virtual ceremony.
A Conversation with the CEO
Note: Hyperlinks are active in the Resident Portal edition of The Eagle May 2021 The Eagle 5
SF (cont’d): Thank you for having information on Golden Diggers and their Outreach. Their recent activities have included a landscape design which welcomes people arriving at the main entrance to the High-Rise. They also revived the entrance to the Healthcare center which our February winter freeze damaged.
The gardens containing Honor Stones has been expanded and it’s a meaningful way of Residents sharing their memories. Everyone will find these gardens meaningful.
It’s very significant that our Residents routinely join the lead in our community’s direction. For example, Golden Diggers is not a leisure pursuit, after at least six years of donations and work, it’s part of the way we operate now. Residents Council Committees guide a lot of activity we’ve come to expect. Residents have been active members of the ARC Board of Directors for four years now.
My point is that our Capital Campaign will also thrive with Resident support. Renovating the common areas of the High-Rise and our legacy cottages, which is key to our occupancy, will sustain our community’s long-term success.
As Residents meet in the street and floor meetings, I encourage you to discuss this and to make a commitment to contribute to the Capital Campaign. Please contact key ARC Staff to join your meetings and participate in the discussion.
Perhaps everyone can see that a robust occupancy rate is the best way of maintaining our present and future service to Residents.
Analysis of current trends indicate that our High-Rise apartments and Legacy cottages are adequately sized for today’s market. What is needed, though, for both current and future Residents, is to update our infrastructure and living space design. The renovation funded by our Capital Campaign will do that.
KS: We’re nearing the end of available space.
SF: We have good reason to be optimistic about the continuing improvement in our community and our region about controlling Covid and reopening. I hope we’ll soon return to the celebrations the ARC Residents enjoy and expect.
Happy Mother’s Day and Memorial Day!
On Tuesday, 13 April, six Honor Stones were placed in the garden along the walkway between the Wellness Center and Healthcare. The Residents participating were, from left to right: Ann Blunt, Maida Perkins, Dain Franks, Randy Perkins, Carol Toth, Joan Howey, Joe Hipp, Ellen Ellis, Meem Baumgartner, Cathy Crabtree, Aubrey McFarren, Linda Bates.
Thursday, 13 May, 11:30 AM to 1 PM, Eagle Luncheons Return to the
Auditorium.
6 The Eagle May 2021
May Eagle Luncheon
Speaker
Fellow Resident Kevin Scott
Editor, The Eagle
This month Eagle Luncheons resume. The speaker and host is Kevin Scott, who has sponsored “Eagle Luncheons”
for over five years. From introductions and recommendations by Residents, luncheon speakers from the San Antonio area have included a Space Shuttle astronaut, a Medal of Honor recipient, a research scientist, a former U.S. ambassador, a WWII historian, the Bexar County Sheriff, a Presidentially appointed Commissioner of the WWI Commission, Commanders from JBSA Randolph and Fort Sam Houston. Fellow ARC Residents have shared their experiences from WWII and Vietnam to Operation Desert Storm, and everyday perspectives as well. The luncheon is in the Auditorium. Following current guidelines, the event will be limited to 72 attendees. There will be 12 tables, six seats per table. Reservations are required. Prior to the luncheon, reservations are confirmed, and a seating plan is made. This accommodates for safely seating Residents with walkers, wheelchairs, and special needs or seating preferences, which are told to the host when reservations are made. The topic is direction of the community newsletter, The Eagle, which Kevin has served as editor for 57 issues. “There’s no announcement pending here, just a cheerful reintroduction,” quipped Kevin as the May issue was formatted for the printer. “Residents and Staff reliably submit articles or notices of interest, regardless of who’s the editor. For example, two pages of long-time great interest are Birthdays and Passings, and the Library, which features new titles available.” The past 47 issue have been in the current magazine format, as The Eagle became more
like the municipal and real estate magazines one sees. All ideas are welcome, although unsolicited written or photo contributions aren’t guaranteed to be printed in the paper edition. The luncheon presentation will include features which used broadcast media available to all. In the past year, videos celebrating National Airborne Day and publicizing a quilt auction were created and broadcast.
The event meal for is superb. You’ve tried the rest, now try the best! From the Tex-Mex culinary heritage of this region, Executive Chef Julian Flores (left) designed an updated classic menu: It begins with a fresh Fruit Salad, followed by Chicken Enchiladas with Tomatillo Sauce, sides of Garlic Refried Beans and Spanish Rice, and for dessert, Tres Leches Pineapple Upside Down Cake, with Coffee, Iced Tea, and Water. If you’d like to prepare your palate by sipping a Pineapple-flavored
Aqua Fresca, Servers will bring you one at the start. This is a complete lunch for an $8 charge to your meal account. You will not find a better deal, or better meal, anywhere.
Reservations for this luncheon are required and go quickly. They can be made by contacting Kevin Scott at 210-646-5820, or [email protected].
ARC Library
May 2021 The Eagle 7
ARC LIBRARY The Raffaeli Room Library Committee JoAnne Kroll, Chairman Glenna Solley, Co-Chairman Annette Gohlke, Scheduler
NEW FICTION REGULAR PRINT The Consequences Fear, Jacqueline Winspear
Double Jeopardy, Stuart Woods Every Vow You Break, Peter Swanson Death with a Double Edge, Anne Perry Ocean Prey, John Sandford Turn a Blind Eye, Jeffrey Archer
NEW FICTION LARGE PRINT The Affair, Danielle Steel The Windsor Knot, S. J. Bennett The Stills, Jess Montgomery Double Jeopardy, Stuart Woods No Way Out, Fern Michaels The Path to Sunshine Cove,
RaeAnne Thayne
DONATION FICTION Marauder, Clive Cussler
DONATION NONFICTION Roadside Geology of Texas, Darwin Spearing TEX
Magnolias, Graham Rankin HOR The Ultimate Women’s Guide to
Beating Disease, Bottom Line HEA
The Historical Atlas of Native Americans, Ian Barnes H
Lincoln on the Verge, Ted Widmer H
How Dogs Think, Immanuel Birmelin ZOO
Dog Training Handbook, Stella Smyth ZOO
Top Dog, DK Publ. ZOO
DONATION AUDIO Innocent, Scott Turow
DONATION DVD Kavanagh Q C Set 5 Heat of the Sun Second Sight Second Sight 2
COFFEE TABLE Van Gogh, D.M. Field The Woven Spirit of the Southwest, Don McQuiston
Semper Fi, Col H. Avery Chenoweth Hiroshige, Adele Schlombs
AVAILABLE IN MAY
The Front Desk – An Important Hub by Karen Wallace
8 The Eagle May 2021 Hyperlinks are active in the Resident Portal edition of The Eagle
The Front Desk – A Important Hub
If someone asked you what was one of the most important functions of the ARC staff and services, how would you reply?
How often do you go into the front lobby and not pay any attention to what is in the room or what is going on?
How often do you call the Front Desk for help or information?
Who is responsible for the Front Desk and the adjacent area?
There are many things going on under the supervision of Mary Permann. Let’s meet Mary and find out how she spends her work time. Much of what is her responsibility is unseen, but important. Mary Permann has been employed at the ARC for about three years. Prior to her employment here, she did social work; she worked in administration and manufacturing. You may have seen Mary out
and about because she is not glued to a chair in her office. She is a young woman with a pleasing demeanor.
It is necessary for Mary to be able to multi-task because no day is the same as the one before. She and her staff provide customer service. They must be flexible, calm, care about people, and love making people happy. Mary trains her staff. In hiring, she looks for applicants with people skills and the ability to multi-task. A bonus is finding an applicant with intuition which is valuable to the job.
Let’s take a look at what Mary’s does. First of all, she is in charge of the Front Desk. Occasionally, she will sit at the desk as a substitute. She hires the ladies (mainly) who run that Front Desk area, and when necessary, “releases” them. Mary trains her staff. On occasion, you will see a man working the desk, but not often. No negative reflection on men, but they do not seem to be
Remember the term, "Damsels in Distress?" That is so not accurate here. These ladies keep us from distress. At front, Cathy Trejo, and at back, Front Desk Supervisor Mary Permann.
The Front Desk – An Important Hub by Karen Wallace
Hyperlinks are active in the Resident Portal edition of The Eagle May 2021 The Eagle 9
able to multi-task or relate to the residents like the women do.
Do the workers just sit there and answer the phones? No, what they do varies from day to day. Yes, they do answer the phones, take messages, and relay information.
They greet whoever comes through the front door: visitors, prospective residents, family members, delivery people; and they try to make those people feel welcome. They also greet and spend time talking with our residents. There are residents who make a Front Desk stop daily or on a regular basis, especially some who live alone.
The Front Desk is manned morning, noon, and night. There are two staff members on duty at all times. In the evening, they act as the front line against illegal entry. After the gates are closed, residents returning late must be buzzed through the front gate. Front Desk staff does that.
In case of an emergency involving a resident, the Front Desk will notify security and health care and send that help to the person in their residence. Also, when needed, Front Desk will send for an ambulance. The Front Desk keeps information about residents receiving care off campus.
If a resident is going to be away from the ARC on a trip they must log out. The paperwork necessary for those occasions is available at the desk; it should be filled out and returned to the desk, so all residents can be accounted for.
Once we are completely open, and you plan to have overnight or long-term guests, the Front Desk workers can help you reserve a guest room for your guests. Front Desk is responsible for those rooms.
Many of us have prescriptions delivered. The prescriptions are accepted and logged in at the Front Desk. Then a call goes out to the residents to pick up their prescriptions. Prescriptions are kept safely behind the desk until pick-up.
What is one of their main responsibilities? Would you have thought that writing work orders is something that they do frequently?
They do! Thank Heaven, because a lot of us need help completing those orders.
These ladies keep an “eagle eye” on our residents. They know us, they know our habits, and what is going on. If someone appears to have a serious issue, these ladies will alert the appropriate agency so the issue can be addressed. “Big Sister” is watching out for us.
If someone comes to visit the ARC either as a prospective resident or guest, they usually are joined by a friend, a resident, or someone from marketing. There are many areas one should see that make our campus unique. One should see the ponds and enjoy sitting in a gazebo watching the geese. Our library is outstanding. We love our pool and hot tub. There are game rooms set aside for specific activities. We do not lack for good dining venues. There is a lot to see and enjoy in our “home”.
Mary and her staff are an integral part of the success of the ARC.
--- Karen Wallace
Editor: The February freeze and power outage did not knock out our Front Desk. Here Cathy (left) and Mary (right) have bundled up and continued to track whatever matter, routine or emergency, arose.
Mary is an expert at identifying the underlying reason for many calls or sensing situations which are apt to become more serious. This is a real value when it comes to solving the true problem, contacting the right person, or saving valuable time.
A Recent Early Morning Conversation with Achim Barrow
10 The Eagle May 2021 Hyperlinks are active in the Resident Portal edition of The Eagle
Q: Tell me about the NBA championship rings.
A: Working at the AT&T Center before coming to the ARC gave me the opportunity to cater special events. In 2014, the Spurs selected me to prepare their game day meals during their successful run in the playoffs. Championship teams often present rings to their key support staff. That year I also catered NBA Commissioner Adam Silver’s reception. I’m very pleased with the rings from the Golden State Warriors. In their championship years of 2016 and 2017, I did their game day meals. They could have selected a catering director from Napa Valley or the San Francisco Bay area, but they knew of my reputation at the AT&T Center. I was here at the ARC, and I took leave for those assignments.
Q: Is it accurate to say you hang out with NBA players? A: No. Those assignments were all business. Taking selfies or trying to be a big fan isn’t done when there’s work to do. I’d like to say that I sincerely appreciate the support my family has received from the Spurs organization and the AT&T Center, and from ARC Staff and Residents, too, as we pulled together to get my son through with a long serious illness. Thank you very much!
Q: What are your plans to showcase Dining Services after a year of limitations? A: We are working on a new and over the top Sunday Brunch. We revised the Dining Room menu and expanded into a Lunch and Dinner menu to be served in addition a daily special. The Bistro menu was revised, and we added new items also as well as established Bistro favorites to the menu. The monthly ‘Dinner and a Movie’ buffet dinner is coming back to Water’s Edge. And we now have four menus that will be rotated throughout the year.
Q: There are some days approaching which bring celebrations of traditional and current food specialties. What could we expect on Mother’s Day (Sunday, 9 May), Armed Forces Day (Saturday, 15 May), Memorial Day (Monday, 31 May), and the 4th of July? A: As the ARC continues to open, so will our menu choices grow and increase. I am looking forward to Mother’s Day… Beef Tenderloin carved, Jumbo Shrimp Scampi, BBQ Mesquite Grilled Chicken, fresh giant Strawberries chocolate covered, just to name a few.
Q: Are you willing to explore possibilities of recipes from Residents? David Muntz makes gazpacho which is clearly exceptional. A: Please ask Colonel Muntz for his recipe. I would love having many recipes of our Residents. And ‘Thank You’ to General Bethke for sharing the recipe for S.O.S. --- Creamed Beef on Toast --- from the 101st Airborne Division in the 1950’s. I can see in a future menu a place named “Best Resident Recipe.” We also would like to start up our Teaching Kitchen program. We could showcase the Resident getting involved and being shown how to prepare a menu item.
Q: Breakfast at the ARC is a best kept secret when it comes to value and variety. What’s your assessment of the success of the breakfast menu? A: In short, there’s many new great items. The service and price of our breakfast is exceptional. Perhaps Residents will begin ordering breakfast specialties during lunch or dinner.
Q: What are the plans for the Bistro to support the return of Happy Hour on Fridays in the Residents’ Lounge? A: We are ready and looking forward to the return of Happy Hour, we know the favorites and we’ll be prepared. Happy Hour had a strong start on Friday, 16 April.
Q: ARC Dining Services prepared over a million meals from April 2020 to April 2021, making it one of the highest volume restaurants in northeast greater San Antonio.
A Recent Early Morning Conversation with Achim Barrow
Hyperlinks are active in the Resident Portal edition of The Eagle May 2021 The Eagle 11
Q (cont’d): Isn’t it time to install kitchen cams and showcasing the venues’ ambiance and styles of the kitchen team and wait staff? A: A couple of months ago we did a short video, with the help from Erick in Marketing, showcasing how we put meals together during COVID. We could expand on this video and create a Part 2, after COVID, or the reopening of all our Dining venues. Installing kitchen cams is tricky. A hot kitchen isn’t an ideal place for a fixed camera. It’s a good thought but perhaps not practical with current equipment.
Q: What’s been your experience with the table-side ordering system in the Main Dining Room? A: Our new System Matrix Care has been a huge success. In the beginning we had some challenges. Like anything that is new we needed to get used to it, but now we’re getting better and better. Service and speed of food preparation are the biggest positive results.
Q: My doctor told me to lose some weight. What do you recommend from the lunch and dinner menus to be both satisfying and heart-healthy? A: All items on our menu (chicken fried chicken for instance) can be grilled, pan seared or any other way you prefer. We are also revising our four weeks to go/pick up menu. This menu will now include a heart healthy meal option. If you have a food allergy or a specific requirement, please contact our nutritionist, Arlayna Jackson, so that a meal plan can be made. I believe that was in the February 2021 issue of The Eagle. I’d like to emphasize that if you are served something that isn’t what you ordered, or if isn’t properly prepared, such as bacon not crisp, vegetables undercooked, and so on, ask the server to take it back and to be redone or replaced. One person’s “al dente” is another person’s “undercooked.” If you have strong preferences in food preparation, please tell the server when you order and give us a chance to get it right, without delay. The same goes for seasoning, or sauces. If you prefer sauce ‘on the side,’ we’ll serve it that way if you specify.
Q: Tell us about the Senior Living Foresight award. A: My direct employer, Morrison, belongs to a parent company, Compass, which has dining services worldwide. Compass is a leader in business of providing to many organizations: Retirement communities, schools, hospitals, sports venues, you name it. I was selected as a Foresight Award winner because of the teamwork and innovation I’ve encouraged. This award is really an achievement of the Dining Services team which has served the ARC through the toughest of times this past year. In January 2018 I was recognized as the Compass Associate of the Region, at a corporate event in Houston. That was truly a team award also. I’d like to close our talk by saying that regardless of awards or what we’ve been through in the past year, the real test is how we serve Residents every day, every meal. That’s our focus.
--- Achim Barrow, Kevin Scott Editor: Enter the Dining Services office and you will first meet Krystal Almendarez (left) and Rachel Haloot (right). Weekly Menu orders, Dining Room reservations, catering plans, and most other matters can be quickly answered.
Traveling Treasures Hyperlinks are a toy today, required tomorrow
12 The Eagle May 2021 Hyperlinks are active in the Resident Portal edition of The Eagle
TRAVELING TREASURES UPDATE
The Traveling Treasures Women’s Clothing Sale will be held in the Highrise Auditorium on Friday, May 21, from 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. As a bonus, there will be a Boutique area with specially priced, specially selected, higher quality items. Clothing, shoes, and accessories – a great opportunity to update your Spring wardrobe.
Donations for the Clothing Sale and Boutique will be accepted the first two Fridays in May at Apartment 710 from 1:00 to 3:00. Drop off clean, lightly-worn (or new) items – on hangers, if possible.
___________________
Traveling Treasures has a new warehouse and showroom for furniture and home accessories at 3506 McHenry (replacing our previous location at 8304 Quebec). The new location as well as our other location (Apt. 710, Highrise) are open for shopping by appointment. Call LTC Mike Huebner at 210-646-5532 to inquire about availability of specific items and arrange for a time to visit.
As previously announced, there will not be the large Traveling Treasures Sale this Spring. We will have smaller “Specialty Sales” throughout the year and continue to sell furniture and home accessories directly out of our McHenry and Highrise warehouse/showrooms.
Thank you all for your support of the Traveling Treasures Program. Editor: Proceeds from the Traveling Treasures go to the Residents Council Treasury.
Use of Hyperlinks in The Eagle Explained
When it comes to technology, my great awakening came a years ago on a wintertime airline flight to Minnesota and I was seated next to a young man returning to the great north country on after a business trip. A snowstorm in Minnesota delayed, and then canceled our San Antonio departure.
My fellow traveler rescheduled his flight, notified his home base, rescheduled meetings and updated briefing slides, all by using his smartphone before the canceled flight arrived back at the terminal. As I joined the herd lined up at the counter to select another flight, I vowed to explore technology options sooner.
One such option is the hyperlink in word processing, when the message or document is already connected to the internet.
For example, click on the Honor Stone for Nan Burer in the Golden Diggers article on the next page, and a gallery of photographs will open.
On the front cover, click on any of the seals of the Armed Forces, and the respective Service Song will play. Click on any of the movie posters on page 15 or 16, and a preview or trailer of that movie will play. Perhaps this will encourage more Residents to read the online Resident Portal edition of The Eagle, which has our impressive military history series by Mike Huebner, who in his spare time, is managing Traveling Treasures, shown at left.
Editing a newsletter with hyperlinks is a work in progress, and the possibility of errors increase. Occasionally I will change a movie, but not update the hyperlink. Or I’ll pay more attention to the hyperlink connection and not the original context of a narrative line or quote.
In the April issue, the cover story refers to a quote by a library reader, but uses a hyperlink which hides the quote, and the context, from readers of paper edition which every Resident receives. For that error I sincerely regret the frustration this caused the Resident who words were incorrectly presented. --- Kevin Scott
Golden Diggers Cat Management Program
Hyperlinks are active in the Resident Portal edition of The Eagle May 2021 The Eagle 13
Golden Diggers
The Diggers are working diligently to get the Healthcare complex gardens back to their former beauty. The bottlebrush under the Resident Lounge windows was replaced with flax lilies. Across the sidewalk we switched the bottlebrush by planting dwarf yaupon hollies. Bottlebrush, yellow yarrow and Jerusalem sage were added to the B Wing garden. The basil at the end of the walk is ready for you to snip, scissors provided. The cedar sedge in the large lotus pot by the assisted living patio succumbed to the freeze. Fortunately, we were able to fill it with cuttings taken from the sedge before the freeze. Three potted hibiscus in the Healthcare Courtyard were replaced and are already blooming.
Six Honor Stones were recently added to the Honor Stone Garden. The latest pricing is $60 for up to 34 characters, including spaces, and $80 for 35 - 65 characters, including spaces.
These prices include the cost of stones, engraving and delivery. The rest goes for Golden Diggers’ projects. Honor stones may be purchased through Anna Sweeden in the ARC Development office or Arlene Hunt, the Executive Secretary. Golden Diggers Outreach was the privileged recipient of $1500 from proceeds of the annual jewelry sale, conducted by Janet Morgan and Susan Greer. Thanks to both of them and to the donors and volunteers who participated to make this contribution possible. At this time, Golden Diggers Outreach is dedicated to identifying community public areas that need refurbishing and have a high visual impact. As funds become available, we will
coordinate with CleanScapes to proceed with improvements. CleanScapes provides the plants and physical labor, and Golden Diggers Outreach provides funding. I realize many Residents have identified areas they would like improved. Please be patient, as this is funded by donations and is prioritized by visual impact. We thank you for your continuing support and invite you to take a walk around the Healthcare gardens and see your contributions at work.
--- Joan Howey ---------------------------------------------------------------
Front Door Cat Update
After many tests, X-rays and a second opinion, there is finally a diagnosis for “Missy’s” leg problem. She has been diagnosed with Histoplasmosis. This is most commonly found in bird feces. Missy probably stepped in bird droppings and licked it off her paws. This fungus attacked her joints and deteriorated the bone in her hind leg. This is not good news for our former “front door cat”. With her age and diabetes, this new diagnosis will shorten her life.
Missy has wonderful adoptive “parents”. Jay and Joyce Puckett will continue to care for this amazing cat until Missy’s quality of life declines. Missy is basically in hospice care with the Pucketts.
The ARC Cat Management Program will continue to pay for any cost related to her leg and pay for her final goodbye. To contribute to the cost of her care, please contact Mary Gustine, Jane Mashburn, or Anna Sweeden.
--- Mary Gustine
May Activities
14 The Eagle May 2021 Most images have hyperlinks to online movie trailers
Wednesday, 5 May, 7 PM & Thursday, 6 May, 7 PM, Auditorium
The Seniors of Note!
Wednesday, 5 May, 11 AM to 5 PM, Residents Lounge. Celebrate Cinco de Mayo!
TUESDAY MORNING DOCUMENTARIES. 9 AM – 10 AM every Tuesday. 4 May. “Kentucky Derby.” 11 May. “Prince Phillip & Queen Elizabeth, A Lifetime of Love” 18 May. “Behind the Music, The Day Music Died” 25 May. “World of Mysteries, The Bermuda Triangle” Many of the Activities still require a sign-up. Check the board, the ARC website at armyresidence.com, or call Paula or Felicia at 210-646-5305.
Why go through a month at America’s most active senior residence community, without an Activity Calendar? Stop by Paula’s office for a copy, check for this handout at the Activity Board, or click on the hyperlink above for your very own!
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Location Key AR-Activities Room CR-Card Room FR-Friendship Room RL-Residents Lounge LT-Lakeside Theater
GR-Game Room C– Chapel AUD-Auditorium LA-Lakeside Auditorium CL– Computer Lab
1 1245 Fun Bridge (CR)
2 1400 Farkle (CR) 1800 Chess Club (CR)
3 1000 Scrabble (GR) 1400 Mexican Train (AR) 1900 Progressive Bingo (AR)
4 0900 Tues. Documentary (AR)
“Kentucky Derby” 1330 Lakeside Movie (LT): “Nunsense 2” 1800 Chess Club (CR)
5 1100-1700 Cinco De Mayo Celebration (RL)
1400 Alpha Bible Study (AR)
1900 ARC Seniors of Note
(AUD)
6 1300 Wine Tasting (BUS) 1300 Art Class w/ Maren (AR) 1900 ARC Seniors of Note (AUD)
7 1500 Spouse Appreciation Day Coke Floats (AR)
1330 Lakeside Movie (LT): “Snowy River”
1600 Happy Hour (RL)
1700 Special Calendar Screening: “Fried Green Tomatoes” (AR)
8 1245 Fun Bridge (CR)
9 1400 Farkle (CR) 1800 Chess Club (CR)
10 1000 Scrabble (GR) 1400 Mexican Train (AR) 1900 Progressive Bingo (AR)
11 0900 Tues. Documentary (AR)
“Prince Phillip & Queen Elizabeth, A Lifetime of Love”
1330 Lakeside Movie (LT): “Bugsy Malone”
1430 Caption Call Meeting ( AR)
1800 Chess Club (CR)
12 0900 SAS Shopping Trip (BUS) 1400 Alpha Bible Study (AR) 1700 Dinner Night Out at
Pappadeaux (BUS)
13 1000 Paintique Dde Colour (GR)
1300 EVO Theatre: (Shuttle) “The Girl Who Believes in
Miracles”
1300 Art Class w/ Maren (AR) 1130 Eagle Luncheon (AUD) 1600 Newcomers Reception (AUD)
14 1100 Cake for Armed Forces Day
1330 Lakeside Movie (LT): “Emma”
1600 Happy Hour (RL)
1700 Cushion Movie: “ Act of Valor ”(AR)
1900 SA Symphony
15 1245 Fun Bridge (AR)
16 1400 Farkle (CR) 1800 Chess Club (CR)
17
1000 Scrabble (GR) 1400 Mexican Train (AR)
1900 Progressive Bingo (AR)
18 0900 Tues. Documentary (AR)
“Behind the music, The Day Music Died”
1330 Lakeside Movie (LT) “Dirty Dancing”
1800 Chess Club (CR)
19
1100 Lunch Bunch at Cheesecake Factory (BUS) 1400 Alpha Bible Study (AR) 1600 Dinner & a Movie (LT) “The Father”
20 0900 Japanese Interment Camp
w/ LT. Yano (AR)
1000 Craft: Summer Deco-Mesh Wreath (GR)
1300 Art Class w/ Maren (AR)
1800 Chess Social (AR)
21 Traveling Treasures 7-1 (AUD)
1330 Lakeside Movie (LT): “The Father”
1600 Happy Hour (RL)
1700 Cushion Movie: “La Bamba” (AR)
22 1245 Fun Bridge (AR)
23 1400 Farkle (CR) 1800 Chess Club (CR)
24 1000 Scrabble (GR)
1400 Mexican Train (AR)
1900 Progressive Bingo (AR)
25 0900 Tues. Documentary (AR)
“World of Mysteries, The Bermuda Triangle”
1330 Lakeside Movie (LT) “Oklahoma”
1800 Chess Club (CR)
26 1100 Lunch Bunch at
P.F. Chang’s (BUS) 1400 Alpha Bible Study (AR) 1800 Murder Mystery Dinner (AUD)
27 1000 Music Club (GR) 1000 1300 EVO Theatre: (Shuttle) “Together Together”
1300 Art Class w/Maren (AR) 1600 Newcomers Reception
28
1330 Lakeside Movie (LT): “The Grey Fox”
1600 Happy Hour (RL)
1700 Cushion Movie: “The Notebook ” (AR)
1900 SA Symphony
29 1245 Fun Bridge (AR)
301400 Farkle (CR)
1800 Chess Club (CR)
31 1000 Scrabble (GR)
1400 Mexican Train (AR)
1900 Progressive Bingo (AR)
IN HOUSE EVENTS Limit 30 participants/event for COVID-19 safety
Arc Wall:
Military Artifacts
1400 Taps w/Amelio Casades
May Activities
Most images have hyperlinks to online movie trailers May 2021 The Eagle 15
Please respond to invitation to attend. Thursday, 13 May, 4 PM, Auditorium & Thursday, 27 May, 4 PM, Auditorium
This is an event we’ve waited over a year for! --------------------------------------------------------------- Some Off Campus Activities to explore!
Wednesday, 12 May, 9 AM, Bus trip! San Antonio Shoes (SAS)
Wednesday, 12 May, 5 PM, Bus trip! Dinner Night Out at Pappadeaux
Wednesday, 19 May, 11 AM, Bus trip! Lunch Bunch at Cheesecake Factory
Wednesday, 26 May, 11 AM, Bus trip! Lunch Bunch at P. F. Chang’s
Fridays, May 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th, 4 PM, Residents Lounge. Happy Hour!
Fridays, May 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th, 5 PM, Activity Room. Chair Cushion Movie Night. Please use the sign-
up at the Activity Board.
May 7th: Fried Green Tomatoes. (1991) A housewife who is unhappy with her life befriends an old lady in a nursing home and is enthralled by the tales she tells of people she used to know.
May 14th: Act of Valor (2012). An elite team of Navy SEALs embark on a covert mission to recover a kidnapped CIA agent.
May 21: La Bamba (1987). Biographical story of the rise from nowhere of early rock and roll singer Ritchie Valens who died at age 17 in a plane crash with Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper.
May 28: The Notebook (2004). A poor yet passionate young man falls in love with a rich young woman, giving her a sense of freedom, but they are soon separated because of their social differences.
Musicals - Movies every Tuesday & Friday 1:30 PM, Lakeside Theater
16 The Eagle May 2021 Please click on photos to see movie trailers
Tuesday, 4 May: Nunsense II (1994). In this sequel to the Off-Broadway musical hit, the
Little Sisters of Hoboken
put together another musical revue, to thank all
the people who saw the first show and helped them
solve their little "monetary"
problem. 1 hr., 44 min. Comedy. Musical.
Friday, 7 May: The Man from Snowy River: Arena Specular (2003). Jim Ryan and Kate Conroy love each other, but John Conroy stands in the way of their happiness until Jim Ryan recaptures a prized colt. 1 hr., 40 min. Comedy. Drama. Musical. Tuesday, 11 May:
Bugsy Malone (1976). A gangster movie where all the gangsters are played by children. The story tells of the rise of "Bugsy Malone" and the battle for power between "Fat Sam" and "Dandy Dan.” Rated G. 1 hr., 33 min. Comedy. Crime. Family.
Friday, 14 May: Emma (2020). In 1800s England, a well-meaning but selfish young woman meddles in the love lives of her friends. PG. 2 hr., 4 min. Comedy. Drama. Romance.
Tuesday, 18 May:
Dirty Dancing (1987). Spending the summer at a Catskills resort with her family, Frances "Baby" Houseman falls in love with the camp's dance instructor, Johnny Castle. PG -13. 1 hr., 40 min. Drama. Music. Romance.
Wednesday, 18 May, 6:15 PM show time.
Friday, 21 May, 1:30 PM show time: The Father (2020). A man refuses all assistance from his daughter as he ages. he begins to doubt his loved ones, his mind and even his own reality. PG 13. 1 hr., 37 min. Drama. 18 May: Dinner and a Movie.
Tuesday, 25 May: Oklahoma! (1999). Curly McClain, a spunky, singing cowboy is trying to win the heart of his childhood friend, Laurey Williams, in a blood-pumping, heart-stealing western that will sing your heart away. 3 hr. Musical. Romance. Western.
Friday, 28 May: The Grey Fox (1982). When an aging, but gentlemanly stagecoach robber is released from prison, he decides to go to Canada to become a train robber. PG. 1 hr., 32 min. Biography. Drama. Romance.
240 Years Ago: May 1781. “Now or Never, Our Deliverance Must Come”
by Mike Huebner
17 The Eagle May 2021
THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION 240 YEARS AGO: MAY 1781
“NOW OR NEVER, OUR DELIVERANCE MUST COME”
“There is only one thing worse than fighting with allies, and that is fighting without them.”
[Sir Winston Churchill]
George Washington probably would have agreed with Winston Churchill’s sentiments. By the spring of 1781, Washington had to acknowledge that victory or defeat for the American cause might depend almost entirely on the French. “Now or never, our deliverance must come,” he wrote. But far too often, he had been disappointed by French hesitancy to act or failure to coordinate operations with American forces.
But now, in early May of 1781, he received a welcome letter from Count Rochambeau (left) in Newport, Rhode Island, requesting a conference to discuss future operations. Rochambeau’s message hinted that he had just been sent additional guidance
from France regarding military and naval assets that were to be made available in the coming months. Accompanied by just a few aides, Washington left immediately for Wethersfield, Connecticut. Rochambeau greeted Washington warmly upon his arrival (at left). After the customary, and somewhat tiresome, official ceremonies, the two men got down to business. Rochambeau informed Washington that the French government had agreed to a substantial financial gift to the American cause, funds that would go far in keeping the American forces equipped and fed. But he had to admit to Washington that only a few additional French troops would be coming. Rochambeau had been informed, though, that Admiral, the Comte, de Grasse would be sailing from the Caribbean in mid- to late-summer with an augmented French fleet to operate in North American waters. He did not divulge that information to Washington, however, concerned that Washington’s obsession with New York might cloud his judgement on how to use that fleet. Rochambeau was correct in thinking that Washington was still obsessed with capturing New York City. Washington argued that Clinton’s army in New York had been drastically reduced by forces dispatched to reinforce Cornwallis in the Carolinas and by
240 Years Ago: May 1781. “Now or Never, Our Deliverance Must Come”
by Mike Huebner
18 The Eagle May 2021
those sent to carry out operations in Virginia. Despite his growing sense that the southern theater might prove to be the decisive theater, Washington was still thinking in terms of a joint Franco-American operation to take New York City and end the war in one bold stroke.
Rochambeau vehemently disagreed, convinced that an attack on New York City could not succeed. He suggested, instead, a joint campaign against the British forces in Virginia, something the British would not expect. He declared that he was prepared to
take his army to Virginia, with or without full American participation. But, under orders to cooperate fully with Washington, Rochambeau reluctantly agreed to begin moving his army south as soon as practical “to make an attempt upon New York.” Washington, too, made a small concession, consenting that, if a French fleet should arrive off the coast, they would conduct joint operations “as circumstances should dictate.”
Rochambeau had his opening. As soon as Washington departed, the French general dispatched a summary of the discussions to Admiral de Grasse in the Caribbean. But he also included a significant addendum: bring the fleet to the Chesapeake Bay area instead of New York. With a French fleet off Chesapeake Bay and a French Army already marching south, Washington might be convinced that the decisive campaign should be carried out in Virginia. For Rochambeau, that would be
the only viable option consistent with Washington’s promise to modify plans “as circumstances should dictate.”
--- Mike Huebner
At upper left is the map of the Washington – Rochambeau March to Virginia, andultimately Yorktown, which essentially hadbeen envisioned by Rochambeau. Thecombined forces grew in size to becomewhat would be considered the third-largestcity in the colonies.
The American Civil War. 160 Years Ago: May 1861 “An Armed Race is Advancing” Mobilizing for War by Mike Huebner
19 The Eagle May 2021
THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR 160 YEARS AGO: MAY 1861
“AN ARMED RACE IS ADVANCING” MOBILIZING FOR WAR
Following the attack on Fort Sumter, President Lincoln invoked his authority as commander-in-chief, under the provisions of the 1792 Militia Act, to call for 75,000 volunteers from the state militias to serve for three months to “put down an insurrection in South Carolina.” With Congress not in session, it was a “stop-gap” measure, a temporary expedient to show resolve until the Regular Army regiments could be consolidated and Congress could authorize the mobilization of additional volunteers. But Lincoln included all the states, Southern states as well, in his call for volunteers. This so incensed Southerners that four additional states declared secession and joined the Confederacy: Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Arkansas.
Commanding General Winfield Scott was under no illusions about the military capabilities of volunteers and the state militias. His own experiences in the War of 1812 and the war with Mexico had demonstrated to him their unreadiness and unreliability. Although reports from each of the states, required annually by the War Department, showed more than two million men in the organized militia, that was a theoretical “force-in-being” only. Some reports had not been accurately updated since 1827! Only a few of the states could document any semblance of military organization, the necessary levels of equipment and arms, or any proof of effective training.
Scott also had concerns about the Regular Army and how the Regulars were to be used in the event of war. On paper, the Army was authorized 16,367 officers and enlisted men in ten infantry regiments, five mounted regiments, and four regiments of field and coastal artillery. But the War Department’s year-end report for 1860 listed only 14,663 officers and men as “present for duty.”
Of the 198 companies, troops, and batteries that made up those regiments, 183 were scattered across the Trans-Mississippi West, most in isolated little outposts garrisoned by one company or less. The rest were stationed along the border with Canada and Mexico or manning the fortifications along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Of course, the Army’s strength had been decimated even further by the surrender of the Federal forces in Texas and by the resignation of more than 300 of the U.S. Army’s serving officers.
Scott knew it would take time to consolidate those regiments and bring them back East. And a portion of the Regular Army would have to remain on duty in the West in the event of Indian uprisings, at least until local militia or volunteers could be mustered to take over that mission. Even with expansion, though, the Regular Army would be hard-pressed to carry out all its required tasks.
Scott told the President he would need 25,000 additional Regulars and 60,000 three-year volunteers, serving under the command of Regular Army officers, to put down the “insurrection.” Lincoln discussed with Scott and Secretary of War Simon Cameron the possibility of expanding the Regular Army under an 1846 act of Congress that authorized the War Department to increase the number of privates in each company. Theoretically, this could increase the Army by the equivalent of twenty-five regiments without further Congressional approval, but that had yet to be tested.
The American Civil War. 160 Years Ago: May 1861 “An Armed Race is Advancing” Mobilizing for War by Mike Huebner
20 The Eagle May 2021
Instead, Lincoln issued a Presidential Proclamation – what today would be described as an Executive Order – calling for an increase of 23,000 men for the Regular Army, 18,000 additional seamen for the Navy, and 42,000 three-year volunteers (in addition to the 75,000 90-day volunteers already requested from thestates). Despite questions about theconstitutionality of Lincoln’s actions, Congresseventually passed appropriate legislation andauthorized the necessary funding. And theSupreme Court ultimately ruled that Lincolnhad acted within his executive authority.
[Note: This would be just the first of several calls for volunteers from the states: Lincoln would call for 500,000 more in late July and another 500,000 just days later. In 1862, there would be another call for 300,000 more. By 1863, though, the North would have to resort to conscription (a draft) to provide the manpower for the armies. More than two million men would eventually serve in the Union Army over the course of the war.]
Scott’s intent to have all the volunteers sworn into the Regular Army and serve under the command of Regular Army officers was opposed by the governors. They insisted on mobilizing volunteer regiments by states, retaining state designations. This would also give the governors the benefits of political patronage, the ability to reward their political supporters with commissions as regimental officers. Knowing he needed the full support of the Northern state governors, Lincoln acquiesced in their demands, but insisted on retaining Federal authority for appointments and promotions of all general officers.
Despite their insistence on raising their own regiments and appointing officers, the governors soon realized they needed Regular Army expertise. Demands for Regular officers to help organize and train the state units began to flood into the War Department. The governors also sought out former Army officers, especially those with any West Point
training. Even those who had never graduated or had been dismissed from the Academy were sometimes deemed acceptable. As one observer noted: “The faintest aroma of West Point lent a charm to the most unattractive candidate for a commission.”
[One of those former officers with an “aroma of West Point” was Ulysses S. Grant (left). An1843 graduate ofWest Point, Granthad served withdistinction in theMexican War. Butfrustration with thedull routine ofpeacetime duty andan unsatisfactoryunaccompanied tourat an isolated
California post led him to resign his commission in 1854. A failure at attempts to make a living as a farmer, Grant ended up almost destitute, selling firewood on the streets of St. Louis to support his family. Swallowing his pride, he accepted a clerkship in his father’s Galena, Illinois, tannery in 1859.
When war broke out, Grant offered to return to active duty, but his letter to the War Department was never answered. But through the intercession of friends and former Army colleagues, Grant received a commission in the Illinois volunteers from Governor Richard Yates. He was soon hard at work organizing and training the state’s unruly volunteers. His competence earned him promotion to Colonel and command of the 21st Illinois Regiment.]
Northern states responded to the call for volunteers in numbers far exceeding what Lincoln had initially asked for. Organizing, training, and equipping those tens of thousands – soon to be hundreds of thousands – of volunteers was a daunting task, and one
The American Civil War. 160 Years Ago: May 1861 “An Armed Race is Advancing” Mobilizing for War by Mike Huebner
21 The Eagle May 2021
that the states and the tiny peace-time War Department were hard-pressed to manage. Governors demanded even more Regular officers to help manage the mobilizations at the state level.
But Scott was reluctant to detail Regular officers and non-commissioned officers to the states. Scott viewed the Regular Army as his only reliable tactical force, not unlike Napoleon’s famed “Old Guard,” an “iron column” to be committed at the most crucial point in any battle. As such, he wanted to keep the Regular regiments intact and made it almost impossible for Regular officers to accept positions with the volunteer units. Those who chose to do so were often forced to resign, with no guarantee of retaining their pre-war rank in the Regular Army when the war was over.
Others argued that the Regular Army should serve as a cadre, “a nucleus of professionalism,” around which the “volunteer army” could be built. Under this model, the senior field grade officers of the Regular Army would command the brigades and divisions as they were formed, with commensurate rank as brigadier and major general. Senior company grade officers would command volunteer regiments, with the rank of colonel. Some of the best from the enlisted ranks would get commissions, while others would become the non-commissioned officers for the state volunteers. But as the mobilizations continued and the “volunteer army” grew, it became obvious that there would never be enough Regulars to fill all those roles.
Scott and Adjutant General Lorenzo Thomas eventually relented, allowing some Regular officers to accept positions – and higher rank – with the volunteer forces while retaining their pre-war rank and standing within the Regular Army. Many of those officers would go on to become colonels and generals of volunteers while still carried on the Army list as lieutenants, captains, and majors. But the
rejection of one young officer’s request for assignment to a volunteer unit was more typical. “A lieutenant of engineers” he was told, “is of more importance than a colonel of volunteers.”
Scott still insisted on retaining the Old Army regiments as a distinct tactical force. Most of the “Old Army” regiments and several newly organized Regular regiments were consolidated into a Regular Brigade and eventually into a Regular Division over the course of the war. As such, officers who remained with their Regular regiments throughout the war had little chance of promotion, while their more fortunate brethren with the volunteers went on to earn stars commanding the brigades, divisions, and corps of the “new”
Jefferson Davis (left) and his Secretary of War, Leroy Walker (lower left), faced even greater problems in mobilizing an army for war. While Lincoln had a standing Regular Army and an established, albeit small, War Department to work with, Davis and Walker had to start from scratch.
[Note: LeRoy Walker was the first of five men to serve as the Confederacy’s Secretary of War. He was followed by Judah Benjamin, George Randolph, James Seddon, and John Breckenridge, the
former Vice-President of the United States. A graduate of West Point and a former Secretary of War himself, Davis believed that he was
The American Civil War. 160 Years Ago: May 1861 “An Armed Race is Advancing” Mobilizing for War by Mike Huebner
22 The Eagle May 2021
best qualified to run the War Department and tended to “micromanage,” giving his Secretaries little authority to make decisions.]
Davis initially called for 100,000 volunteers from the Southern state militias to “resist invasion.” But, much like the militias of the North, those of the South were of dubious quality. Still, many of the Southern states had maintained a semblance of organized militia, primarily as a bulwark against slave revolts. Just how effective those militias would be in a conventional war, though, was uncertain.
On the other hand, many Southerners considered themselves a “martial race,” imbued with unique skills giving them a greater propensity for military service: closer connection to the land (providing a better understanding of “terrain”), familiarity with firearms, and an innate capacity for horsemanship. Contrasting their supposed superiority in battle with that of Northern “dirt farmers, shop keepers, and hired laborers,” they boasted that “one Southron could overcome six – or even ten – Yankees.” Whether or not that was true, or if they really believed it, was beside the point.
But Davis faced another problem in raising an army. The very tenet of the Confederacy – states’ rights – meant that Southern governors were reluctant to send their militia or volunteers to serve outside their home state. Not knowing where Northern forces might attack, governors across the South insisted on retaining forces in their own states, under their own command. It was a problem Davis would never satisfactorily resolve, even after calling for another 400,000 volunteers. Still, more than one million men would serve in the Confederate armies during the war, although the South, too, would have to resort to conscription to fill the ranks.
If Davis and the South had one real advantage, at least at the beginning, it was the number of experienced U.S. Army officers who had resigned (or returned to active duty) to
cast their lot with the Confederacy. Men like Albert Sidney Johnston, Joseph E. Johnston, Braxton Bragg, Pierre G.T. Beauregard, Thomas Jackson, and James “Pete” Longstreet were, for the most part, outstanding officers. Most had served with distinction in Mexico. Of course, the most famous of those who chose to join the armies of the Confederacy was Robert E. Lee.
Lee (at left, as a lieutenant colonel in
the U.S. Army) had managed to get out of Texas before all the U.S. Army officers in that state had been incarcerated by Texas authorities. He reported to General Winfield Scott in March. While there is little
documentation in the historical record, there are indications that Scott, and perhaps even Lincoln, offered Lee the command of all the Northern armies.
Scott was seventy-five years old, in poor health, and weighed more than three hundred pounds. While his mind was still sharp, he realized he could not take the field to command the Union Army in battle. Lee had been one of his most valuable and trusted officers in Mexico. Scott had absolute confidence in Lee’s abilities. He was willing to give Lee the command and promote him ahead of other more senior officers.
Lee pondered the offer, expressing his belief that “secession was anarchy.” But when Virginia seceded in April, he sadly declined Scott’s offer, stating “How can I draw my sword upon Virginia, my native state.” “Lee,” Scott replied, “you have made the greatest mistake of your life, but I feared it would be so.”
The American Civil War. 160 Years Ago: May 1861 “An Armed Race is Advancing” Mobilizing for War by Mike Huebner
23 The Eagle May 2021
When Jefferson Davis relocated the capitol of the Confederacy to Richmond, Lee accepted a commission as one of the senior generals of the Confederate Army. But, jealous of his prerogatives as “commander-in-chief,” Davis was unwilling to name anyone as the commanding general of the Confederate Army. He did, though, appoint Lee as “senior military advisor to the President.”
The poet Walt Whitman wrote: “All the past we leave behind . . . an armed race is advancing! The welcome for battle, no turning away: War! Be it weeks, months, or years, an armed race is advancing to welcome it.”
--- Mike Huebner
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