Faded Glory

"Tom Alexander and Dan Utley, two outstanding historians with a great wealth of information and knowledge on military history between them, have gotten together to make '1+1' into much more than '2.' Make it a full '10' for their thorough review of what remains from our militant history to teach present and future Texans."--Archie P. McDonald, Southern historian

"In Faded Glory authors Tom Alexander and Dan K. Utley have shared a seat in their car for a first-hand tour of military history across the Lone Star State. Starting with the U.S.-Mexican War and coming up through World War II, they have recounted the stories of both familiar and little-known scenes of military activities and then have given us easy-to-follow instructions on how we can visit and experience the sites for ourselves. This is the perfect book for the armchair historian or the eager heritage tourist." --T. Lindsay Baker, W.K. Gordon Endowed Chair in Texas Industrial History, Tarleton State University

"In this beautifully illustrated and well-crafted book, the military history of Texas comes alive and takes on new meaning. One can almost hear the thunder of cavalry horses and the clatter of dragoon sabers and Rancho de Carricitos on the Rio Grande, the deadly crack of Billy Dixon's rifle at Adobe Walls, or the fatiguing sighs of the ill-fated Sibley Brigade arriving at a windswept Fort Bliss. There is also the deafening pound of Lt. Dick Dowling's artillery at Sabine Pass, the debilitating and scorching heat in the desert at Camp Ruidoso in 1916, the hum of propellers as airplanes take flight at Marfa Army Airfield, or the whistle of a troop train in the night as Italian prisoners from North Africa arrive at Camp Hereford in the Panhandle. It is all here and it is all very exciting and very grand."--Jerry D. Thompson, Regents Professor of Humanities, Texas A&M International University

"It is obviously a labor of love . . . this book moves from being merely fun and informative to being truly an important effort to marshal support for historic preservation. This is a lively text, well-written by two fellows who are obviously good story-tellers."--Richard B. McCaslin, professor and chair of the history department, University of North Texas

"Faded Glory takes the general audience on an interesting and informative journey into the nooks and crannies of Texas history. The theme presents a representative sampling of 34 Texas military sites . . . that offer a window into key periods of Texas history from statehood and the Mexican War to the end of World War II."--Thomas T. Smith, retired US Army colonel and author of The Old Army in Texas: A Research Guide to the US Army in Nineteenth-Century Texas and The US Army and the Texas Frontier Economy, 1845-1900

“For those interested in military history and heritage tourism, Faded Glory provides interesting and easily digestible background stories of a diverse set of historic military sites. In addition to locales significant to the Mexican-American War and World War II, the book also covers sites from the Indian Wars, the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, the Mexican Revolution, and World War I.

In some cases, the sites provide rich tourism opportunities. For example, the commanding officer’s home at Fort Clark—where the Army’s last cavalry unit trained before deployment to Europe in the early 1940s—looks much as it did when it was built in 1857. In other cases, the remnants of the sites are long gone, and therefore the authors’ historical synopses help bring their relevance to life. For example, the site where General Zachary Taylor camped in 1845 on Corpus Christi beach with about 4,000 American troops is completely covered by a seawall and modern development. “Then-and-now” images help illustrate the effects of time.”—Matt Joyce, Postcards