local
Battalion/Page 3
February 22, 1982
A&M may be home
for military institute
by Lezlee Smith
Battalion Reporter
Texas A&M University may
become the home of a unique
Military Research Institute, says
University President Frank E.
Vandiver.
Vandiver said the idea, First
introduced by John Carroll, a
local historian, has attracted a
great deal of attention, includ
ing that of Gov. William P. Cle
ments.
Vandiver, who already has
formed an advisory committee,
said the next step probably will
be a meeting of that committee,
which he hopes will take place
sometime within the next few
weeks.
One of the primary functions
of the committee, he said, will be
to raise money for the institute,
which will be funded solely
through private endowments.
Carroll, who has written and
edited more than 150 books and
articles about General Custer
and the Western frontier, said
he hopes a military research in
stitute will put the military of
frontier times in a more truthful
perspective.
“So many people believe that
the soldier’s primary duty after
the Civil War was to kill Indians
and steal land — all of which is
absolutely contrary to the living
records,” Carroll said.
I he military on the frontier
was primarily a pathfinder, a
road builder, a trailblazer, a fort
builder, a protector of immig
rants, and if in the process, they
had an Indian battle, then so it
was.”
Carroll’s collection, valued at
more than $500,000, probably
will become the cornerstone for
the institute. “There is nothing
yet on paper, but the intent has
been fully subscribed to by all
the concerned parties,” he said.
Members of the committee in
clude: Carroll, Clayton W. Wil
liams Sr., of Fort Stockton; Dr.
Eli Whitely, of College Station;
Lt. Gen. Herron Maples, of
Bonham; Wilburn J. Butler, of
River Ridge, Lousiana; Maj.
Gen. Andrew Rollins, of Dallas.
John M. Carroll, a military frontier historian, looks at this
staff photo Micheke Rowland
Custer chess set he had custom made in Montana.
Custer mementos make
last stand in collection
by Larry E. Baggs
Battalion Reporter
s^ ome detractors — the
nice ones — call him a Custer
II i |&l6gist and a fanatic.
| But John Carroll, 53, said he
is a man searching for truth —
the truth about frontier military
history.
■ Carroll is most noted for his
Stings about Gen. George
Hmstrong Custer. Any conver-
Bon with him inevitably cen
ters upon Custer.
■ In addition, he has a large
Bection of Custer memorabi-
|a. In fact, Texas A&M Univer-
;; ■ is negotiating to purchase
,jkMrroll’s collection, valued at
Ci vm>re than $500,000, for a prop-
WwBd Frontier Military Institute.
I One of the more unusual
Rees of his collection is a hand-
, Shade chess game, one of only a
11 ^kUN 11 * ts tyP 6 * n existence,
-f. So i ns te a d of kings and bishops,
lea that the pieces represent Custer and
ically sajhe 7th Cav&lry, and Sitting Bull
iignshaifc the Indians.
.•V rk Carroll said he can trace his
o ...merest in military history to
' n > frrol Flynn’s portrayal of Cus-
’ThefliR i n the 1941 movie, “They
d “1( Died With Their Boots On.”
■Carroll’s quest began in the
|9&0s when, as a history teacher
' ^ j,. in [New Jersey, he noticed the
n ^ r ’ Mrcity and prejudice of the
sr r • wjuks available,
towns ifjh am particularly incensed at
CapistW oversight of the black contri
bution and have published five
[popks on that subject myself,”
Carroll said.
Since his first book was pub
lished in 1971, Carroll has writ
ten or edited more than 150
books or pamphlets, including
books on American Indians and
Orientals.
Carroll’s work takes two
forms: he uses the old docu
ments he has collected and edits
them into book form or he uses
the documents to analyze and
interpret historical events.
He researches painstakingly,
spending as much as two hours
documenting five footnotes. Or,
he may spend weeks waiting for
answers to his questions before
finishing a chapter.
Carroll said he has a dozen
more books that he wants to
write. “I want to leave a legacy of
truth about the military history
of that time period,” he said.
Carroll said he has two major
goals that he wants to achieve.
The first is the establishment of
the Texas A&M frontier milit
ary institute.
, The second goal is the estab
lishment of a Texas Academy of
Arts and Science. Its purpose
would be to reward the excell
ence of writers and artists from
Texas — possibly with an annual
award for the best project in
each category.
“It’s a shame we reward
athletes while ignoring these
people who also give so much to
our culture and heritage,” Car-
roll said.
His drive to accomplish these
goals and writings is a simple
one — fear. He said he is afraid
that all the documents, memen
tos, artifacts and personal cor
respondence of the past will be
lost or destroyed and he wants to
save these items for future
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