TABLE OF CONTENTS
A Guide to the Howard L. Landers Papers, 1929-1960
Howard L. Landers (1874-1966) was a Colonel in the United States Army and produced historical studies of national battlefields for the War Department in the late 1920s and early 1930s. The Historical Section of the Army War College conducted the historical studies, appointing Landers, then a lieutenant colonel, as the head of the Battlefield Sub-Section. Between 1927 and 1933, Landers published four historical battlefield monographs, including one about the battle of Yorktown. Additionally, Landers prepared at least 18 other studies, which were never printed, including three on Revolutionary War battles; the Battle of New Orleans, 1815; and 14 Civil War battles. Furthermore, the Battlefield Sub-Section identified thousands of other engagements to be memorialized. In 1933, the Historical Section abolished the sub-section and transferred its functions and documents to the National Parks Department.
During World War II, Landers worked as a radio broadcaster for two San Antonio, Texas, radio stations, KTSA and WOAI, talking about political and military topics. Landers died in San Antonio in 1966.
Conn, Stetson. Historical Work in the United States Army, 1862-1954. Washington D.C.: U.S. Army Center of Military History, 1980.
Lee, Ronald F. The Origin & Evolution of the National Military Park Idea. Washington D.C.: U. S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Office of Park Historic Preservation, 1973.
Diaries, historical narratives, notes, radio broadcast transcripts, drafts, and photographs comprise the Howard L. Landers Papers, 1929-1960, and document Landers’ work with the Battlefield Sub-Section, Historical Section, Army War College and as a radio broadcaster. A large portion of the collection consists of transcripts of Landers’ radio news broadcasts during and after World War II, pertaining to military actions and politics. The bulk of the papers concern Landers’ historical work with the military, surveying battlefields and producing monographs. The diaries contain Landers’ notes, maps, and diagrams from his visits to historical battlefields and other areas. Additionally, the collection includes manuscripts of his historical monograph on the Battle of Gettysburg and photographs of both Antietam and Gettysburg. Notes and article drafts compose the remainder of the collection and focus on military engagements and politics from the 1940s to the 1960s.
The collection is open for research use.
Howard L. Landers, 1929-1960, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.
Basic processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with funds from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) for the Briscoe Center’s “History Revealed: Bringing Collections to Light project,” 2009-2011.