My father Odus Creamer Horney was born on September 18, 1866 in Lexington, Illinois, the older son of James William Horney and Josephine Creamer Horney.
His forebears were of Midwestern pioneer stock. His father volunteered at age 16 in the Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Co. C, 60th Reg. 1862, Union Army, then re-enlisted for the duration of the Civil War. He died at the age of 22 from illness contracted during his service.
My Grandmother “Jodie” then made her way back to Mechanicsburg, Ohio, with her small son Odus (and James still unborn), to her father and mother Jacob and Betsy Creamer. Both Odus’ uncles Lou and Alec Creamer returned also from the Union Army to their Ohio farms.
This Grandfather, Jacob Creamer, was the strong and rugged influence throughout my father’s life. He was surveyor of many of the surrounding towns and farms and invented the first automatic irrigating ditch digger, a device which knifed through the soil and was pulled along by oxen. We still have the model by which it was patented.
My father was educated in the country grade and high schools of Mechanicsburg, Ohio, himself teaching during his senior year to help support his mother and younger brother. He walked six miles to and from school.
He entered the U.S. Military Academy September 1887 by an alternate appointment. I found an old letter he wrote as a plebe to his aunt in which he said, “I may make a good showing against those who have had the advantages of a college education but now it is a physical impossibility to be even or ahead of them. When we get to studies they are not familiar with, I may do better but till then tell uncle Frank, I cannot be a leading horse. Tell him though that they can’t keep their stay-chain stretched always.” He was graduated number six in his class—and may any discouraged plebe read this and take heart.
Colonel Lewis Sorely, a classmate, writes us: “As a cadet, Horney was among the older members of the class, approaching his 21st anniversary. This fact, coupled with a good basic education, some experience in business, a wise expression of countenance and a redeeming sense of humor enabled Odus to take West Point in stride in contrast to many less gifted souls to whom the four years’ course was a Titan struggle. Graduating number six in his class, he was recommended for assignment to the Engineers, but his was an inventive, mechanical bent, and he had early decided to try for the Ordnance Department. So upon graduation he chose assignment to the Infantry, and after two years in that branch he took, as the custom was in those days, a competitive examination for transfer to the Ordnance. He spent the remainder of his distinguished career in that branch.
"Horney’s irrepressible appreciation of a humorous situation is well illustrated by an incident which occurred while he was Ordnance Officer at Manila in 1927. The War Department issued a circular relating to the bombing of ice jams by the then more or less experimental equipment in use, and a copy of the circular was sent in the routine way to Manila, directing that a full report be made on the effect of the bomb upon ice jams. In the routine procedure the paper was referred to Horney for remark. Sensing at once the incongruity of serious consideration of the subject in the climate of the Philippines, he departed from the formal type of reply to an official communication and wrote an indorsement which read as follows:
Indorsement Paragraph #3 to: Chief of Staff Thru, Dept. Air Officer.
1. The effect of an ice jam in the Pasig River would be appalling—too horrible to contemplate, and to guard against such a catastrophe, I recommend that the General Staff make a “STUDY” of the subject of ice jams in general, and of ice jams in the tropics, in particular.
2. No risk should be taken in such an important matter, and it might be well for this letter to be referred to the Department Engineer Officer, or even to the Chief of Engineers for his opinion as to the best way of guarding against ice jams. This would be much better than to try to break them up after they have been allowed to form.
Immediately after graduation, Second Lieutenant Horney married his hometown sweetheart Kezia Bryan, a lovely little black eyed English girl who remained his steadfast sweetheart until she died in 1942, after their 50th wedding anniversary. I remember my father saying casually whenever he heard any young Army wife complaining: “In all my service I have never heard from Mrs. Horney a word of dissent regarding any station to which I was ordered.”
At General Horney’s farewell retirement dinner the master of ceremonies, Colonel Charles G. Mettler, said in regard to General Horney’s colorful and productive service “but of course General Horney always had fine support. Mrs. Horney, will you please stand up!”
My father’s first station was with the 7th Infantry at Fort Logan, Colorado, that grand outfit which subsequently fought at San Juan Hill and went on to the Boxer rebellion in China.
In 1894 he transferred to Ordnance and was stationed at Rock Island Arsenal under General Buffington. There, as a First Lieutenant he designed and constructed a large concrete dam in the Mississippi as well as a wing dam running up the river from the Island. His methods were so novel that the Western Society of Engineers came from Chicago to examine the work while in progress.
General Marshall, afterward Chief of Engineers, stated that he himself intended to adopt some of the new methods which have since come into general use.
At Springfield Armory, where he was stationed in 1898, Captain Horney, together with Colonel Greer and Colonel Thompson, designed and developed the Springfield caliber .30 rifle model 1903, that sturdy weapon the love of G.I.’s and marines the world over.
While at Watervliet Arsenal, New York, where he was transferred in 1902, he designed and applied modifications of Breech Mechanisms of all Seacoast cannon and invented the firing mechanism which made rapid fire possible and is now used on practically all heavy Seacoast cannon. Up to that time rapid fire with these heavy guns could be continued for only a short time before difficulties with gas check arose.
His womenfolk protested that the firing mechanism should carry his name like the Fuller Differential and Dunnite for Colonel Dunn, but he only laughed at us. An invention’s reward to him was in the joy of doing it. An old letter to his mother says—“Now as to the firing mechanism...about a thousand will be needed altogether and as it costs about $50 less to make than any other thus far designed the total saving (to Uncle Sam) will be $50,000, not a bad Winter’s work. Nearly all of it was worked out of evenings.”
While at Watervliet Captain Horney was in charge of the construction of Army’s first 16 inch gun. The Post children all had pictures snapped in the Breech—even little six year old Stephen Vincent Benet. It was very exciting when the flat cars loaded the monster cannon and rolled out of the shops with all the men cheering.
Assigned as assistant to the Chief of Ordnance in Washington, D C., in 1905, Major Horney was appointed a member of the joint Army and Navy Powder Board on which he served for nearly ten years. During this time the methods of manufacturing smokeless powder and high explosives embodying the best practices, not only of the Army and Navy, but of private manufacturers as well, were standardized and detailed instructions issued, resulting in the manufacture of what was probably the best and most stable smokeless powder in the world.
While in command of the Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey, Colonel Horney built and put into operation Army’s first smokeless powder factory during 1907-15. It is my recollection that he lost only one man from a press-room fire and he was wearing a celluloid collar.
On July 14, 1915, Colonel Horney resigned from the Army to become technical Director of the Aetna Explosives Co., at New York.
When the United States declared war against Germany, he volunteered his services and on June 25, 1917 was commissioned Major, Ordnance Reserve Corps, and soon after Colonel, National Army, and assigned to duty at Washington, D.C., first as Chief of the Supply Division, Ordnance Office, and later as Ordnance Representative in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of War. Subsequently he was placed in charge of the Estimates and Requirements Division.
As Brigadier General, he was ordered to France in 1918, arriving three days after the Armistice and was made President of the Board to inspect all Ordnance Material on hand and to recommend its disposition.
Lieutenant Colonel Joseph L. Topham, Jr., wrote me when my father died: “General Horney was my immediate superior in the Ordnance office, Hq. 1st Army A.E.F. in France in 1918. In all my Army career have I either met or served under a finer gentleman or more understanding person. In later years it has been our good fortune to bold and esteem the friendship of both your lovely mother and fine father. He has now joined her in eternal rest.”
While in Command of Old Hickory Powder Plant at Nashville, Tennessee, General Horney returned to duty with the Regular Army as Lieutenant Colonel. He later Commanded San Antonio Arsenal as full Colonel.
Under his Command at Frankford Arsenal, Philadelphia, the modification of the small arms bullet was perfected, which ammunition won the competitive tests at Aberdeen Proving Ground over all commercial entries and went on to be used at die International Matches at St. Gal-len, Switzerland, in 1925. Colonel Homey said to the press: “I expect great results from the newly developed ammunition. This superacclirate ammunition recently manufactured was developed in the last few months and was entirely due to the Team work of Ordnance officers and civilian employees at the Arsenal.” Major General Julian S. Hatcher said in ARMY ORDNANCE January-February 1926: “It will perhaps surprise some of our readers to learn that administration played a more important part in the production of the world’s record ammunition than did expert ballistic knowledge.”
Major General E. L. Ford writes me: "General Horney was a loyal son of his alma mater and he devoted his life to the service of his country. He was an expert in many fields of Ordnance where he contributed to the development of weapons ranging from small arms to our largest cannon—together with the powder and explosives for their effectiveness—a truly outstanding technician and a great man.
In looking over my father’s papers and records may I say that I marvelled more and more at the versatility of the man, not only technically but in his humility and kindness to all around him. With all his brilliance of mind he never was stuffy, he sustained his sense of humor and he never failed to find common ground with the most erudite scholar down to the littlest kindergartner neighbor who reached small hands through his hedge for chocolate bars. Colonel T.G.M. Oliphant says, “I always felt that there was one man in whom I had complete confidence...he had great courage in his convictions and he still and always will be to me a very understanding man.”
Colonel F.J. Gillespie sums up for us all a truly fine memorial when he says, “My father-in-law was a truly great American, loved by all of us who enjoyed his always available inspiring fortitude, sympathy and wisdom which will keep him marching by our side ‘till our course on Earth is run .”
Taps have sounded for a gallant officer of the Long Gray Line and we who knew and loved him salute his memory.
—Ruth Horney Oliphant and Esther Horney Gillespie