Louisiana State University - Gumbo Yearbook

“... .* in the mess hall, discipline of the boys, and the curriculum offered, but most of these problems were ironed out until the middle of the second ses- sion. At that time, Sherman was forced to resign owing to the out- break of the Civil War, and not before he told each of the Seminary ' s now 120 students personally goodbye. Sherman took command of the Union Army while the student body joined the Confederate forces. The Seminary- was closed during the duration of the war. In 1865, under the leadership of David French Boyd, a member of the original faculty, the school resumed. The next four years were full of hard- ships with the Seminary because of the loss of books and equipment at the school and the Reconstruction attitude in the South. Although race relations were precarious and eco- nomic conditions were critical, the Seminary managed to make some progress during early Reconstruction. A high point of the Reconstruction era wa s the Seminary ' s first graduat- ing class, eight young men were pres- ented diplomas in 1869. These cadets were the Seminary ' s only graduates while it was located in Rapides Par- ish. The hardships worsened also in 1869 when the Seminary building burned on October 1 5 of that year for unknown reasons. The building was destroyed, but many books and equip- ment were saved. One professor of modern language, whose hobby was botany, was reported by the cadets that instead of saving his clothes and possessions from the fire, he ran from the burning building with his arms full of wild flowers. Two weeks after the fire, classes resumed at the Institute for the Deaf and Dumb and Blind in Baton Rouge. . ... ”