United States Military Academy West Point - Howitzer Yearbook (West Point, NY)

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il'li ?E1l1t. ll'I5 E?illallI y , ig:es'3r.fP'f'T'!'vf- awp, I I' ill, 1, - -1, -f 4??li5??2n , , ,.g P - 95351 -V .. -- .. I will 541 , ,V ,Q ,, W , .. ,vw ,gg rg LJ V t 1 .1 'is 1 I ' H ' Q I . 4 v ummm :ei ' :fff 1 :1 . .. .. 1 1 .--. . Y w t .r .N v L- . , QL f .3-:5i ',ij-'- l ,1 - ' fl: 1 ' if 3- ' 5 ,F 1 Q:1'5j ?91.1 it ll ,g a g .QQL fy- Eigy jiqfj r psi , :A if 'i k iss' f '- 1+:f-1-ef --1 ft f.:',:-I I LJ: - 'ter-4-'- 1. ' ,133 init' I' 5 igQcl f.'-we .. .. '- .,.. . .. -. - Y ll A, ...,,. .. ,.,.Jf.L5Ei1? 7 4 gf..-1 ii ii tl T M K2 :Y : .I J L' l. ' EE V , f -1 i illiillfelwl X , , 1 ,551 .X i I U fl t L -A :I 'I Professor of everything, chaplain, and artillery instructor. They were the years of stagnation. Partridge, in spite of considerable efficiency as a drill master, was a singular mislitg weak, irritable, and inconsistent, without theability to organize. There was no system nor discipline in the Corps. There was no uniform course of studies, nor eveh a division into classes. Men desiring to attend a recitation or lec- ture, did sog when they did not, they stayed away. The uniforms were at the wearers' discretion, and had a pleasing variety. One of the more brilliantvincluded a seven- inch dress hat with a red, white and blue pompon, pink duck sherry-valleys with buttons down the sides, a white satin vest, and a music sword. Punishments con- sisted in coniinements Csometimes on bread and waterj and in sitting astride a,cannon in the sun. One very mutinous cadet was given a commission in the First Artillery, as an examplef, And when a man really got sick of the place he went off on.fur- lough. to come back when he was rested. Strange to say, this quaint arrangement did not work well. In 1814 there were thirty-one graduates: in 1816 there weren't any. Most of the Corps was on furlough, resting. Those at the Point were in all stages of military inefficiency. Some of them lived in Highland- Falls, never coming to the Academy. There were two married cadets, who had families in barracks: one who had only one armg one who was a mid- shipman as well as a cadet: and many other undesirable citizens. The Plain was cov- ered with retired soldiers' huts, which afforded asylum for all manner of people, and supplied quantities of whiskey. Benny Havens' place was also established and flour- ishing. A Court of Inquiry appointed in 13816 reported a general spirit ofjnsubordina- tion, due to lack of organization and of adequate punishments. At that time cadets could not be court-martialed, while direct dismissal by the Superintendent, though authorized, appears to have been rare. And even sitting astride those cannon in the sun did not prevent such little practical jokes as an attempt to blow. up barracks by a bomb with a time fuse, or to bombard the Superintendenfs house with a held battery and service ammunition. A ---' -, - -:-- -as-rf- --rr -- vvsnsgv-r.. ' scifi 'fr pm I e A. - - - . -..-.-q,4f6V' ?I.--l',s- mi., --,.fef,.9.,.- is., riitfsm- M , . -I . -1' A .L .aiirfaszr-1fsaee':.gf?fffkgfilfsstqtefrfe A if '. I - ,. 34u '? '1 ' ' ' ref?-5.f:9,if.?3' -12 if 11 a fiili ' 'fRE ?. 'E-l , ' - 1 ,.--,J-' x '.ss.q,, 3. i,5,,'g -33.-I a.-4.4, V- - . ' ' --1 - w'-.,1,, s.-7 --fy-' -I --'-s1.1.f,,g:+'w' .. f: f - .:- M Wmevi ,,., .. ...,,.,,LT..,,4:, i,4.s,,- , ,..g.f.a,At,v.,, - : ...M . ,V ., .- . K'-fi.---.1. rv:-,s.v:.e.'.,sJ.+ .gy .-:,.. -- -2 . -. 11 ' i VSIEST POINT IN 1835. LOOKING SOUTHI5AS'l' - 9 x

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-ret Ummm Pl' .. . - . . ---, ..,4 ,,,,.: 1 '6- ,- gffvffrrr 4, -34 -. 5.4 s 1 ate. -'w- as -we 1 ' .- 19' -' s, ' tg -bf fe- . 'f 1 : -- z 2- . v,- :f 2 S-.' - 1, '- 1 , a .' g' - :I f: f . 'TE - -e f : 'I '::f- if 24 in .1 1 :5 V an 11 1 -.Q ani, Q I Lef t. lg .Lf 725.5 in Q 1 .,,.. - . A 5,4 i- . V - N 4: -142 - 2:1 1.13 Q-J ' 'ig-s Q. . X 5 1 ' r ,..- , A rf3q.qg., ' , iris: V ..,.,E1,- -,ig ' i :L.'. A Ali' 365-.'-1,,.-. '.....-.l.....-.-1.41. I . ,,,f.2,... .... - 4 ng, ' Q hi F-:mf ' 1 3 fx- . R ia E X 'r Q, it i I Q I by , , X Mir If I i cavm' PRIVATE 1814 tiff ' l A Mandi iitt atila course. All arrangements as to messing, lodging, and so forth, were very crude, so much so that for some years the Academy was regularly abandoned between Decem- ber and March. Colonel Wfilliams had had command for less than a year when a disagreement with the Secretary of VVar as to the authority of an engineer officer brought about his resignation. Followed two years in which only two cadets graduated and none entered. In 1806, at the personal request of the President, Colonel VVilliams again took charge. In the succeeding three years, by hard work at home and continual hammering at Congress, he brought about relatively great improvements. In this period sixty-seven men were appointed and thirty-tive graduated. Then in 1809 all development was halted by the appointment as Secretary of War of a Dr. Eustis, who entertained a bitter hatred toward the Academy. Officially the Secretary had almost complete control over it, as he made appointments and approved grants for supplies. He used his power to full advantage. He began by detailing cadets with lield troops throughout the coun- try, generally in quite subordinate positions, where they could neither command nor learn to command. UThese young men, he wrote to Colonel VVilliams, should put the public to no expense for transportation, quarters, or any other item .... However trivial or manual the service, it holds them to their proper place, and is all they are lit forf' A large majority of the men -then at the Point were thus dispersed throughout the Army. Wfhat remained of the school was starved by lack of money and supplies, The number of instructors was reduced to two. The purchase of books is to be discouragedf, says the Secretary, hsince the advance- ment of science is so rapid as to render them useless, they become obsolete as soon as boughtf' Finally, during his three years, incumbency Dr. Eustis appointed just two cadets, one of whom never reported. His success was remarkable. By 1810 Wfest Point was dead, and for two years it stayed dead. Little instruction was given in that year, and no one was graduated. ln 1811 eighteen cadets, serving with troops in different parts of the United States, were given commissions without examination. ln March of 1812 one of the instruct- ors, Capt. Partridge, wrote that all cadets have been commissioned except Smith, who is a clerk in the VVar Department. In the same year Colonel VV'illiams, utterly discouraged, resigned his position and commission. It was not a particularly healthy policy, this of Dr. Eustis, with a war with England imminentg and the disgraceful results - of that war had a stimulating effect on the na- f - tion. The idea that to hght requires trained - soldiers began to take hold. Late in 1812, just -QQ JE : -sg befori ltheCSecretary resigned, an act was passer Jy onffress concerning the Academ U . The most impgrtant provisioi? was a 325.0370 appropriation for buildings and supplies. Wfest it .gi Q Point began to come to life. By the spring of - .. 1813 there were a dozen cadets, and one grad- 15 4' H uate, George Trescot. He obtained the engi- T -:ga-,,,ifg,I3,.,l5.g1. Q1, C ,L neers without difficulty. . THE ACADEMY KLOOKING SOUTHEAST, 'The next hve years were under the supervi- sion of Capt. Partridge, Commandant of Cadets, 1315-1333 8

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Rt 4 'S .fa , 212' i my :mane - ' ' 5535-vi... , as - ,,A H . fu .. - ... ...1.. -..-- f....... ...... .,......-- --,-. 'fvi N4,,'. i 1 - .. .-- ' - ,I .S . T ,gg 12' . -t V NES' A -5 31 'Elf 231: f ? f A-..,4 ....Q - ' I M5 Il . TEI. A :Ss . .A fl, Z .- zgjags -L-fi. - ?z ?:i, Fi-f -A' A .-. 4 I yt -- . . , u lllll my nasa:inm1maaummnmxumiiu5'.1 ' F' , n ei , ,, , , '- H ,un ,sus 1-Fltui r fa 12? ES- 3:-' 'f A - i :gf...T+ -,.: '- of-LE 4 - ::.:.1:.I 8'--1 '?--- '-1 im' . THE SOUTH BARRACKS QLOOKING SOUTHWEST5 1815-1849 The Court of Inquiry above mentioned marked the end of this regime. It reported in full to Congressg and Congress, intelli- gently perceiving that something was wrong, at last, in 1817, created the Military Academy. The act was not so worded, but that is what it amounted to. It provided for the abolition of Capt. Partridge, and appointed as Superin- tendent the Chief of the Engineer Corps, Major Sylvanus Thayer. JK all 254 24 if It is difficult to give an adequate idea of all that Major Thayer did for the Academy. Considering the Corps as it is now, its organization and training, its spirit and customs and traditions, there is little which is fundamental that cannot be traced back to that great man. He found a school in which was no organization nor hope of progress, a comic opera school. He left substantially the lfVest Point that has ofhcered our Army for three-quarters of a eenturyg substantially His arrival found of the cadets, as has Half a dozen of the Two professors were ridge, who had gone the West Point of to-day. the Academy in a characteristic condition. About three-fourths been said, were off on furlough, no one knew exactly where. student body were in arrest for disagreeing with a professor. in arrest for disagreeing with Captain Partridge. Captain Part- away in a temper when his dictatorship was done away with, turned up in a day or two and got into arrest him- self for disagreeing with Major Thayer. Everyone appears to have been happily released except Captain Partridge, who was court- martialed and forced to resign. VVith him out of the way, the new Superintendent could begin his Work in earnest. A A bare list of his constructive orders in the years 1817 and 1818 would ill a good sized volume. The cadets on furlough were adver- tised for in the newspapers of the country, those not returning before a certain date being considered dismissed. Those who returned, to- gether with the men at the Point, were promptly subjected to a mental and physical examination, which resulted in the dismissal of a number and the conditioning of many others. The Corps was organized into a two-company battalion, with ea et officers, super- vised by tactical officers and a Commandant of Ca ets. The division into four Academic classes was defined more accurately, and the pres- ent system of small sections and weekly posting of marks intro- duced. The Academic Board was reorganized and enlargedg new departments were added, new courses laid out, and a large quantity of text-books and technical instruments purchased. Bi-yearly exam- inations were to be held, in January and June, and entrance examina- tions in june and September. Summer vacations were superseded by a permanent encampment, with tactical exercisesg all cadets were required to pass through two of these before graduating. The present second-class furlough was introduced, and all others-except short mam ,L -od ,f 3.13 1 A tgp. ft -. P . -' 1 'ifffffq lfiiff - ff9 21354. ' ' it - I-f L EQ., f: -- I if it - . 'S ' 'yi .- , C i 'E i ri ,ir 5' ' . If . is - 4 1 X. .' l M I ' .-.' 1 1 Hr -. leaves in emergencies-abolished. The present regulation as to dis- S' charged cadets not entering the service so as to rank their class, was passed on Major Thayer's recommendation, as was the system of graduation, and selection of arms of the service, according to class rank. Concurently with these administrative advances, the internal condition of the Corps suffered a swift and severe change. Never before, and probably never since, have the bonds of discipline cut quite so deep as they did on the cadets of the twen- ties. The demerit system had, it is true, existed for some yearsg but it had been 10 1837 X H