United States Naval Academy - Lucky Bag Yearbook (Annapolis, MD)

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YOUNGSTER PRANKS TAX INSTRUCTORS ' PATIENCE who were admitted directly from civilian life under the new system. This latter group formed the First Class and remained as such until graduation. With each suc- ceeding year new students became the Second, Third, and Fourth classes. Thus was born the present class system of the Naval Academy. Another change radically affected the method of appointing midshipmen. Formerly, students came almost exclusively from the Middle Atlantic states, through the benevolence of some relative or friend who had influence in the Navy Department. With the advent of the Naval Academy, midshipmen were to be appointed in proportion to the members of the House of Representatives, and finally in 1852 they were required to receive the recommendation of their Congressmen. The program of the Naval Academy soon became apparent as the school became master, and the students shaped themselves to the courses. New and harder subjects were introduced, the Department of Foreign Languages was estabhshed, and a stricter discipline was enforced. Still the authorities found the pranks of the Youngsters an even match for their ingenuity. The students tormented the instructors by blowing vigorously into their gas burners, thus extinguishing all their lights during study hour. The morning gun was so often loaded with bricks that only the bravest would fire it. The academic department drew its share of troubles — many an ofiicer entering a classroom was greeted by a deluge of water from buckets concealed on the door tops which he inadvertently brought down on himself by crossing the threshold. Disciplinary power for instructors later ended such pranks. A GENUINE SALUTE was always feared at the Academy. One day the Oldsters were detailed to prepare the guns of the fort for a salute to a French frigate. The con- spiring Oldsters piled up window panes underneath the muzzles of the guns. When the authorities fired the first gun of the salute there was a fearful crashing of glass. The salute could not be interrupted, so the perpetrators had the unprecedented delight of watching the officials helplessly blow all their own windows to bits — one hundred and thirty-six in all, as a rear-admiral who had a hand in the transaction confessed many years later at a class reunion. IN 1853 the course of instruction was handled by nine departments; Professor Chauvenet was at the head of the most important one. Astronomy and Navigation. More land was again needed, so Superintendent Stribling purchased the land which the Chapel, administration building, and officers ' club now occupy. The land was used for officers ' quarters at that time and the road was called Blake Row. Another purchase added the land lying along the Severn on the opposite side of Maryland Avenue. Today Isherwood Hall stands on part of the added acreage. Some of the buildings constructed around this time were quite worthless. In fact, an entire side of one of the midshipmen ' s quarters was blown down in a storm. But the Academy still held out; it was young, and it was striving. In 1855 the original Fourth Class entered; almost simul- taneously the my Plebe tradition sprang up. New Third Classmen selected particular members of the incoming class over whom they kept a watchful eye. Eventually this practice developed into a First Class privilege, and today, strange as it may seem, the closest relationship at the Naval Academy is between the First Class and the Plebes. T '

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-XI- ANOTHER GRIEVANCE the midshipmen held against Lockwood was his sojer drills. They stuck to their slogan, A messmate before a shipmate, a shipmate before a stranger, a stranger before a dog, but a dog before a ' sojer. ' But Lockwood persisted, even though he did march an entire gun battery, complete with field piece, into the Severn before he could stammer out in desperation Halt! However, there were serious moments at the Academy. The remaining midshipmen in 1847 raised a fund to erect a monument commemorating those midshipmen who gave their lives in the Mexican War. The result of the drive was the Mexican Monument containing four names — Hynson, Clemsony Pillsiury, and Shubrick — alumni who nobly made the supreme sacrifice. Some midshipmen showed rare initiative in the war. After several other methods had failed, Foxhall Parker finally landed a 32 pound gun from the Potomac by running a small boat ashore, cutting out the bottom, and leaving the gun there. Midshipman Youngs a mounted messenger between the Army and the Navy, inad- vertently led a charge when his cavalry horse answered a bugle call. After the skirmish, he is reported to have received the commendation of the Colonel in command for his valorous leadership in the face of enemy fire. UNTIL 1849 the school had been operating under almost impossible conditions. Students entered and left at irregular intervals; discipline was extremely difficult to enforce; the midshipmen often were uncooperative, but in the long run the worth of the school had been tried and proven by those few midshipmen who had participated in the Mexican War. Friends of the Academy felt strong enough to initiate changes. The first step was an extension of the course to four years of actual training, two periods of two years each, interluded by three years sea duty. Examinations for entrance were held in October to insure simultaneous instructions for the new students. In 1850 the school was officially called the Naval Academy y and numerous changes were incorporated. The executive officer of the school became known as the Commandant of Midshipmen and in addition to his regular duties served as instructor in naval tactics and practical seamanship. A naval uniform wa s adopted for acting midshipmen. Along with the new changes, the marking scale of 4.0 was inaugurated and has continued in use since that time. A practice ship was attached to the Academy for summer cruises. Lieutenant Craven commanded the first practice cruise in the steamer John Hancock. So successful was this cruise that later, in 1851, the course was changed to four consecutive years at the Academy with summer cruises replacing the former sea duty required of midship- men. In fact, an entire re-organization of the Academy was approved on November 1, 1851. The act also provided that after four years the holder of a certificate of graduation was entitled to a midshipman ' s warrant, and that after two years of sea duty he could return for an examination for lieutenant. Only Annapolis graduates were to receive the warrants — the first step toward regulating the quality and quantity of the officers in the fleet; this standard was maintained until the present war. REGULAR INSTRUCTION by classes began in 1851. Oldsters represented those men who already held midshipmen ' s warrants and had returned to the Academy for only a year ' s instruction. Youngsters were all those acting midshipmen on probation NATAL ACADEMY ADOPTED AS OFFICIAl NAME OF SCHOOL .

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MIDSHIPMEN NEEDED RECREATION but little was provided; a bowling alley and a boat house had been constructed, but the bowling alley burned down and no attempt was made to rebuild it. Gatherings behind the battery occupied the leisure time of most students. Oldsters gathered there to sing songs to the green Young- sters. One of their favorites was the prelude to the modern Yea Furlough, so familiar to today ' s midshipmen. G)me all ye gallant middies, Who are going on furlough, We ' ll sing the song of liberty, We ' re going for to go. Take your tobacco lively. And pass the grog around. We ' ll have a jolly time tonight Before we ' re homeward bound. NOT EVERY STUDENT that entered the school graduated. It was more custom- ary to bilge than to graduate; of the first 1,209 midshipmen admitted only 269 completed the course. George Dewey entered with a class of seventy-five men; after his annual examination in June, 1855, only thirty-eight were retained. The career of the future admiral himself almost came to an abrupt end when he stood just under the line, ranking thirty-fifth in the class. Upon graduation, however, he stood No. 5 in his class of fifteen men and received the star which went to the five highest midshipmen. It might be interesting to note that his lowest standing was in naval tactics and gun- nery, the very essentials of his stellar victory some forty years later at Manila Bay. Another great naval name appeared on the honor rolls the year following Dewey ' s graduation. It was that oi Alfred Thayer Mahan, who stood second in his class and had the added distinction of being the first three-year man to graduate from Annapolis. THE ACADEMY was first honored with a visit from a President of the United States when Franklin Pierce attended a naval ball in 1856. We also find the first literary society at the Academy in 1858; it was formed in honor oi James Lawrence, whose famous words, Don ' t Give Up the Ship, adorn Memorial Hall today. During this same period the Japanese Bell was presented to the Academy by the widow of Commodore Matthew C. Perry, according to his wish at the time of his death in March, 1858. The inscription on the bell is quite lengthy and was finally translated about 1875 by a Japanese subject who was attending the Naval Academy. - MIDSHIPMEN GRADUATES of the Academy soon proved to be very efficient aboard ship and Captains chose the new men from the shore school in preference to merchant marine officers. As the Academy increased in scope, a serious rooming shortage was felt. Appropriations for new buildings could not be obtained and the existing ac- commodations were far too limited. The old practice ship Plymouth was converted into a school-ship and the entering Fourth Class were quartered aboard her in the fall of 1859. Soon after, the historic old Constitution replaced the Plymouth as school-ship. Material improvement in the teaching personnel was forthcoming with the in- clusion of many young line officers. Among them was Lieutenant Stephen B. Luce whose admirable work Seamanship was written for the midshipmen and constituted the standard text in that subject for years to come. Some followed it so closely that the story is told of one young officer who was tacking ship according to the instructions PRESIDENT ATTENDS NAVAL BALL