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

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IN 1868, the midshipmen drilled against IVest Point in an exhibition. The sailors excelled in the manual, but the Pointers took honors in marching — midshipmen had sea legs as well as smart heels to look after. In 1869 the first class to designate itself by its graduating year completed its course at the Academy claiming also the honor of having the first class ring. Porter inspired in the midshipmen pride in themselves and in their school. He placed them solely on their honor — one of the fundamental principles of the Academy today, and trusted them implicitly with amazing results. THE PERIOD OF NAVAL STAGNATION after a serious war was felt at the Academy. Appointments were reduced from two to one for each Congressman, but the pay upon graduation was increased to $800. When Commodore fVorden replaced Admiral Porter in 1869, he found little to change; his biggest work was to keep the Academy functioning smoothly. The Academy itself advanced, but outside influences again brought hard times back to the midshipmen. In 1870, acting midshipmen became cadet midshipmen, and upon graduation received their warrant as midshipmen; then they waited until a vacancy appeared before becoming ensign. Cadet engineers were taken in again as a class in 1871 for two years study; three years later the course was changed to four years: steam was becoming more and more imj)ortant; in 1872, the first steam ship cruise was made on the Tallapoosa. The back log of junior officers finally became so great that in 1873 the Academy course was lengthened to six years — the last two at sea — and no more appointments were to be granted until that course was completed. This deplorable condition too frequently arose in peace times. DURING THESE post war years, a new problem had come into prominence at the Naval Academy — hazing. In 1871 several members of the incoming class received some rather rough handling. Complaints from parents, friends, and Congressmen poured in. But this was only the start; the victimized plebes became only the more rough upon the next entering class. At one time a fond father was pressing charges against the department because of the treatment to which his child had been subjected by the young brutes in Government uniform but before the matter could be thoroughly investigated in due course of red tape, there had arisen a new set of incriminations against his boy for indulging in a little harmless fun with the newcomers. The legis- lators finally took matters into their own hands and passed the Hazing Law of 1874, which prescribed a court-martial for every hazing offense, no matter how trivial. The law had little actual effect at the Academy, but in the course of time a sensible attitude was taken by both midshipmen and authorities; some ten years later the law was repealed and was very easily forgotten. COMMODORE WORDEN liked ceremonies and fanfare. He generously con- gratulated the battalion for the initiative it had shown in putting out a fire in the en- gineering building. He inaugurated the practice of star men (3.4 or above) taking their places in the front of the battalion upon graduation. The battalion made its first public appearance in 1873 when it marched in Washington , D. C, at the second inaug- uration of President Grant. fVorden Field — the present parade grounds at the Academy — was purchased during Commodore fVorden ' s incumbency as Superintendent. CONTROVERSY FLARES OVER HAZING QUESTION

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-XVI- Annapolis, he found the grounds in a horrible condition; the buildings had been used as hospitals, ruts pitted the sod everywhere, horses had eaten the young willow seedlings, beer sheds had been erected on the grounds, and even the Superintendent ' s house was used as a billiard parlor. Porter cleaned the Academy grounds, obtained enthusiastic young officers of Civil War experience for instructors and made Lieutenant Commander Luce the Commandant. He established a department of steam engineering headed by Chief Engineer William W. W. Wood, better known to the Youngsters as W O D. A new building was erected complete with models and apparatus and special students called cadet engineers took a two-year course in the new steam engineering. PORTER INTRODUCED a new executive organization. The battalion was com- prised of four divisions, each containing six gun crews of twenty men each. The ranking cadet midshipman was the cadet lieutenant commander, followed in order by cadet lieutenant, ensign, first, and second gun captains. New markings were adopted to des- ignate the officers, starting with one chevron for the second gun captain and adding one more for each advance in rank, so that finally the cadet lieutenant commander had more gold braid than the admiral himself and to that Porter declared he would not submit. Consequently the system was changed. Four quarter-inch stripes crowned with two diamonds designated the cadet lieutenant commander, three stripes and two dia- monds signified cadet lieutenant, and so on down the line with the second gun captain wearing a single diamond. Midshipman S. Nicholson Kane, number one man in his class, became the first cadet lieutenant commander in 1866. ■ ■5 No Superintendent ever took greater personal interest in the welfare of his charges than did Admiral Porter. He organized a sports program including baseball, boxing, and rowing, and even put on the boxing gloves himself. Tradition has it that the Admiral was once knocked out by a midshipman and took it cheerfully. The barbette of Fort Severn was turned into a well equipped gymnasium and a fleet of sailing launches was obtained for weekend recreation and practice. Weekly dances were held in the Lyceum and a minstrel guilds — forerunners of the Adasqueraders — presented private theatricals. Parades became more showy and one afternoon even the band appeared in gaily colored marching attire. NOTHING WAS LEFT UNCHANGED under the Porter regime. The old quar- ters, nine individual buildings, were replaced by the New Quarters, a five-story build- ing which was used mainly as a midshipman ' s dormitory. On the first deck there was a large mess hall, several recitation rooms, and the recreation room. Near the present site of Tecumseh was built a new chapel which was to serve until the completion of the modern building just after the turn of the century. Expansion of the Academy meant that more land was needed. Porter bought the mansion and gardens of the Governor of Maryland. The lower floor of the mansion became a library; the upper floors were given over to the Superintendent ' s offices. Ten more acres along College Creek were purchased from St. John ' s Academy and finally Strawberry Hill, a 67 acre tract of land across the creek, completed the list of land additions made during Porter ' s reign. The Naval Academy Cemetery is part of the old Strawberry Hill and west of the Cemetery are the handsome grounds and buildings of the United States Naval Hospital.

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The cumulative effect of stagnation in the navy required the fullest effort of the next Superintendent, Rear Admiral C. R. P. Rodgers, to keep the Academy on its feet. He worked against great odds. Midshipmen saw no future in the Navy — a period of five to eight years as passed midshipmen awaited them upon graduation. Hazing again broke out, and many new pranks were found with which to annoy the officers. A few excerpts from the misdemeanor book of 1877 illustrate the general character of the times: BED, pouring water in another cadet ' s 2 demerits CHAIR, chalking, for benefit of sitter 2 demerits LOOKING GLASS, casting reflections with 2 demerits POCKETS, in trousers 1 demerit Commodore Foxhall A. Parker of the earlier Civil War incident, took the reins in 1888. The most salient feature during his term of service was the great Annapolis fire to which the battalion repaired with all available fire-fighting equipment. So gallantly did they perform that the privilege of smoking was granted to all midshipmenvyt A t A i Thirty-five years had passed since the opening of the naval school and progress was quite marked. In 1880 the Naval Academy was acknowledged to have the best course in marine engineering in the country. The older men in the Navy congenially derided the new learning with verses such as: « ' Now we ' ve had quite enough of the antique ideas Scarce one of all those who with Farragut fought, Of those chaps who are nothing but sailors; Or with Porter stood fire stout-hearted, They were well in their way, but this is the day Is versed in Keramics or Thermo-dynamics, Of Science, Aesthetics, and Tailors. So the day of their use has departed. DESPITE THE PROGRESS of the Naval Academy, the Navy reached its lowest ebb in 1882. A law was passed which made the students naval cadets, taking away any officer status that they might have attached to their title of midshipmen. Further- more, no commissions in the lower grades were to be given until vacancies existed. This same law provided that Marine Corps officers should come from the Academy. As a result of the depressing conditions, only twenty-one of the sixty-three graduates of 1881 were kept in the Navy. The rest were torn from their profession after six years of prepara- tion and returned to civilian life. For two years even the time-honored title of mid- shipman dropped out of the Navy, as graduates were made junior ensigns. And now to the Academy came Captain Francis M. Ramsay, a reformist with definite ideas and an inflexible determination. Practical drills were incorporated into the academic program; the course itself was divided into two three-year periods, basic studies occupying the first half, professional subjects and experience afloat comprising the second. New coefficients were assigned to the various studies, and conduct counted almost as much as foreign languages. Previously cadets had been quartered by classes; now they lived by divisions. More authority and responsibility was placed in the hands of cadet officers, and the title of gun captain was changed to petty officer in order to conform to fleet organization. These far-reaching changes produced more friction in the system. At one time the entire First Class were confined aboard the SanteCy