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

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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

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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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-m- Academy station ship. Hazing broke out anew and was accompanied by almost routine court martials. But the changes were intrinsically good, and soon the silver lining began to appear. In 1884 the First Class were commissioned full ensigns immediately upon graduation. According to a new law, the students were reclassified in an officer ' s status. Ramsay ' s chief improvement upon the buildings and grounds was the demolition of the Superintendent ' s house, which had stood since 1790. THE FAMILIAR FACE of Commander fTimam T. Sampson appeared at the Academy for the fourth time, in 1886 — this time as Superintendent; previously he had been stationed here as a midshipman, as assistant professor, and later as head of the Department of Philosophy and head of the Department of Physics. Sampson succeeded in smoothing out Ramsay ' s many reforms. Midshipmen in their senior year were divided into two groups, engineers and line, each pursuing their respective professional studies. Today midshipmen take pride in their posture and physical condition. Not so in the 1880 ' s. The class of 1887 looked so bad June Week that morning exercises were established the next year. Alumni took a keen interest in the midshipmen and in 1890 organized the NAA — Navy Athletic Association. Under its auspices, the first Army- Navy football game took place on Thanksgiving Day, 1890. The Navy won the game, the first in a long and traditional rivalry, by a score of 24-0. In 1892 the Academy adopted blue and gold as its colors replacing the maroon and white; blue symbolized the dark sea waters and gold represented the ornaments and braid of the naval uniform. Rowing came to the fore in 1893 when Naval Cadet Winston L. Churchill of Mis- souri made a special trip to Yale to learn the fine points of the sport. In 1894 the Acad- emy claimed the first midshipman to hold a world ' s record. Cadet Izard won the fifty yard swim in 3l| seconds. Robert Means Thompson, Class of ' 68, presented the Academy with a silver loving cup, whereon was to be inscribed yearly the name of the cadet most eminent in athletics. «k On July 4, 1897, the entire Fourth Class found themselves on the receiving end of a demand request for their temporary presence aboard the Santee. They were indicted for firing the ship ' s guns in celebration earlier that morning. This custom of assigning midshipmen confinement aboard the Academy station ship remained a standard punish- ment until 1940 when the Executive Department decided to confine the midshipmen to their rooms in Bancroft Hall in order to accommodate more enlisted personnel on the ship.