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WEST POINT

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Originally appearing in Volume V28, Page 559 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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WEST POINT , a See also:village and military See also:post, in See also:Orange See also:county, New See also:York, U.S.A., on the west See also:bank of the See also:Hudson See also:river, 50 M. above New York See also:City. It is served by the West See also:Shore railway, and is connected by See also:ferry with the New York Central railway at See also:Garrison. The See also:United States Military See also:Academy occupies a See also:plateau 18o ft. above the river, reached by a roadway cut into the cliff and commanding a view up and down the river for many See also:miles. Between 1902 and 1908 See also:Congress appropriated about $7,500,000 for the reconstruction of the academy, but most of the old buildings of historic See also:interest have been incorporated. The Headquarters See also:Building and See also:Grant See also:Hall (the See also:mess hall) contain portraits of famous See also:American soldiers. The military library is one of the finest in existence (80,000 volumes in 1910), and its building contains interesting memorials, by See also:Saint Gaudens, to J. McNeill See also:Whistler and See also:Edgar See also:Allan See also:Poe, both former cadets in the academy. Cullum Memorial Hall (1899) was the See also:gift of See also:Major-See also:General See also:George See also:Washington Cullum (1809—1892), See also:superintendent of the academy in 1864—1866. Opposite it is a See also:monument (1845) to Major F. L. Dade's command of 110 men who were ambushed and killed by the See also:Seminole See also:Indians in See also:Florida in See also:December 1835. In the S.E. corner of the See also:parade ground (6o acres) is a See also:granite statue to See also:Colonel Sylvanus See also:Thayer (1785—1872), who was superintendent of the academy from 1817 to 1833.

In the N.W. See also:

angle is the See also:bronze statue (1868) of Major-General See also:John See also:Sedgwick, U.S. See also:Volunteers, who was killed by a sharpshooter, on the 9th of May 1864, while making a See also:personal See also:reconnaissance at See also:Spottsylvania. Between See also:Trophy Point and the hotel is the See also:Battle Monument (1874, 78 ft. high, surmounted by a statue of Victory by See also:MacMonnies), a memorial to the soldiers of the See also:regular See also:army who died in the See also:Civil See also:War. Above the cliff towards the N. and E. of the See also:plain is Fort See also:Clinton; in its E. front stands a monument erected in 1828 by the See also:Corps of Cadets to See also:Kosciuszko, who planned the See also:original fortifications here in 1778. About 1 m. N. of the academy is " West Point See also:Cemetery" (about 14 acres) on the E. angle of an elevated plain overlooking the river, formerly known as " See also:German Flats," in which See also:rest the remains of Thayer, See also:Winfield See also:Scott, See also:Robert See also:Anderson and other distinguished soldiers. The See also:Cadet Monument (1817) stands on the E. angle overlooking the river. High above the academy on See also:Mount See also:Independence (490 ft.) still stands old Fort See also:Putnam, commanding a See also:fine view for miles up and down the Hudson. In 1908, as the gift of Mrs See also:Russell See also:Sage and See also:Miss See also:Anna B. See also:Warner, there was added to the military See also:reservation Constitution See also:Island (about 28o acres), lying directly opposite West Point, with the remains of two forts built during the War of Independence. West Point, " the See also:Gibraltar of the Hudson," was first occupied as a military post in See also:January 1778, when a See also:chain of redoubts was erected at various strategic points along the Hudson. At West Point were built a See also:half-dozen earthwork fortifications, of which Fort Putnam on Mt.

Independence, Fort Clinton on the extremity of the point (not to be confused with the Fort Clinton captured by the See also:

British in 1777 farther down the river) and See also:Battery See also:Knox, just above the river landing, were the largest. These were the fortifications that See also:Benedict See also:Arnold, their See also:commander, in 1780 agreed to deliver into British hands. After the See also:discovery of his See also:treason, Washington made his headquarters for some See also:time at West Point before removing to See also:Newburgh. Later Washington recommended West Point as a site for a military school. Such an See also:establishment had been suggested by See also:Henry Knox in May 1776; and in See also:October of that See also:year the See also:Continental Congress passed a See also:resolution appointing a See also:committee to draw plans for " a military academy of the army." A Corps of Invalids was established in See also:June 1777, was organized in See also:Philadelphia in See also:July 1777, and was transferred to West Point in 1781; this corps. was " to serve as a military school for See also:young gentlemen previously t0, her being appointed to marching regiments." Three buildings had been erected here to See also:house a library, an See also:engineers' school and a laboratory, and See also:practical experiments in gunnery had been begun here in See also:February 1780. In 1783, at Newburgh, Washington laid before his See also:officers the See also:matter of a military academy such as Knox had suggested. A school for artillerists, engineers and cadets of the corps was established here on the See also:president's recommendation in 1794, and continued until the buildings were destroyed by See also:fire in 1796. In July 18o1, Henry Dearborn, See also:Jefferson's secretary of war, directed that all cadets of the corps of artillerists, a subordinate See also:rank which had been established in 1794, should See also:report at West Point for instruction, and in See also:September of that year a school was opened with five instructors, four of them army officers. On the 16th of See also:March 1802, President Jefferson approved an See also:act establishing a military academy at West Point, and on the 4th of July it was formally opened with ten cadets See also:present. Acts of 1802 and 18o8 authorized 40 cadets from the See also:artillery, See also:loo from the See also:infantry, 16 from the dragoons and 20 from the riflemen. But few of these were actually appointed, and for several years instruction was disorganized and desultory. In 1811-1812 instruction was practically abandoned, and in March 1812 the " academy " was without a single instructor.

Up to this time 88 cadets had been graduated, but they had been admitted without any sort of examination, and at any See also:

age between 12 and 34. An act of Congress of the 29th of See also:April 1812 reorganized the academy, and laid down the general principles and See also:plan on which it has since been conducted. A maximum of 250 cadets was then authorized. Under the able superintendency of Major Sylvanus Thayer this plan was perfected and put into successful operation. Up to 1843 no territorial requirement was necessary for See also:appointment, but in that year a See also:custom that had grown up of providing for one cadet from each Congressional See also:district, each Territory and the District of See also:Columbia, was embodied in the See also:law. By acts of 1900, 1902, 1903 and 1908 the Corps of Cadets as now constituted consists of one cadet from each congressional district (appointed on recommendation by members of Congress), one from each Territory, one from the District of Columbia, one from See also:Porto Rico, two from each See also:state at large (on recommendation of the senators), and 40 from the United States at large, all to be appointed by the president. Four Filipinos may also receive instruction and become eligible on See also:graduation for commissions in the Philippine scouts. The maximum number of cadets under the See also:apportionment of the twelfth See also:census was 533. Candidates for See also:admission must be between 17 and 22 years, unmarried, and at least 5 ft. 4 in. high. For entrance there are See also:physical See also:examinations, and examinations in See also:algebra, See also:plane See also:geometry, See also:English See also:grammar, See also:composition and literature, See also:geography and general See also:history. In 1902 the entrance requirements were raised and the actual amount of See also:work done in the academy was thus decreased.

The See also:

principal courses are: See also:tactics for all classes; civil and military See also:engineering (first class); practical military engineering (See also:fourth, third, second and first classes) ; See also:mechanics and See also:astronomy (third and second classes); See also:mathematics (new cadets, fourth and third classes) ; See also:chemistry, See also:mineralogy and See also:geology (third and second classes) ; See also:drawing (third and second classes) ; See also:modern See also:languages, i.e. See also:French and See also:Spanish (fourth, third, second and first classes) ; law (first class) ; See also:ordnance and gunnery (first class) ; military See also:hygiene (second class) ; and English and history (new cadets and fourth class). The course is four years, and See also:academic instruction continues from the 1st of September to the 5th of June. The summer months are devoted to See also:field work and encampments. Each cadet while in attendance receives pay at the See also:rate ofp$600 a year and one ration per See also:day, or See also:commutation thereof at See also:thirty cents per day, amounting to $709.50. The number of graduates from 1802 to 1909 inclusive was 4852. The superintendents of the academy have been: in 1802–1803 and in 1805–1812, See also:Jonathan See also:Williams; in 1812-1814, See also:Joseph See also:Gardner See also:Swift (1783–1865); in 1815-1817, Alden See also:Partridge (1785-1854); in 1817-1833, Sylvanus Thayer; in 1833-1838 Rene E. De Russy (1796-1864); in 1838-1845 and in 1856-1861, See also:Richard Delafield (1798-1873) ; in 1845-1852, Henry Brewerton (18o'–'879); in 1852–1855, Robert E. See also:Lee; in 1855–1856, John. See also:Gross See also:Barnard (18'5–1882); in January 1861, P. G. T.

See also:

Beauregard; in 1861–1864, See also:Alexander See also:Hamilton Bowman (18o3–1865); in 1864, Zealous See also:Bates See also:Tower (1819–1900) ; in 1864–1866, G. W. Cullum; in 1866–1871, Tholhas Gamble See also:Pitcher (1824–1895); in 1871-1876, See also:Thomas See also:Howard See also:Roger (1833–1907); In 1876-1881, J. M. See also:Schofield; in 1881–1882, O. O. Howard; in 1882–1887, See also:Wesley See also:Merritt; in 1887–1889. John Grubb See also:Park (1827–1900) ; in 1889-1893, John Moulden See also:Wilson (b. 1837) ; in 1893-1898, See also:Oswald See also:Herbert See also:Ernst (b. 1842); ira 1898-1906, See also:Albert See also:Leopold See also:Mills (b. '854); in 1906-1910, H. L.

Scott (b. 1853) ; and, 1910, T. H. See also:

Barry (b. 1855). See G. W. Cullum, See also:Biographical See also:Register of the Officers and Graduates of the United States Military Academy (4 vols., New York, '89'-1904); E. C. Boynton, History of West Point (ibid. '863); J. P.

Farley, West Point in the See also:

Early Sixties (See also:Troy, 1902) ; See also:Morris See also:Schaff, The Spirit of Old West Point (See also:Boston, 1907) ; and the See also:annual reports of the superintendent.

End of Article: WEST POINT

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