The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-01-04
Our West Point Correspondence.

WEST POINT Dec 20, 1858.
Curious Military A'rsaigation-A Auss amongst the Pro
tessors-Aodcn Military Science-hefo,ns in the Acad-
envy, de-, dc.
1t is tre saying that every house has skeleton in IT,
So also every profession and occupation has disagree
ablenesses Officers Of the army every rank from the
general down the unedged Cadet have occasionally to
encounter and bear with unpleasant things Editors,
printers, lawyers doctors, taors, schoomasters, and
even clergymen all have their peculiar annoyances It is
the part of philosophy to take such ills easy Religion
teaches not to murmur and presents the good of
w. the famous job exampar to be followed when
beset by the vexations incident TO humanity 1t is how
ever expecting rather too much of the soldier to antci
pate that he will all occasions, practice the wise pre-
cepts of philosophy obey the sublime dictates of pure
religion The Christian rule of receiving blow on your
face not merely with calm resignation, but by the pre-
senaton of your other cheek be smtten Also hard
to be conformed to under republican institutions Such
observance of the pous preceps and Of
turning good for evil it must be admitted entirely
harmonious with the trade of war" II we mistake not
Mars the NEUROLOGICAL type Of the perfect soldier,
distinguished for his love Of good wine and of pretty
women, and a propensity to quarrel and make muss
with his brother gods than any other characteristics
He by the with some one, and always
anxious for fight.
In illustration of the remark to the roneness of men
of the military profession exhibit sensveness and
tesyness now and then for imagined offences, which
those in civil life would rarely deem Of sufficient
quence to resent may be mentioned that within the last
fortnight Military Court of Inquiry has convened at this
post to ascertain which of the parties quarrel be-
tween professor Of engineering at the Military Academy
here and young lieutenant of engineers to blame.
The Court composed of three distinguished officers of
the army and was in session eight days. II heard
Der of witnesses on oath, some of them army officers,
brought hther from places hundreds of miles off, About
half bushel of papers and documents sent to the
Court from the War Department. and articles from
newspapers of your city and sundry pamphlets, and at
least of letters from different persons among
them several from members of the Board of Visitors Of
1857 and others from officers and officers of the army
were read.
The trial enlivened by divers incidents
funny After the testimony closed, the counsel for
the Lieutenant en bened the Court by written speech,
the reading Of which occupied than hours
II touched great variety of topics The art Of engineer
ingQ repudated the idea styling scicnce philosophy
astronomy optics, pyrotechnics military proectles,
non and small arms ships of and Notifications Of all
kinds and good manners decorum and delcacy all
discoursed upon II discussed grammar and philoogy;
treated of history and of patriotism and Of progress and
OF steam, and Of the militia 1t quoted Scripture and
SHAKESPEARE Lord Brougham and sundry poets Scraps of
Latin and French scattered through like cherries in
q pudding II denounced prudence 81 most rascaly
virtue" It mentioned several somewhat noted mii-
vidunls, such as Noah Caesar, Hannibal, Marlborough,
Vauban Cormontogne, Monalcmbert and Generals Brad
dock, Washington, Koscusko Napoleon, Jackson. and
Scott, ct III genus omne 1t alluded TO Calico, Copern-
Gus, Newton, Renhouse, Ecott and such like notorie
ties and in fine, took quite enlarged views Of matters
ana tnlnPS generally ana OF the human " and the
rest OF mankind in particular The trial concluded
with written address of about an hour and half by
the Professor, which referred great deal more to
himself, and to his antagonist, than to any Of the
illustrous personages just enumerated He denounced
the other speech as for buncombe."
II appears that the Board Of visters of 1857 conceived
the idea that the Military Academy needed reforms to
the system and plans of instruction pursued in of the
departments Some of the members requested the
Lieutenant then acting as an assistant professor in
structor, for programme of a new system. Upon his
compliance with such request aud his programme being
read to the Board unanimously approved of his views
and directed that his paper or copy should be appended
to their report to the War Department with request that
1t should be published with it. Subsequently, at the
quest of the President OF the Board the author copied the
paper, revising, correcting and amending in style,
raDgemcnt and method and the President having trans
mitted both papers to the War Department with sug
geson that comparison would show they both the
same in sense and meaning, and with the
that the amended copy should he published the Engineer
Bureau, after examination, published II.
The reform programme somewhat unccrcmonously
pitched into the system and course of study in the Eng
neer Department and into the text books usedmostly
compilations by the learned professor the head Of that
department These systems and text books were con-
demned, not in terms but in substance, old fogysh,
and stated that the study OF engineering here was
decidedly disaefeeabe TO the cadets and in
dsgusting" that but few officers Of the line in the army
upon leaving the Academy continued such study and by
consequence were not well informed the subject
they ought to be; and especially they not given
information here 10 forts they generally
ignorant as TO their force, theory of Defence &c The
programme suggested the adoption of n system
the american art of engineering and of fertilization
and coniadisnguishcd from the old European system
and 1t advocated text books Frontier and Indian
fare. and the practical duties Of American officer;
and that models OF all forts should be made, and
models OF the surface Of the surrounding country, by
which the cadets here should be taughtsthc theory
their defence &c and IL is conendcd also that all the
elements OF military engineering best adapted to this
country and most Of the lessons In the Of
sary TO be taught TO tho American cadet may be best
learned from the history Of country aud It's mill
tary experiences and the Lieutenant Indignantly dscards
vanhan ard his contemporaries as anquatcd European,