Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1863-06-17
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ION that memorable dight had been sd9eess.
full, what would have beenssthe conse-
IQuence2" sr7 tf4sb - 'spuG sitl ii.s.ll .l5 p
"The Revolution would have been a fail
ture," said he. ssa - -
Surely spot having once 5held in its
keeping the turning poiutof a nations
destiny must be of all places in its history
the most classic, There!is nttlesspot in
Syria where Napoleon Bonaparte so often
said he missed his destiny. Here Il was
that the British empire missed heFs.s But
did not begin this letter with any idea Of
calling up the history tof MesttP Point. /. No
partial summary ofsft would. do 1t, Justice.
am speaking Of the Military Academy,
and what is to be seen here as a member
kof the Board of Visitors. - tri;r-.'9yi0s5s
Almost every intelligent .manjs house m sin in
the country has apieture in it of f'Yest Point.
It is place 80 remarkable for the sntpaas-
ing beauty of its Retpral scenery, as; we'll
as for its patriotic memories aud its pres.
ent renown as the ssht of the most famous
military school in the world, that every
artist who paints orfWho discovers new
method OF taking landscape pfrt6res, tries
his hand upon5it among his safrsE efforts,
1 have never seen even an indifferent mic.
ture of it that would not, in q moment,
give much better idea of the place than
any pen picture could give. What Jeffer-
son in his notes on Virginia said OF Har-
per,s Ferry is donhly applicable to this
spot, as it always seemed to me, viz:-that
the sight of it is worth trip across the
Atlantic. at the time West Point was
selected asithe site for National Military
Academy, it was, So to speak, a central
position between the East and West. In
addition, it was the key to oc0mmerce and
travel between New England and the West
IN case an enemy should get possession of
the sea coast. These facts, together with
its prominence as Q point of ofReyofationary
interest, secured the site for it, and it was
ceded to the United States by the State of
New York to the extent of about one mile
square, To me the origin, progress and
present condition ofthis school, coupled as
1t is with so much else that is connected
with the men of mark in this country since
its foundation, are peculiarly interesting.
Even so early as the war of 1912, ten years
after its existence began, if, indeed, those
experimental days could be called an ex-
istence, its cadets began to play an impor-
tant part in military matters. Inthe Flor
ida war they played still more important
part; but it was in Mexico that the school
first found a theatre for exhibiting to the
world the results Of its establishments. I
shall not soon forget an Interview we had
with Gen. Scott few days ago. He ac-
corded the brilliancy of our arms in that
war to the West Pointers, and said to us:
"had received the advantages of, this
school could have served the 9auntry
great deal better than have" -,
| confess to a great deal of respect for
the preludices that have existed against
West Point, not only in this present war
but before it. There Is no doubt that the
separation of d body of men for life, into q
distinct and privileged class, as the cadets
of West Poiut are, begets e spirit at war
with the republican, genius of our institu-
tions. have always thought so, and n
think so now after having seen nothing for
the lasttwo weeks but what was to the ad.
vantage of the institution. The great
point is this: War must needs be. We
must in self-defence, have as much of its
science as possible on our side. This can
be had in no other way save by instruction
To this conclusion every mans prejudices
must come, and therefore he must desire,
as "a lover of his country, to see the art of
war better understood in it than else
where. That West Point is such a school
as Gen. Scott and all its friends claim for
1t, think can be demonstrated Just as
clearly as problem on the blackboard-I
We had this year, among the Board, some
of the first men, educationally, of the
country. Among others, may mention
the name of DR.. Henry Barnard, of New
Haven, Connecticut, man who has Wis
tied the most noted military schools of
Europe, including the Polytechnique Mt
Paris, and the schools at st. Cyr and at
Metz, aud who has written several works
on military education, and who also edits
the american Journal of Education. He
claims that while distinctive branches of
the service are not carried to SO high per-
lection at West Point as they are in one or
the other of the schools named; yet it
turns out more entire military scholar, so
to speak. In the French schools alluded
to, they study only one branch of war and
an officer is only graduated in one and
only enters one. at West Point a man is
graduated to take command in any arm
of the service. Prof. Mahan, the head of
the Engineering department here, who
spent several years of his life, as pupil,
at the schools have named, gave me also
the same statements. s
"A man, however, need not be military
man TO appreciate what West Point is;
neither need he take apyb ybo1y's say so con-
corning it. The Board of Visitors this
year could lay claim to little else than the
sSnolarsulp gwen pyouF coueges and their
subsequent attainmeats as men of letters
in the professions Of civil life. In addi-
tion, they had more or less of the prejudi-
ces which the graduates of all American
Colleges entertain against the superior pre-
tensions OF West Point. There is nOtta man
among them, however; to day who does not
concede those Pretensions in the respects
wherein West Point claims excellence and
eminence, viz: in scientific attainments.-
The very manner in which it is constituted
must Of necessity, give itathat excellence
In the first place it is national institution;
having no rival, not dependent on the good
will of any. man for the fact that his son is
there. Its principal professors are picked
men among thousand. drawn to it by
reason of high salaries and the chances of
fame as extensive as the reputation of the
nation ITSELF For instance, the men who