The New York herald., 1863-10-01
w e S T ON T.
What It Is Worth and How
Much 1t Cost.
ITS HISTORY AND PRESENT CONDITION
fnsufs;ciency of the Pay Ol
Cadets,
&C.. &C., -.

"west pontn says tho English soldier Lamb, in his
nistory Of the American War the strongest poas
the americans had ard the repository OF their most
valuable stores" ghs true in l779 rs to the
strength of post has been true nearly ever since
as to the storesr though not Lamb meant 1t for,
in view what has takoa place IN the present war
every admit that the chosen portion OF the
cpunlry's youngsters admitted as cadets at West Point
will not be found inferior value by comparison with
any more material portion Of tho country's riches
How little IN my mai on's history Is lis whole
wealth b. comparison with any OF its great
The Flst for but her opulence is for
gotten ~ tro history Of the great julius Christopher
tcumbrs well worth the hundreds of years Of Italy
TINT took 10 produce hm-hundreds Of years that gilt
,ef with ali the wealth of the Italian Cities and all the
sc5, Fra hardly balances in her history the single
OF the Grst Napoleon What TO Frenchmen APE all
the millions that have been spent France. publicly and
privately, rIon raaces and chnteaus, roads, bridges
hpsurop The cultivation OF sol and the gratihca-
ton oi tas'e Jared with that uame9 They tho
endless line II piers that give value, but
nothing without II. Some ought TO consider that II West
Point had than Antistai1 Murfreesboro,
Ge.ysburR Vicksburg ard Shiloh, 1t had given an
abaudaut harvest, end that in those victories
hni'clg cyc.lad FOR t. ~ money spent upon that
school
How much money has West Point cost us9 What did
The country pay tor Grant Rcsecrans Mcclellan Meade
Thomas seGgwlcS, Reno, Foster Couch, glorious Gill
more. and tie numbers OF less prominent did
homo to Tie country the Mexican war, and saved
II N TIE present one
stephen Moore, merchant OF caswcii county North Ca
roliaa, prayed that the United States would purchase
from im hundred and ninety five acres Of
tud, known as Vest Point. Generals Hamilton Knox
Thought would be good idea. Sc tie United States did
it, and paid to Stephen the OF eleven thousand and
eighty ve dollars for the same Subsequent purchases
were made TO the amount OF ten thousand dollars. New
York stae rcnqahed its jurisdiction and the United
States the land and doesn't pay any Since
that twenty one thousand dollars paid West Point
has cost the country purposes all ways only
fraction seven million de'lars
Thus it m1y be have our heroes cheapy Other
nations upon their heroes and get them
sOch CO that history justly regards them
cnsvc commodities; but in The progressive spirit OF
the age select a certain number of the average boys
OF the country through series OF years, appropriate
millions cf dollars for their educaon and when
casion calls !or ttcm have heroes made
Urc'e Sim then, bought West roint FOR twenty
thorsard do ars hut he has like every other honest
k,Adhoder, bad his ,tc difficulties with his property;
has b. claimed toto By different persons
At several dilcre3t times An instance OF this
rocarred very early i'll his propr etorship When the
lard boUgL. Hugh Mcclellan, Revolutionary
soldier, ,aed little house it; end, he had
country wcli, the secretary war, General
Knos, ic tie gallant old soldier quiet, with little
hut and garden aud there lived died the rst Nc
Gellan whose Is prominently connected with the
history est Point. There also ne left widow
hs little girl. sorpe time afterwards the undsputed
possession in which Mcclellan aud his family had
bcea eft was made the ground for claim
10 nearly the whole OF West Point But it
worthy that this spurious claim did cma
fror, the Mclean's but from iuterloper, who
oice ofttn
Long before this attempt made get hold Of The.
rrcperty much greater one was made by our worthy
cousin iohn Bull Johns attempt had to be opposed
by the supreme OF arms, and the question
oppose him best that sorcIy bothered the
early days O our uncic. Now, the United States
in those days not blessed with the possession
of a military nc denny. There were not hundreds OF
young fellows srcd through its army grounded in the
true mireilcs military science, who could 60 to any
given position AMI tell you exactly where to put
guns for aug sven effect Therefore the United staiss
depend upon oacegs supposed haycetrded these
matters Europe. one OF these Colonel Romans.
JIc up river, and began the forncat'ou o.
tic Highlands He put all his guns in the pcs b.,
places and when the Rrtih forces they took The
h,e establishment In the easiest possible way. 1t one
the odd circumstances history that West Point
IN ,c. = PAGES, show most clearly how vital
might he blurdcr Of engineer, and that its history
should give orcibe lesson upon the need Of that
very material wi'h whicn II the principal business
of west roint to sul ply tho army educated oncers.
But part Of the rau tha; was 10 have made west
Ion SO valuable John Bull failed up At Saratoga and
John Thea ofore abandoned what he had won. Then,
under Of General Washington, of Ierd STR
Ing OF ho sreachnan Iaierc aud OF Kosciusxo, west
FONT was fortified onery and became wha, Lamb called
it. .'thc stronger r the Americans badn From that
time Il bee no ca n,neny part Of American history. It
was the great act thai melancholy episode In which
Andre Iost La AMI Arnold his honor. " 'hese old
diys its gagri as Sc 81 sed amanuGr that reads
strangely uow laer were two Massachusetts Srgai'
on tho lcut, tn Connecticut Luc ~ the cas- side ci ~
river aud hc Nor,h Carolina brigade G9l tation
Island wsshlu,ton dated here order 70. the oxecu
lion OF I've srters and oongratuaiory order oa the
capture OF stony Point. No circumstance In tho
hntory Of Wet FONT has more o! the pleasant haze
OF the old times it thin celebration tha, took
place there e. I52, 10 honor Of the birth Of the DArpho
o, Francs Que great and good ally" The army had
wi..crcd r., tsc ONT this festival broke the monoto
NJ o. their MI lc in carly May One thousand men
were ea ten dys In the construction OF coouade
supported On one hundred aud eighteen pillars Walls
aad ROOF wee - Evergreen boaghs, and nags, cnbems,
arms and uaio,s decorated H. Here the General dined
with his oT.,s SD there free invitation 70 oil
ladies' livery older had extra gill OF rum. On the
parade 'oitefs commanding crps prayed to Goa
An an agG.be vuce TO bless the noupbn OF France
and grant Lin long me ind happiness, ana the
soldiers gave ,hfeo cheers 1heu thcre was
fen d. ;oi.: and to close all, General Washington,
.,wh Mrs Knox for lis partner, carried down dance Of
twenty ecu, In The arbor on the green graSs."
For more p,,assnl particulars OF tins festival ~ OF
everything rcstcs TO the Point, wc will com
mend tho reader excellent history Of the place, by
Adulant Boynton press and soon TO be published
To captaa Boyn,oas book we arc indebted or the peru
ea OF an oxcclcat account o tho festival and OF much
else OF interest .t
Soon afcr TITO Revolutionary war Congress orssnfed
fourbaaiops Of onginccrs and military school FOR the'
instruction was established by General Washington Ia
I7pa. From tia, origin arose the present establish
ent-Copgre having declared in 1907 that 'shs CORPS
of engineers shah constitute military academy !