New Orleans daily crescent., 1866-10-15
From the Army and Navy Journal. !

We happened to take up, the other day, General
Cullum's Register of the officers and Graduates
of the United States Military Academy at West
Point" There are, perhaps, not many who would
take much pleasure in turning over the somewhat
dingy leaves of this old catalogue, but we confess
that it enabled us to while away leisure half-hour
quite agreeably and proftably. The long roll of
names, which the nation will cherish in her
memory, called up host of associations con-
nected with the history of the late and of the
Mexican war Many were of men who have never
been prominently before the public, but there are
not few which America and the world will mot
willingly let die.h
Aside from this it occurred to us that it might
be profitable to search. through the roll and see
how far the positions gained at West Point
were maintained in after life. We know that
similar search through college catalogues would
show large number of instances where the re-
cipients Of the highest academic honors failed in
the race against those whose names stood low on
the lists. Would this prove true to an equal ex-
tent with West Point? Commencing with the
class of l820 let US see what the result will be.
About the only name in this class with which
the public are now familiar is that Of John H.Wn
der, who stood number eleven in q class of thirty
His record during the war shows that he did not
improve after graduation In the next class we
find no name worth mentioning here. In the class
of 1922. j. K. F. Mansfield was second. He meas
urably maintained, his prominence as an engineer
officer during long and honorable career. Num-
bers twenty-five and twentysix in his class were
! filled by David Hunter and Geo. A. Mccall. The
uI5t uDllOES VI CLASS Ol 1910 were DDTut away
by Alfred Mordecai who, up to the beginning of
the late war, held prominent position in the en-
gineer corps. Lorenzo Thomas, late adiutant
general OF the army, ranked sixteen files below
him. Dennis H. Mahan-since better known as
Prof. Mahan-stood number one in the succeeding
| class. Dixon Fl. Miles was, the twenty seventh
man in the same class, and kept his rear position
well. In the class of 1925, Alexander L. Bache
| took the highest honors, and in long career of
scientific usefulness has held his own. Benjamin
Huger, of South Carolina, was number eight, and
made an efficient officer in the Confederate army.
Robert Anderson, Of Fort Sumter fame, was mum,
| ber fifteen, and Charles E. Smith-once called
/" Paducahn Smith, but regarded by many old
officers as the most accomplished soldier in the
army was four files below.
AS the first men seem to have run to scien-
tifc pursuits, it is not strange that William H. G.
Bartlett, the first graduate of the class of 1926
has followed the example of Mahan and Bache
I. Jefferson Cram one OF the highest of our engi
neer officers, stood number four in the same class
while Albert Sydney Johnston, in whom the South
lost their best field general, was number eight
Silas Casey" Tactics u, Casey-and s. 2. Heint
zenan were also in this class. In the class Of
1927 Napoleon B. Buford, in whom we lost one Of
our best cavalry leaders, was number six, and
Leonidas Polk number eight. Albert E. Church
another scientific "tirst man" carried of the
highest honors of the class of 1928. Number
\ twenty-three in this class was a young man who
has since obtained an unenviable notoriety al
=" PRESIDENT Davis of the late Confederacy. The
second name on the roll of the class of 1929 wal
that of Robert E. Lee, in whose class Joseph E
Johnston stood number thirteen; 0. NJ Mitchell
fifteen; Edward r. Long thirty-nine, and Benja
min w. Brice-now paymaster general-forty
The first name of note in the class of 1880 is tha
!, of William NJ Pendleton--a prominent general il
Lees arny-who was number fVe John B. Ma
gruder was eleven files below him, and sank
good many more after graduation. Henry Clay
Jr.--the gifted, gallant and favorite son of oil
{ g Harry Of the West,n killed in Mexico-was tn
second man of the class of 1881. Samuel R. Curt
, Of Pea Ridge fame, was number twenty i
| this class. Andrew A. Humphreys number eigl
: teen, and VIM. H. Emory number thirteen. Ber
: jamin s. Ewell-" Sionewall" Jackson's rigt
J arm-was number three in the class of 1882. 1
7 THIS class Erasmus D, Keyes was number ten, an
| randolph B. Marcy twenty nine.
5 In the class of 1888 Jonathan G. Barnard wa
t number twenty-five, and has kept his positio
(; among the first ranks of the scientific graduates
T George W. Cullum, likewise a distinguished eng
e neer ofhcer, was just below. John NJ. Martindal
0 stood number three in the class of 1885. In HI
l. class George Meade stood number nineteen TIL
: late commander of the army of the Potomac ha
s made a considerable advance in his relative pos
d ton since then. In the class of 1886 Montgomer
; G. Meigs stood number FIVE. Below him wer
J, Thomas W. Sherman, Port Royal,'0 numbt
p nineteen, and John w. Phelps, e. Proclamatio
n PheIpsn) number tWenty-fodr. Henry w. Bel
/, ham led the class of 1887. After him on the Ii
o were BraxtOn Bragg, number five Edward
b Townsend, (adjutant general of the army,l nu1