Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1866-10-11
WEST POINT.
Its Graduates from 1920 to l849.
HOW FAR THE POSITIONS GAINED
AT THE ACADEMY WERE MAIN
TAINED IN AFTER LIFE.
srom tse Army and Navy Journal


We happened to take up, the other day,
Gen. CULLuMs Register ofthe Officers and
Graduates Of the United States Military
Academy at West Point" There are, per-
haps, not many who would take much pleas
ure 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 probably.
The long roll of names, which the nation
will cherish in her memory, called up
host Of associations connected with the his
tory Of the late and Of the Mexican war.
Many were Of men who have never been
prominently before the public, but there are
not a few which America and the world VIII
mot willingly let die" .e-e3I j
Aside from this, it occurred to us that 1t
might be profitable 10 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 col
lege catalogues would show q large number
ofinstances where the recipients ofthe high
est academic honors failed in the race against
those whose names stood low on the lists.
Would this prove true 20 an equal extent
with West Point? Commencing with the
class Of 1920, let Us see what the result
will be. s.1-
About the only name in this class with
which the public are now familiar is that of
JOHN II. WINDER, who stood number eleven
in a class Of thirty. His infamous record
during the war shows that he did not inn
prove after graduation. In the next class
we find no name worth mentioning here. In
the class Of 1922, J. X. I. MANSFIELD was
second. He neasurably maintained his
long and honorable career. Numbers twen-
ty-five and twenty-six in his class were filled
by DAVID HUayrER and GEORGE A. MCCALL.
The first honors Of the class Of 1923 were
borne away by ALFRED MoRDEcAI, who, up
to the beginning of the late war, held a
prominent position in the engineer corps.
LORENZO THOMAS, late Adjutant General of
the army-ranked sixteen files below him.
DENNIS II. MAHAN--since better known as
Professor MAHAN-stood number one in the
succeeding class. Dixon II. MILES was the
twenty-seventh man in the same class, and
kept his reaT position well. In the class of
1925 ALEXANDER T. BEACHE took the
highest honors, and in a long career of scieD-
ti6c usefulness has held his own. BENJA-
MIN HUGER, Of South Carolina, was number
eight, and made an efficient officer in the
Confederate army. Robert. ANDERSON, of
Fort Sumter fame, was number fifteen, and
CHARLES +. SMITH-oneo called "Paducah"
SMITH, but regarded BY MANY old officers as
the most accomplished soldier in the army
was four files below. .a
As the "first mem seem to have run tosci-
entiic pursuits, tits not strangethat William
II G. Bartlett the FIRST graduate Of the class
of 1896. has followed the example of Mahan
and Bache. T. Jefferson Cram, one Of the
highest of our engineer officers, stood num-
her four in the same class, while Albert
Sydney johnson, in whom the South lost
their best field general, was number eight.
Silas Casey-"aractis' Casey--and 5. p.
Heintzelman we're 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 +. Church, another scientific
a6rst man. carried off the highest honOrs of
the class Of 1923. Number twenty-three in
this class was a young man who has since
obtained an unenviable notoriety as 'Presi-
dent Davis Of the late Oonfederacy. The
second name ON the roll of the class Of 1929
was that of Robert f. Lee, in whose class
Joseph L. Johnston stood number thirteen
q. Nj. Mitchell, fifteen; Edward K. Long,
thirty-nine, and Benjamin w. Brice-now
pavmaster-g eneral-iorty. The FIRST name
of note in the class Of 1880 is that of VIII
liam n. Pendleton--a prominent general In
Lees army-who was number five. John
B Magruder was eleven files below him,
and sank good many more after gradua-
ton. Henry Clay, Jr.--the gifted, gallant,
and favorite son Of old Harry Of the West"
killed in Mexico-was the second man of the
class Of 1881. Samuel r. Curtis, Of Pea
Ridge fame, was number twenty-seyen IN
this class; Andrew A. Humphreys, number
eighteen. benjamin S, Ewell-' StoneNeh
Jackson's right arm-was number three In
the class Of 1882. in this class Erasmus ID.
Keyes was number ten, and Randolph B.
Marcy twenty-nine, 81 lL 81 y
In the class Of 1888 Jonathan G.. Bernard
! was number twenty-five, and has kept his
position among the frstFanks Of the seienti-
&c graduates. George w. Cullnm, likewise
distinguished engineer officer, Was just be-
low. John NJ. Martindale stood number
| three in the class Of 1885. In this class
George Meade stood plumber nineteen. The
/ last commander OF the army Of the Potomac
I has made considerable advance in his rela-
! tive position since then. In the class Of 1886
/ Montgomery c. Meigs stood number fve
/ Below him were Thomas w. Sherman,
| ('.Port Royal, y number eighteen, and John
/ w. Phelps, ("Proclamaiion Phelps" num-
Der tWenty-four Henry w Benham led the
class Of 1887. A1er him on the list were
! Braxton Bragg, number FIVE; Edward ID.
Townsend (adju,ant general Of the army
number sixteen; Jubal A. Early, ("Apple
Jack Early, p number eighteen; B. II. Hill,
number twenty-one; William II. French,
number twenty-five; John Sedgwick, number
twenty-four; John c. Pemberton, number
twenty-seven; Joseph Hooker, number
twenty-nine, and William IL. T. Walker,
| lirst Confederate Secretary Of War; forty
six. The talent Of that class was certainly
no, nSohopolized BY It's "irst men.s
In the class Of 1889 the second nanle. j.
that 81 p. u. I. Beanregard. Number seven
teen was William I. Barry, MeCiollan's ane
Sherman's able Chief Of ARTILLERY. Below
st.ra run-a F-r4sa. hf,Tk..w.fT