Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1868-04-03
WEST POINT IN THE WAR.

dred and forty-fve graduates Of West
Point were living when the rebellion
broke out. OF these, 425 were in civil
life and $50 in the ARMY. OF those in
civil life. only 90 joined the rebellion,
all Of whom, but one, were from.slave
territory /; of the $50 in the army, only
1874 joined the rebellion, but n little over
one-6th OF the number. or the $50
graduates who were in the army, from
the South, only l6s joined the rebel
ranks OF the West Point graduates
who served. during the rebellion, one
fifth were killed and one.third wounded
In defense Of their country's flag. These
figures form q noble record for West
Point. The proportion of its graduates
who remained loyal to the flag ! IN the
couutry's greatest peril was wonder
fully large, and the value Of such a
body Of trained officers ut such n time,
whom the nation had to take up II mill.
tary position at n moments warning,
| cannot be estimated. Not ouiy did the
mass Of the Northern graduates stand
firmly to their allegiance, but n hun
dred and sixty-two officers, who had
been born on Southern soil and reared
in the pestilent political atmosphere that
breed secession and rebellion, were
saved from the vortex Of treason by the
wholesome and loyal training and influ-
encc Of their West Point education.
This result was the moro remarkable
when compared with the effect Of the
rebellion upon men trained in other de-
partmeuts of the Government, both civil
and military. Four Presidents were
living when the rebellion began. Tyler
Joined the rebels B~uchanan's influence
was all in their favor while Pierce and
Fillmore did nothing to help the cause
Of the Union. Four Southern Judges
were on the Supreme bench. Wayne
and Catron remained loyal, while Dam
iel aud Campbell went over to the en-
cmy. In the Senate, n man from
the South, and he Andrew Johnson,
remained professedly loyal, aud in thu
House, three members only held to
their allegiance. In the State, Treasury,
Interior and Post-ofice Departments,
nearly all the Southern agents joined
tho Rebellion, in the Navy, o~ne-fourth
of the whole number Of officers on tho
active list resigned or were dismissed,
and a very large proportion of them
entered the rebel service. In the Army,
Of those who had been appointed from
! civil life, nearly oue-half abandoned
their duty and enlisted in the rebel
cause. BY such comparisons rs these,
it may be said that the Military Academy
of the United States has well deserved
all the credit it has received, rs q nur-
sery for truly loyal soldiers. 1t ranks
all other branches Of tho public service
in thesubstantial results of its perma-
nent effects upon the young men Of this
country. 1t is n very striking fact that
out of more than 1900 officers gradua-
ted Mt West Point, only about iro per
cent. have been cashiered or dismissed
from the army, in n period of more than
sixty years. This is n fact which goes
far I o remove the impression that has
obtained some currency, that the moral
tone of the Academy is low and injurious
and that tue Cadets are necessarily con-
taminated and d~emoralized by their as
sociations, and by the general system Of
life and training. The late war pro-
duced an extraordinary number Of
young men who, coming fresh from civil
life, soon evinced n high capacity for
military service and command. The
history of the war is a long record oi
the courage, talent, devotion, ability
aud real military genius of our citizen
soldiers, but the best Of these men
would be the first to acknowledge the
supreme Importance of a thorough mill,
tary education. The Military Academy
ut West'Point became II sort Of school
in the field for thousands Of young men
who, under the pressure Of the times,
rapidly acquired from their West Point
associates those principles Of war which
their own good civil education and
natural intelligence helped them to put
into practical effect.