Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1879-07-02
Life at West Point.

The daily routine of life with the cadets
begins with wild springs from bed at five
O'Clock in the morning at the summons of
the morning gun and the simultaneous tap
of the drums that call to the reveille roll
call The roll-call occupies only a few
minutes, as the orderly sergeant of each
company has committed to memory the list
of names. SO as to he able thus quickly to
run through it. At half-past five O'Clock
the cadet captains and lieutenants make an
inspection of the rooms in their respective
sub divisions. As the regulations prohibit
any cadet from having "a waiter, horse or
dog. - he must perform all the sweeping,
folding of bedding. &c, himself. Nothing
now interrupts study until the drum for
breakfast call at seven o'clock, except the
surgeons call, beaten at half past six o'clock
when those who are sick repair to the hos
pital to receive their requisite medical at
tendance and to he excused by the surgeon
from the performance of such academic or
military duty as they are by reason of such
sickness incompetent to perform. After
the breakfast call the battalion is marched
bv the senior cadet captain in column of
platoons or companies to the mess hall,
whence it returns after the lapse of about
twenty-five minutes. Guard mounting oc-
cupies the time from half-past seven till
eight O'Clock, which is a season of recrea-
ton TO those who are neither marching on
guard nor marching off. At eight o'clock
the bugle calls to quarters, from which there
is no release for five hours. All those sec
tons Of every class that recite at this hour
I II 81. 81. .1.s
rolls are under the direction of the new Off
GERS of the day, and they are marched to
. the recitation rooms by the section march
ers, who report to the instructor, as they
/ have already done to the officer of the day,
the result of the roll-call AT half-paSt nine
| the bugle recalls these and summons the
other half of the entire corps TO the class
parade. These return at eleven, and then
the recitaiions in all the most important
studies are finished for the day The din
ner call is beaten at / Z. NJ, and an hour
is allowed for the meal and for recreation.
At two the recitations begin again, and at
four the academic building is deserted. The
recitations from eleven to one and from two
10 four, being less important, only occupy
an hour each. There is now long release
from quarters. \ drill occupies about an
hour and half, a season Of recreation en-
sues, and dress parade takes place at sun
down. Supper succeeds, followed by thir-
tv minutes recreation, and the bugle again
calls TO quarters and study. Tattoo is beat
en- at half-past nine, and al ten the taps,
wnen, the beds having been spread since
tattoo, lights are extinguished and all cadets
are in bed except the cadet officers, who in
spect the rooms to see that this regulation
has been promptly observed. This daily
routine varies in no important particular
during the academic year, but the studies
of each class as they are successively finish
ed are exchanged for others. Other military
exercises at certain seasons Of the year take
the place of infantry drill, and during the
winter there is no drill at all except the
cavalry exercise in the riding g-hall in study
hours. The hour for retiring is, while il
/. barracks, always the same, but reveille
sounds at half-ras five during and between