The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1880-12-10
United states Military Academy.

WEST PoIST, N. Y, Dec. 4, 1880.
During the Revolution and after
wards great. need was felt for officers
In our armies who were educated 20 the
profession. Washington, Hamilton and
others urged the establishment of milf
tary scnool of some kind, and West
Point was suggested as a suitable place
for such an institution. In 1902 school
Of engineers was established at that
place by an act of Congress. But il
was not till after the war of 1912 had
closed that the Academy began TO as
sumo Its present character. Since then,
the policy of our statesmen seems to
have been "not to maintain any consid-
cradle standing army In time of peace,
but to educate thoroughly officers who
should be competent TO organize and
instruct the raw levies which must form
the great mass of our army in time of
war;"
Tho Academy owes much OF its repu-
tatiOn and its present worth as an edu-
cational institution to Major Sylvanus
Thayer, who became superintendent in
1917. Major Thayer had graduated at
West Point, served as an engineer in
the war of 1912, and had fitted himself
for the profession of arms in the best
military schools of Europe. lie institu-
ted many of the methods of instruction
and discipline now in vogue at the
Academy, having in mind always to
make this the school of the soldier, the
scholar, and the gentleman. The Aca-
deny is now much as he made it then,
with improvements here and there, such
as in time has become apparent ought
to be made.
The buildings of the United States
Military Academy are of stone quarried
from the mountains about here. The
oldest is the Academy building itself
the newest is the Adjutant's office
The finest is the Barracks, where the
cadets are quartered all the year except
during the summer encampment.
can give You some idea of the size and
appearance ofthis building by compar.
ing it with Star Hall of Middlebury
College. Star Hall has two divisions
four stories, and each division has foul
rooms on each floor. One division Of
our Barracks is equal to one of Stal
Hall. There are ten of these divisions
So If you imagine Star Hallfiv times al
long as it is, with battlemented roof, {
tower.at each end and sally-port il
the middle, and with turkey -red win
dow curtains looped back, you will
have very correct idea of Cadet Bar
racks at West Point.
The chapel and library are places tina
visitors always like to explore, and the,
are well worth the trouble. The librar,
is large building divided into severa
compartments. The main part, the read
ing room, is quite high and has gallerie
above on three sides with bookcase
from floor to ceiling in each. dom
know how many volumes the librar,
contains. On the walls of the reading
room are many fine portrait paintings
nearly half of them life-size. Among
them are life-size portraits of Presiden
Monroe and Jefferson, Major Thaye
and other superintendent of the Acade
my. Portraits of Scott, Grant, AM
other distinguished generals are there
and also the marble busts of Washing
ton, Lafayette, and Napoleon. Be
sides all the noted works of fiction o
all languages, the library contains NOR,
than the usual amount of encyclopedia
and work of a scientific nature, NAM
of them in the French language. AL
of the officers can read French and til,
cadets learn in couple of years t
read French almost as we'll as English
All the principal American and British
periodicals and several French period
calls are taken, besides large numbe
of scientific and military publications
English, French and American, an(
several illustrated weeklies. The libra
ny tower is an observatory, containing
transit, telescope, and other apparatu
for making astronomical observations
The chapel has not beautiful exter
ior, but inside is quite pretty. 1t i
about as large as the Middlebury Metho
dist church, is built of stone and has NJ
steeple or bell. Its carpeted with darl
red and cushioned with dark blue
Above the pulpit is a grand painting
representing Mars and Minerva togeth
err keeping watch over the nations wei
fare aud honor. Under this picture il
draped silk American flag, stretching
half way across the chapel, its cord
aud knots of twisted silk and gold clus
tering together and reaching half wa,
to the floor. On the left side of The
chapel are black tablets on the wall.
inscribed in gilt with the names of the
officers who fell in the Mexican war
one tablet for each battle. In the mids
of this is glass case containing flag
taken from the enemy and implanted
in the wall, on either side of the case
are several cannon taken in the same
war. On the other side are tablets in.
scribed with the names of the promi
nent American officers of the Revolu
ton, case containing colors, and on
either side several cannon taken in that
war. There is one tablet which is blank
The name left out is that OF Arnold.
| Before l close this letter l want to
tell you temperance folks how they
treat cadet who is found drunk
One day about three weeks ago an Off
Ger of the Academy was taking q walk
on the road to st. Putnam, back of Bar.
racks, when he ran across cadet whom
he saw to be intoxicated. He told him
to 60 to his quarters, but the cadet
would not and was rather saucy to the
officer. The officer then took him by
the arm and walked with him down tc
Barracks where lie delivered him over
to the cadet officer of the day. The Ca
Diet was Immediately put in arrest, was
court-martialed as soon thereafter as
possible, and found guilty of drunken
ness, of disobedience, and of using dis.
respectful language to his superior Off
GER, any one of which would have caus
ed his dismissal. This afternoon al
Retreat parade the finding and sentence
of the court were published before the
battalion of cadets. The cadet was
smart and studious, but those qualities
could avail him nothing, his sentence
WAS dismissal II