The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-01-21
WEST POINT CLASS OF 1916.
o,n OF THE MOST FAMOUS IN THE
HISTORY OF THAT INSTITUTION.


Tho Number of Its Members-SOme of
Those Who Achieved Fame-Inci-
dents in the Career of Gen. Maury
Of Virginia RecaIIed-Other Mat
tcrs of General Interest.
Pine Crest Villa, Maitland, Fla, Jan.
n-The death of Maj. Gen. Dabney Hern-
don Maury of Virginia removes from earth
the last distinguished Confederate of the
famous class of 1916 at West Point Mill
tary Academy, and one of the most DASH
ins cavalry soldiers that ever graduated
from that institution. The class had fif-
tv-nine members and 1.-THE last man in
M procession" was Maj. Gen. George E.
Pickett. the hero of Gettysburg. Lieut..
Gen Thomas ]. Jackson Othe illustrious
"stonewan') stood seventeen in the class
and Gen. Maury thirty-seven, this being
The most prominent of Southerners.
In The class however, was Maj. Gen.
Samuel B. Maxey of Kentucky, who be-
came United States senator from Texas
and Gems. William D. Smith and William
Montgomery Gardner of Georgia and Cad
David r. Jones of South Carolina. Capt,
Thomas R. Mcconnell a Georgian, in this
class resigned in 1856, as captain in the
Fourth United States Infantry. and be-
came commandant of cadets at the Geor-
gia Military Institute at Marietta where
he died in 1861. With this exception, the
Southern classmates of Gen. Maury be-
came active participants in the Civil War
and won high rank, and in the case of
Jackson and Pickett, achieved a renown
that makes their names illustrious.
on The Union side this famous class
gave to the army Gems. George B. Nc
Clelan. S. d. Sturgis, John G. Foster, d.
n Couch. James Cakes, George Stone
man, Alfred Gibbs, George H. Gordon,
Innis n. Palmer, Nelson II. Davis and
Truman Seymour, who commanded the
Union forces here in Florida at the battle
of Olustee or Ocean Pond. Gen. McClel-
Ian stood highest number two in the class
and became the most eminent commander
on the Union side. Taken as a whole, the
class made a remarkab bic record in the
Mexican War and on the frontier before
the Civil War created generals out of so
many of them. Brevet Captain James
Stuart of South Carolina, who died of
wounds in 1851, was highly honored as a
renowned soldier during the Mexican
War, and later in the Mounted Rifles, and
was voted a Sword of honor" by the
state Legislature.
Nearly all of Gen. Maurys service was
in the Mounted Rifles, the exception be-
ing a brief attachment 10 the Third Unit
Ell States Artillery in 1S47. His Mexican
War career and later frontier service won
him several honorable brevets. and the
Civil War found him captain and as
u1i INT nj Of hn ,7ara art
ment of New Mexico AS at West Point,
so in the Mounted Rifles, Gen. Maury was
associated with young officers who became
renowned generals in the Union and Con-
Tolerate armies Gen. William w. Loring
OF Florida was his colonel and Gen.
George B. Crittenden of Kentucky his
lieutenant colonel, and Gen. John G. Walk
er a captain, with Gen. William H. Jack
son of Tennessee and Gen. Joseph Wheeler
OF Alabama as lieutenants.
The most distinguished on the Union
side were Gems. b. S. Roberts, Andrew
Porter, Washington l.. Elliott, Gordon
Granger, John P. Hatch, Alfred Gibbs,
Roger Jones, j. G.. Tilford. William w.
AVerel. What galaxy of famous gen.
erals (to be) surrounded Gen. Maury from
his entrance into West Point Military
Academy until he entered the Confeder-
ate service. With such an environment
and his own superior military talents, 1t is
Hul matter OF surprise that he became
eminent as an assistant professor at the
academy and as the author of work ON
Skrmish Drill for Mounted Troops" OF
tle southern officers in the Mounted Rifles
zen Wheeler and Gen. Jackson are now
the sole survivors, the one living in Ala
baIna and the other in Tennessee.
II is not generally known that Col. Will
nam w. Loring a North Carolnian but
lAen a Floridian, was one of the very
It" army officers of that rank who re-
sNed to enter the Confederate service.
Y Il. Twiggs and Joseph Z. Johnston
were hrigadier generals and Albert Sgd
Ney johnston was "A brevet brigadier gen.
NJ. Samuel Cooper, T. T. Fauntler
N"lam w. Loring and Robert r. Lee
were colonels. large portion of the Of
resigning who became Confederate
t'N'ials, were simply first or second lieu
"diis Gen. TWiggs and Capts Maury,
N3rttr l., Stevenson, Beverly II. Robert
'oh ana Charles II. Tyler We're not allowed
10 H- Ign, however, but were dismissed"
1'V"use OF their open sympathy with the
""ltderate cause. Twiggs was brevet
i"'I't general and one of the oldest and
"'S. "nown officers in the United States
C~'"N' having entered il from civil life in
,oi+'a as captain of the Eighth Infan-
W on March u, 1912, and passed through
a. Ne grades to the well-earned rank of
0'e'tt major general
Sidney Herbert.
Ilf Vt NEW "a