The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-06-19
WEST POINT ACADEMY.
Many of Its Ablest Graduates Sided
 With the South.
Portland Oregonian.

Portland Oregonian.
 In our great civil war, distinguished graduates of West Point fought on both sides of that terrible conflict. The num- Der of graduates who served in the Con- federate Army is 299, and of these 151 be- came general officers There are more West Pointers approximately found among the prominent Confederate gem erals than on the Union side, the Con- federates having from the outset relied more upon their West Pointers and less upon political and militia officers than the North. Of the 151 West Point gen. erals of the Confederate Army twenty four were killed in service or died of wounds. Of the 299 graduates who held commissions in the Confederate Army forty -one fell on the battlefelds or died of wounds. while five others, including two generals, died of disease. But twen- ty-one West Point generals of the Union Army were killed on the battlefield or died of wounds: but the Union generals who fell included Isaac I. Stevens John F. Reynolds. John Sedgwick, McPherson and David A. Russell 'Stonewall'' Jack son and A. P. Hill were the only efni- nent generals who fell on the Confeder- ate side. Out of this civil war on both sides came the lesson that in long war the trained soldier makes the best general The South quickly got rid of It's few political generals, like Bob" Toombs, Henry A. Wise and Roger A. Pryor and never allowed them to reach high commands but we allowed political generals like Butler. Fremont, Dix. Me Clernand Sigel. Schenck Sickles. Schurz. to work deal of mischief either by what they actually dkl or by what they omit ted to do.
 Hundreds of volunteer officers made brilliant brigada commanders before the war was over some made excellent divis- ion commanders, but 1ot more than three or four proved themselves able to com mand an army corps. The truth is that the South carried over to its cause pro- D lrtionately more of the talent of West Point than the North. Among the emil nent Confederates we're Lee, Longstreet. Joe Johnston Beauregard, Bragg. Sidney Johnston, Ewell. Hardee, A. P. Hill. D. H. Hill Van Dorn. McLaws, stone wall' Jackson Bee. Pickett. Hood Heth, Early "Jnb'' Stuart. A. P. Stewart. S, D. Lee. Wheeler, Field, Wilcox and Pe- gram The Union Army included Grant Sherman. Sheridan, Hancock. Humph- reps, Ord. Schofield. Stevens. Rosecrans. Meade, Thomas. Pope, Reynolds. Buell. Porter. Couch; slocum' Wilson, Franklin' Crook. Wood, Griffin, Ayers. all stout soldiers of superior ability. but the Con federate list carries with 1t higher mil itary average. h. life have done themselves credit. They have been Presidents Senators, Congress- men, bishops. professors, railway pres idents. lawyers men of science, farmers and preachers. During the civil war bil- lions of dollars were expended under the direction of West Point officers of the quality of General Meigs. but the losses by pecnlation were considerably less than one-tenth of l per cent Of the money of the Bank of England by peculation of its employees, a select company of gentle mems sons. Henceforth the maximum number of cadets at west Point will be 511 by reason of the act of Congress of 1900. under which cadets are now appoint ed. as follows: One from each Congress siopai District. one from each Territory. one from the District of Columbia, two from each State at large and thirty from inc Tinted States at large by the Presi- dent. Including the graduating first class of today. there have been graduated from West Point since 1892 4121 cadets.