Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-07-19
THE CENTENARY OF SAINT CYR.
There 10 political as we'll as military
utility in the centennial celebration Of

There L. political as we'll as military
utility in the centennial celebration Of
Sister ~ the ITn,tsa s.ates and
Renuhl,c. France, united. as they
are, by SO many ties.
Inc achievements of a century. the Gre
alton of a long roll of honor Of heroes.
serve as a vast storehouse to sustain
each nation in its process of evolution.
The dark days Of the American revolu-
ton were crowned by victory and by
the imperishable legacy Of Washing
ton. The dread period OF the French
revolution created q Napoleon. Wash
ington and Napoleon represented the
spirit and genius Of the new and the old
nations. But 1t was written that France
and America, whose destinies had al
ready been united in 1916. despite
vast ocean and the barrier of language.
should be reunited after a century OF
varied fortunes as sister republics,
rivals only in the paths of peace.
The centenaries Of West Point and
Saint-Cyr. the two great military in
stitutions of America and France. mark
an epoch in the lives of the republics.
The centenary Of West Point was cele-
brated June II. 1902. when Baron Ed
monde Mayor des Planches, ambassa-
dor OF Italy to the United States, at the
banquet at West Point. said:
within these walls many remembrances
OF your history rise to our minds. We re-
can that OF Sherman, the audacious leader
OF the March to the Sea-; that of McC1el-
Ian, whose genius checked the invading
armies at Antietam; that of Sheridan.
who snatched victory from defeat in the
the hero Of Chickamauga, and his OPP
ponent Hood: that Of Lee, the glorious
vanquished Of the last battles of the civil
war, and many others. whose deeds OF
valor have filed all lands with wonder,
have graduated here. When an institution
has such a glorious past it will have a
similar glorious future. I profess that a
perfectly good soldier is almost neces-
sarily good citizen; that a perfectly
great soldier is almost necessarily grea
supply many examples Of this truth. But
what example could I evoke more oppor-
timely. in this place, in this moment. than
the example Of your great Washington.
OF washington with whom originated the
idea of military academy for his coun-
try?"
-.
In the centennial book in the mention
of the origin of the Military Academy
there appears a note,
fEencnmans addressed to Gen. Wash
suop.stior ington by NJ. F1oberque
de la Rocatelle, dated
August s. 1777, in which the latter pro-
posed that a school should be established
for teaching the theory of the military
art" 1t was not until March 16, 1872.
that Congress established a corps of en-
oysA nkolx Ic< =
be stationed at West Point, in the state of
New York. and shall constitute a military
academy" and that the principal engi-
neer, and in his absence the next in rank,
shall have the superintendent Of the said
Military Academy"
Whilst innumerable military schools
have been established throughout the
country, the Military Academy at West
Point has remained the principal military
school Of the United States, as Saint Cyr,
the Ecole Polytechnique and La Fleche
| have for France, as the Ecole Militaire at
Military Academy at Woolwich and the
Royal Military College at Sandhurst have
for England, as the College Militari in
Rome and Naples and the military
schools Of Modena and Turin have for
Italy; as the Theresa Military Academy of
Wiener-Neustadt and the Technical Mill
tary Academy Of Vienna for Austria; as
| the "Haupt- kadettep-Anstalt' or upper
Cadet School at Gross-Lichterfelde for
Germany.
West Point had for it's first superintend-
ent Maj. Jonathan Williams of the Engi-
neer Corps appointed April Is, 1902. The
first academic year opened July 4, 1902,
with ten cadets present. By act of Con-
sress April 20 1872. the academy was re-
organized. Maj. Sylvanus Thayer. Corps of
Engineers. was made superintendent.
The first object of the school was to
form character, habits of faithfulness,
promptness. obedience and attention to
duty" The total number Of graduates
from 1902 to 1908 Inclusive is 4,2i4.
Gen. Scott said of the graduates in the
Mexican war: Il give it as my fixed opin-
ion that but for our graduated cadets the
war between the United States and Mex
leo might and probably would have lasted
some four or five years. with. in Its first
half, more defeats than victories falling to
our share: whereas in less than two cam
paigns We conquered a great country and
a peace without the loss Of single battle
or skirmish."
The writer has had the honor of know
ing personally many distinguished grad
yates of the academy,
Distinguished and first among these
cr.dv.+.. Gen. Scott whom he met
frequently after the war;
Mr. Jefferson Davis. President Of the Con-
federacy; Gems. Hancock. Grant, Beaure-
gard, Johnston. French, Fitz-John Porter.
Blair, ]. e. B. Stuart, Cheatham. and
Wilcox, while he has served with or
under the orders of Gems. Mcclellan.
Lockwood, Ord Slocum. Sherman. Stone
and others.
Among the preparatory schools. which
hold high place as worthy of special
mention is the Virginia Military lnsti-
tute, which was established under an act
Of the general assembly of Virginia
passed March, 1889.
Col Claude Crozet. a graduate of the
Ecole Poiytechnique of Paris, who had
served under Napoleon at Moscow In 1Sl2.
and was a professor at West Point, was
president of the board that met I'm Lex
ington. Va, In Me-. 1880. Gen. Francis
II. Smith, a graduate Of West Point, was
appointed superintendent. In April, 1861.
the corps of cadets under the command
Of Mai. subsequently Lieut.. GEM jack
son marched for Richmond.