The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-03-16
THE BIRTHDAY
OF WEST POINT

United States army officers and vet
Grams in many cities and posts will
celebrate today the birthday of their
| alma mater, the United States Mill
| tary Academy at West Point, N. Y. It
was la years ago today, March 49,
1902, that Congress established the
training school for officers on the
banks of the Hudson fifty-two miles
north of New York city. West Point
had been a military post since 1878,
and during the period of the revolu-
ton the place was the scene of forti-
fications to control the river, while
a heavy chain was stretched across
the Hudson to Constitution Island to
prevent British war vessels from as
cending further. West Point was
captured and destroyed by the British
in 1777, but new Qualifications were
built at a cost of three million dol
| lars. It was this post which Benedict
Arnold, as commander of West Point,
planned to deliver to the British in
return for a commission as brigadier-
general in the British army and $780,
900 in gold, but from which he gain
ed only ternal obloquy and the detes-
tation of mankind.
Although the school for educating
and training young men in the theory
and practice of military science, to fit
them for duty as officers of the
United States army, was not establish
ed until after Washington's death, he
was in a way the real founder. In
1913 and again in 1876 he urged up
on Congress the necessity of such an
institution. The Continental Con-
gress, as early as IT'S, had also sug-
gested the desirability of "a military
school for the army
Authorized at last the sixteenth
of March, 1902, the Military Academy
was opened on the Fourth of July fol-
lowing, with class Of ten cadets.
Prior to that time a number of stu
dents had been enrolled at the forts
at West Point, where corps of ar
ti11erists and engineers were station
ed, and informal instruction had been
given in the arts of war.
The first decade of the Academy's
existence was marked by many Vicis-
ated the institution, the lawmakers
apparently soon forgot all about it,
and, lacking sufficient funds for its
proper conduct, the academy authOri-
ties were hard pressed to keep it alive.
At one time the school was without a
single instructor. In its first ten years
only seyenty-one students graduated. ;.
In 1912 President Madison brought
about a reorganization of West Point,
and soon 26O students were enrolled,
and the institution began to assume
something of it's present form. 1T
was not until 1917, however, that West
Point began to receive serious con-
sideration in the military world. Col
oneI Sylvanus Thayer, who has been
called sfThe Father of West Point
was appointed to the command, and
it was he who introduced the uni
form, organization, and rules of study
which have continued in force until
the present time. Under his control
the academy gained prestige and re-
nown, and in 1888, when he resigned
the, command, West Point had won
the respect of the military men OF
FSuroDe and was counted among the
worlds most famous institutions of its
kind.
In view of the present agitation for
war pre- aredenss. West Point may as
sumo even greater Importance in the
coming years. One of the great les
sons of this war has been the neces-
sity for trained, skilled, scientific
leadership, the lack of which has been
keenly felt in several of the nations
involved. A great increase in the
number of cadets must necessarily ac-
company any increase IN the military
establishment.