Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-25
COL. HARE RECALLS
PARADE OF CADETS
Retired Army Man Tells of
West Pointers First
Inaugural.

On March 4, 1873, the Annapolis
middies and West Point cadets were
first seen by the citizens of Washing
ton marching down Pennsylvania ave-
hue in an inaugural parade.
Col. Luther Hare, U. S. A., retired,
who is in Washington on short visit
from his home in Texas, was one of the
cadets to march in the memorable
parade Col Hare, who graduated from
West Point in 1874, was a second
classman at the time that Gen. Grant
was inaugurated as President for his
second term, and it was in celebration
of this event that the corps of cadets
from West Point and the midshipmen
from Annapolis were first ordered" to
the Capital to participate in the cere-
monies.
Col Hare remembers wildly the oc-
casion when the general orders" for
the cadets to go to Washington for
the presidential Inauguration were
read before the corps assembled in the
"area" of the cadet barracks at West
Point. 1t was the first time that such
a thing had happened-in those days,
the only time a cadet ever left the
academy during his four years of train
ing was during furlough year. two
years after he had entered. There
fore, such an event as trip to Wash
ington created great excitement.
Rode in Horse Cars.
The entire corps, numbering about
200 cadets. entrained at West Point
on the afternoon of March 2, 1873
The same night they arrived in New
York and were escorted across the
city by the famous 7th Regiment of
the New York National Guard and
then crossed to Jersey City, where they
boarded the train for Baltimore
After travelling all night. they arrived
the next morning in Baltimore. Col.
Hare states that he recalls with much
amusement the trip across Baltimore
in horse cars when 1t was necessary
to change stations to make final con-
nections for Washington.
Upon their arrival in Washington.
the corps" was billeted at the old
Ebbitt House That day they paraded
in front of Secretary Of War Belknap
at the Arlington Hotel, and in the
evening. Gen. Sherman. of Civil War
fame, who was then Chief of Staff of
the Army. held a reception in their
honor at his home.
Col. Hare relates an amusing anecdote
IN connection with the old-time friendly
rivalry between the cadets and the
middies. The midshipmen were given
the honor of firing the presidential
salute on Capitol Hill. Two mortars
had been brought by them for the oc-
casion, and, as the salute was fired,
the cadets stood by ready to notice
the slightest error which might be
made.
Perfect Firing by Middies.
"My class" said the colonel, "had
Just completed the course in artillery
and We were particularly interested in
the salute of the middies. don't think
that ever from that day to this have
! ever witnessed more perfect firing.
We timed them to the quarter second,
and it was as regular as clock work.
The parade at that time pursued
about the same line of march as it
does now. We marched past the
President at the reviewing stand in
front of the White House and then
We returned to our quarters at the
hotel. That night we attended the
inaugural ball.
When we had returned to West
Point We did an unneard-of thing-we
cheered the commandant. Nothing
could have more fully expressed our
appreciation of the trip to Washing
ton than that cheer"
Col Hare has distinguished record
of military service. He is one of three
surviving participants of the Little Big