List of Graduates of the United States Military Academy Class of 1829
The List of Graduates of the United States Military Academy Class of 1829 summarizes the military and civil careers of those who graduated from the Class of 1829 of the United States Military Academy at West Point. The class standing or class rank at graduation determined which branch of the army a graduate could be appointed into; top standing was required for the engineers, while the other branches were reserved for those with a lower standing on the graduation list. Since 1821, when the Congress ordered a reduction  in the size of the army and forced resignation of officers, and until the Civil War, the new West Point graduate normally had to serve a period of time as a supernumerary brevet second lieutenant until a vacancy occurred in a regiment and he could be commissioned second lieutenant. The antebellum promotion system for officers of the United States Army was based on seniority, the length of time of service. Promotions took place within the regiment as billets were available through resignation or death. As no system of retirement or pension existed, officers tended to stay in the service as  long as possible thereby making promotion very slow. Promotion by brevet entitled the officer to use the rank title and wear the rank insignia of a higher rank, but would not let him draw the higher pay. Brevet promotions were usually given as rewards for gallantry, and many officers were so rewarded during the Mexican War.