Cadet Life at West Point

Another June rolled around, the Board of Visitors arrived, the customary salute was fired and the alumni meeting held. The examinations were completed, another class was graduated and a new one admitted to the corps. As usual, at the annual examinations some of the “found” were turned back to join the next class, while the other unfortunates left the Point to return no more as cadets. The fortunate graduates and the happy furloughmen, after drawing the “balances due” from the Treasurer of the Academy, donned their “cit” clothes and went on furlough; the graduates to assume the duties of Second Lieutenants in the army at the expiration of their “graduating leave” on the 30th of the following September, and the second classmen to return to the Point at the expiration of their “furlough” on the 28th of August. The amounts due varied according to the economy practiced by the cadets. Some had nothing due, while others received as much as two hundred dollars in addition to the “equipment fund.” Four dollars per month is retained from the pay of each cadet as his “equipment fund,” and it is given to him when he graduates or leaves the Academy never to return as a cadet.

Mine was the furlough class this year, and when I reached home my mother made me open my trunk in the back yard, and she herself was present to see that I shook and aired everything I had, for the reason, she said, that, as there were no women to keep things clean about our barracks, she was sure that we had bedbugs there.

I had not been at home long when an old Quaker called on me and said: “H—, I have been waiting for thee to come home. During the war I noticed that soldiers always stepped off with the left foot first, and now that thee has been to the Government’s Military School for two years, thee probably knows why.” I had to confess my ignorance on the subject then, and I must confess it now.

One day I received an invitation to visit a battalion of State Militia in camp, and I was requested to take my uniform. I accepted the invitation, and wore it in camp. I was able to and did give instruction in many points of the tactics, which at that time were new to the militia, and at the same time I learned much at this camp that was new and useful to me. At the request of the commanding officer of the camp I acted as Adjutant at parades and guard-mounts. I got along all right after the first dress parade, where I took post on the wrong side of the commanding officer after having presented arms to him. However, the militia of my state was not then as well posted on tactics[50] as it is to-day; my blunder was not discovered.

During furlough some of my classmates visited me, and I visited some of them, and we had a jolly good time of course, for all college men enjoy their vacations. While students of other colleges usually have several months’ vacation every year, West Point cadets have but one vacation in their four years. With many pleasures and not a care the summer soon passed, and as usual most of the furloughmen met in New York to return together from there.

A warm welcome awaited us in “Camp Belknap,” that being the name of the camp at the Point this year. Mustaches and side whiskers that we had grown during the summer all had to come off before we reported our return to the Adjutant. We soon shaved, visited the trunk rooms, donned our uniforms and reported for duty. After a gay time on the “color line” that evening we turned in with the first classmen, who had long been our friends, although they were once the yearlings who had deviled us in our plebe camp; so quickly is the deviling forgiven and yet never forgotten. The next day we “broke camp” and returned to barracks, this time to begin on the hardest studies[51] of the four years. It did not take us long to get down to hard study and drill again and to become interested once more in the few things that afford pleasure to cadets during the Academic year.

After arriving at the Point and before reporting the return from furlough, it has long been a custom to have a class picture taken upon the chapel steps, and when sitting for this picture furloughmen generally look as “tough” as possible, as may be seen from the picture of the group of furloughmen.

When marching to and from meals, long before I myself became a second classman, I observed four members of the then second class who did not march with the battalion, but who strolled leisurely to and from the Mess Hall. My first thought was that they had been excused by the Post Surgeon from marching to and from meals, but upon inquiry I learned that these four were “Company Clerks,” and that they were detailed on special duty upon the recommendations of the first sergeants. Hence I promptly secured the promise of D—t that if he obtained the first sergeancy of C Company I should be the company clerk. He was made the first sergeant and kept his promise to me, and for more than a year I made out the muster rolls and guard details of C Company. From that day I have not walked post as a sentinel; the first year because I was company clerk, and the next year because first classmen do not do guard duty after the plebes begin to go on guard. Neither did I march to and from meals any more; the first year because I was company clerk and the next because I was one of twelve first classmen who, at that time, took their meals at a private house in Professor’s Row.

Professor K—k was an old bachelor, but he kept open house on Saturday afternoons, and it was a great pleasure to him to welcome cadet callers. He always treated them to waffles and maple syrup or to something else equally as delicious and not found on the Mess Hall bill of fare.

In my day the gas tips in cadet rooms did not give a very good light, so some of the cadets bought better tips and when caught using them they were of course reported for tampering with public property. G—r, of my class, had an “Argand burner,” and at first he was very careful to take it off for inspection of quarters, but one evening he was caught unawares and reported. For this serious offense he was confined to “light prison” for several months. Light prisons at that time were rooms in the angle of barracks, and they were off limits for cadets not there in confinement. The cadet officer of the day carried the prison keys, and at certain hours, such as for recitations and drills, he would let out the prisoners. G—r got so tired of being alone that he removed a panel of his prison door and then often went visiting after taps. But he got out through the panel once too often, for he was caught and then his prison door was barred and his stay in prison lengthened many weeks.

One day when Captain B—s had my cavalry platoon out for a long ride in the country, just before passing an orchard filled with luscious ripe apples, the Captain rode from the head to the rear of the column and said to the rear guide: “Mr. H—s, don’t let anyone go into that orchard,” and then returned to the head of the column. H—s saw to it that none of us “fell out” of ranks, but he himself treated to apples from that orchard.

Cadets are taught the use of the pencil, pen and brush, the latter in water colors only. In this work we painted from models of landscapes, figures, ships, etc., and, as may be expected, some cadets were more skillful than others. Those near the foot of the class in drawing had hard work to keep from being found deficient in it. To get better results in water color work the professor occasionally directed a cadet to wash out a part of his drawing and begin that part over again. In looking at Cadet G—e’s work one day, Professor W—r directed him to wash out the “hull” of the ship he was at work on. After a while the professor returned and began to scold, when G—e “innocently” said: “Why, professor, you told me to wash out the ‘whole’ of it.” The topographical sketch of the most interesting part of West Point given on another page is a reproduction of a specimen of cadet pen and ink work.

We were kept so busy during this year that the time passed rapidly, notwithstanding many privileges that we had enjoyed were taken away from us. For instance, this year we were not allowed to go on Christmas leave, nor to receive Christmas boxes, nor to give an entertainment on New Year’s Eve. The fact is a new superintendent had taken charge of affairs and it did not take us long to find it out. Still we soon became accustomed to the new order of things and all went well.

As I have said, cadets wore old shoes to reveille, and the accompanying verses express the kindly feelings they have for them:

Artillery drills come in each year of the four. The first year the drill is on foot at the light battery; the next year with horses at the light battery; the third year on foot at the siege, mortar and sea-coast batteries, and the last year first classmen act as assistants to the instructors. Light battery drill with horses is one that all cadets thoroughly enjoy. There are six pieces (each with its caisson) in the battery, and there is great rivalry between the cadets and drivers at each piece, especially in executing some maneuver that ends with firing.

In my day the target for mortar drill was a barrel on a post, placed at the foot of Cro’ Nest, 1,000 yards or more from the mortar battery, near “Trophy Point.” One day I was “gunner” of a piece and was fortunate enough to knock the barrel from its post, a feat rarely accomplished, as it is very difficult to strike a small object with a mortar.

One of the guns of the sea-coast battery was a very large one, the diameter of the bore being twenty inches. One day at drill at this battery, while at “rest,” one of the cadets, who was a little fellow, crawled into the bore of this big gun. After getting in a certain distance the more he tried to get out the farther in he went, hence he had to be pulled out by the heels. The instructor, appreciating the situation, threatened to report him for being off limits.

Cadets are taught photography, and on pleasant May days second classmen can often be seen with cameras taking views of the different buildings and of the many pretty sights about the Point.

One pleasant afternoon in May a classmate and I were walking along Professor’s Row, near the north gate, and we saw three pretty young ladies, daughters of Professor W—r, sitting on their porch, so we stopped for a chat. The ladies said that they would play the piano and sing for us if we would go in the house. My friend declined the invitation, because he was too near found on demerits to risk being caught off cadet limits, and we did not have a permit. Up to that time I had had but few demerits and had been lucky in never having been caught off limits, so I decided to accept the invitation. When there was no officer in sight I went in, and passed a merry hour with the young ladies. But when I came out an officer saw me, and reported me for being off cadet limits. I wrote an explanation, stating where I was at the time, and that was all. “Off Limits” is a serious offense, especially in an old cadet, and besides receiving five or six demerits, I was given six “extras” officially designated as “Saturday afternoon punishments.” This I did not relish at all, especially as I had never had any before, but I learned to my sorrow what an extra meant, and I had ample time to ponder over the gravity of my offense as I paced to and fro, across the area of barracks, carrying my rifle “just so,” from 2 p. m. till ten minutes before dress parade at sunset. I never till then fully realized the length of the days in May and June. When it came time to go to camp again I had walked only four of the six extras, and as there are no “extras” in camp, for the remaining two I was given two weeks “confinement,” i. e., I had to be in my tent all the time for the first two weeks in my first class camp, except, of course, when absent from it on duty or by special permission.

Just before this Academic year closed my class selected its quota of managers for the coming summer hops, and also all of the managers for the hop that my class gave to the graduating class. The invitations and programs for these dances were sent to friends, and they began to arrive with the Board of Visitors and old graduates who came to attend the Alumni meeting and dinner in the bachelor officers’ part of the Mess Hall.

Cullum Memorial Hall is now used for all hops and the alumni meetings are usually held in it, and luncheon is served afterwards from the Officers’ Mess, next door.

The new buildings now completed or far enough along to be used are the bachelor officers’ quarters, across the road east and a little south of old Fort Clinton; Cullum Memorial Hall, a gift accepted by Congress, a little further south; the officers’ mess, still further south; the Administration Building, across the road east of and facing the cadet mess hall; the power plant, a little further east; the cadet hospital, a little north of the old one that is now used for married officers’ quarters; the Academic, on the site of, but much larger than the old one; the North Cadet Barracks, in Professors’ Bow, and a little north of the old, now called the South Cadet Barracks, to which some years ago two divisions were added to the east end of its west wing; a second guard house, in rear, i. e., west of the North Cadet Barracks; a Catholic church, built, with permission of Congress, by Catholics, on high ground some distance west of the old north gate that was removed years ago; many married officers’ quarters, some northwesterly of the old north gate and some south of the old south gate, that was also removed years ago—these quarters are built facing the river in two tiers; the artillery and cavalry barracks and stables are upon two sides of a new artillery and cavalry plain that adjoins the village of Highland Falls; the Observatory, on the Hill, now called Observatory Hill, near old Fort Putnam; lastly, the Cadet Chapel, a beautiful cathedral-like building on Observatory Hill, crowns the group of handsome buildings. The reservoir on the west slope of Observatory Hill has been enlarged and a filter plant added to it.

The new gymnasium and riding hall are now well under way. The gymnasium is west and a little north of the west wing of the north cadet barracks; the roof of the old (and but a few years ago the new) gymnasium has been taken to cover the swimming pool part of this large new building. The riding hall nearly fills the space between the officers’ mess on the north and the power plant on the south; in fact, the riding hall and power plant will join, and on the south-east corner of this building there will be a tower to correspond with that of the Administration Building.

The following buildings will soon be razed to the ground, to-wit: the old Cadet Chapel (to be rebuilt in the cadet cemetery); the old, and but a few years ago the new Administration Building, from a little south of the old chapel; the old power plant, from the area of the old cadet barracks; the old, and but a few years ago the new, cadet sink or water closet building, from the area of the old cadet barracks; the old gymnasium, from a little west of the angle of the South Cadet Barracks; the old riding hall, that is now nearly surrounded by the walls of the new one; and the officers’ quarters in front of the new gymnasium, as the latter stands well back of but fronts east on Professors’ Row.

While the Military Academy was the first educational institution in this country to recognize (in 1817) the value of a uniform system of physical training it was not till 1890 that the Academic Board allowed cadet teams to play against teams of other institutions. The first contest being a baseball game with an Annapolis midshipmen team, then came other contests with teams from other colleges. Now contests are held annually—and since 1908 under official control—with outside teams in baseball, football, fencing, basketball and hockey. The present system of indoor gymnastics dates from 1882 and track work, tennis, golf, polo and wrestling are indulged in. Most of the contests are held at West Point—many of them being played on the beautiful green infantry parade ground—and seats arranged in tiers like the bleechers at professional ball games are put up in sections on the plain to accommodate the thousands of spectators that now witness these contests. There being no admission fee the seats are assigned by tickets to the cadets and their friends, and to officers and friends of the Academy who voluntarily contribute to the financial support of cadet athletics.

Certain cadets who excel in athletics, i. e., those who have actually played on an Academy (first) team for a year are entitled to wear a large A, (the initial of Army) on the sweater, jersey, jacket, cap or other article of athletic uniform, subject to the following:

To keep pace with other colleges cadets now have “colors” and “yells.”

For the Class of 1909 the color is gold, and the yell is—

SISS! BOOM! AH!
U. S. M. A.! RAH! RAH! U. S. M. A.! RAH! RAH!
HOO RAH! HOO RAH!
NAUGHTY-NINE!
RAH!

For the Class of 1910 the color is royal purple, and the yell is—

R-A-Y! RAH! RAH!
R-A-Y! RAH! RAH!
U. S. M. A.
NINETEEN TEN!

For the Class of 1911 the color is Maroon, and the yell is—

HOO-RAH-RAH! HOO-RAH-RAH!
HOO-RAH! HOO-RAY! U. S. M. A.
1911! 1911! 1911!

For the Class of 1912 the color is royal-blue, and the yell is—

U. S. M. A.!
U. S. M. A.!
U. S. M. A.!
1912! RAY!

While the Corps colors are gray, black and gold, and the Corps yell is—

Rah, Rah, Ray,
Rah, Rah, Ray,
West Point
West Point
AR-MAY!
Rah, Rah, Ray.
Rah, Rah, Rah, Rah, Rah, Rah, Rah!
West Point,
West Point,
West Point!

And for the Charge yell—

Rah, Rah, Rah, Rah!
Ki-yi, Ki-yi, Ki-yi Ki-yi,
Ki-yi, Ki-yi, Ki-yi,
Wow, Wow, Wow.
Ki-yi, Ki-yi, Ki-yi,
Wow, Wow, Wow.
CHARGE!

Each class elects one or more “Cheer Leaders,” but a first class Cheer Leader leads the Corps in Corps yells.

In contests with outside teams the West Point team is called the “Army Team” and the Annapolis team is called the “Navy Team.”

Imagine the feelings of one who graduated at the Academy prior to 1890 listening to cadet yells and to such songs (copied from the 1909 Howitzer) as the following that are now sung by the Corps in the presence of the Academic Board and other officers, to wit:

While most of the contests in which a cadet (i. e., the army) team takes part are played at West Point, some of them are played on other grounds—notably the annual football game with the Annapolis (i. e., the Navy) team—it is played on Franklin Field at Philadelphia, Penn., and it is an event of the year for Washington officials and society folks from near and from far.

THE WEST POINT HYMN.

[Written by the Reverend Herbert Shipman, a former chaplain at West Point, and sung by the cadets at the dedication of their new chapel, June 12, 1910.]

A few years ago the first class was given permission to have a club and the First Classmen’s Club was duly organized. At first the club had a room on the ground floor in the Academic Building, but now it has fine quarters on the second floor in the new North Cadet Barracks where, when it does not interfere with duty, members may go at any time between 7:15 a. m. and 9:30 p. m. and until recall from the hop on cadet hop nights. The club provides, at its own expense, such periodicals, newspapers, chess, checkers, etc., as may be approved by the superintendent. Refreshments of all kinds, gambling, cigarette smoking, and deliberations or discussions having the object of conveying praise or censure or any mark of approbation or disapprobation toward any one in the military service, are prohibited. On the week-day immediately preceding the graduation exercises, the club gives a reception to the members of the second class to introduce them to the privileges they may soon enjoy.

The transformation that of late has been wrought in the architectural setting of West Point, the changes made in the method of teaching and in the disciplinary ideals, and the greater privileges granted to cadets all tend to bring the Military Academy closer to other educational institutions of the country.

As a school year closes there is much interest taken in the changes soon to be announced in orders.

Cadet rank is indicated by chevrons,[52] as follows:

For a Captain,[53] 4 bars.

For the Adjutant,[53] 3 bars and an arc of 3 bars.

For the Quartermaster,[53] 3 bars and a tie of 3 bars.

For a Lieutenant,[53] 3 bars.

For the Sergeant-Major,[54] 2 bars and an arc of 2 bars.

For the Quartermaster-Sergeant,[54] 2 bars and a tie of 2 bars.

For a First Sergeant,[54] 2 bars and a lozenge.

For a Company Quartermaster-Sergeant,[54] 2 bars and a tie of 1 bar.

For a Sergeant,[54] 2 bars.

For a Corporal,[55] 2 bars.

Commissions are not given to the cadet officers, i. e., the captains and lieutenants, and warrants are not given to cadet non-commissioned officers, i. e., the sergeants and corporals. Two of the sergeants are designated as color sergeants, the one carries a United States flag called the colors, the other marching on his left carries the Corps banner.

Cadets now wear gilt service straps on their coat sleeves as follows, to wit: Third classmen, one stripe; second classmen, two stripes; first classmen, three stripes.

BUTTON.

In June, 1893, the Association of Graduates adopted a miniature bell button to be worn by members in the upper buttonhole of civilian coats; the part nearest an observer is a gold plate with the year of graduation on it, next is a gray stone, then a gold band with the class motto on it, then a dark blue stone; the date plate being fastened by a shank to a circular metal base on the under side of which are the owner’s name and the letters U. S. M. A. In June, 1904, this button was substituted by another showing the West Point colors, gray, black and gold. In June, 1910, the bell button was re-adopted.

BADGE.

Badge of the “Association of Graduates of the United States Military Academy[56],” adopted June 9, 1902. Composed of the Coat of Arms of the United States Military Academy and a bar pin made of bronze gilt, silver gilt or gold pierced by the Corps colors, a gray, black and gold ribbon. The date of graduation is put on the bar. Worn only by members of the association at graduate re-unions, graduate dinners, class dinners, etc.