One statue of academic significance to cadets is Sedgwick Monument. GEN Sedgwick was killed in 1864 but his name is preserved for all time in this statue, cast from the cannons of the unit he commanded in the Civil War. The spurs on his boots are free spinning and cadets believe that if they spin his spurs before exams, it will bring them luck. (Some say this works only if they dress in full dress uniform and spin the spurs on a moonlit night.)

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Tradition has it that GEN George Patton said he never entered the library because he couldn't find it. Therefore, it is believed that as part of the Academy he missed, his statue should face the library and watch over it.

 

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L'Ecole Polytechnique Monument (commonly referred to as the French Statue) is a tribute to the French cadets who took part in the defense of France in 1814. On top of the base, there is a magnificent statue of a French cadet with saber raised high in the air. Long standing cadet tradition has it that if a cadet and his date walk by it and the date is a virgin, the saber will lower.

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From a current cadet -- There is this brass scene on the wall as you enter the Library. It's said to be good luck if you rub President Lincoln's or President Washington's head. Both are worn shiny from cadets needing luck on a WPR.

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