1. What unusual thing did the cadet careers of William Krause (1865) and Charles Raymond (1865) have in common?
A) Each was an honorary pallbearer at the funeral of Abraham Lincoln. B) They were co-captains of the first West Point Baseball team. C) They were on guard duty in 1863 and captured a Confederate spy sent to blow up the main academic building of West Point. D) While still cadets, they both served on active duty during the Gettysburg Campaign.
A) William E. Mack (ex-1949) B) Walter E. French (ex-1924) C) Christian K. Cagle (ex-1930) D) Albert W. Yancey (ex-1961)
A) He played the role of Cadet James Williams. B) He played "Lord Helpus", who was searching for the Rajah's diamonds. C) He played the mandolin. D) He was one of the "femmes" in the Chorus.
A) Strong odor of perfume in room at a.m. inspection.. B) Holding lady's arm on road in front of barracks about 4:30 p.m.. C) Creating a disturbance in sub-division by rolling an iron dumb-bell down the iron stairs D) Misspelling his own name in chapel permit.
A) They were the mule mascots of the Corps. B) They were the senior barbers in the cadet barber shop in the 1960's. C) They were the buglers who sounded calls for the Corps. D) They were the meanest horses in the string during the 1840's - only Ulysses S Grant could ride them...
A) George S. Patton (1909). B) Oberlin M. Carter (1880). C) Don Carlos Buell (1841) D) Joseph G. Swift (1802).
A) He was the first owner of the Plain, which he donated to the Government... B) He lent the Superintendent money when Congress failed to appropriate what as needed tp run West Point. C) He wrote the Alma Mater. D) He chaired a committee of Congress in 1837 that reported favorably to the Military Academy
"For the last two or three years a system has been pursued with the entering class that has been attended, I think, with bad results. The new cadets are not properly trained when they come here. When we entered four years ago we were tested with rigor . . . . we had altogether a hard time. The result was good. We learned discipline and how to obey. When a boy has received his appointment to the Academy he thinks he has a high position in life, and comes here with enlarged notions. This is particularly the case if he has rich or influential friends. . . . . He never can be made a soldier until the nonsense has been taken out of him, and this the old system did. Now it is all different. The drill masters are told not to be harsh with the new cadets. Severe penalties are incurred by those who try to ``run it`` on them. When they get homesick and look a little crestfallen, the officers treat them as mothers do their babies, and the effect is to make them good for nothing."
A) Douglas MacArthur (1903) B) Nathaniel R. Chambliss (May 1861) C) George H. Olmsted (1922). D) Peter M. Dawkins (1958).
A) Hugh Johnson (1903) B) Douglas MacArthur (1903) C) Harold Hammond (1898) D) Jack Price (1964)
A) He became director of Lick Observatory. B) He became President of the Latter Day Saints University... C) He served as a private in the Spanish American War.. D) He was discharged at graduation for heart problems and spent his career as Commandant of military schools (St. John`s and Manlius).
Answer to Teaser from last time: The cadet who was subject of all those disciplinary passes was Thomas W. Gibson of Indiana. Gibson was tried, convicted, and sentenced to dismissal for breaking limits, but reinstated by Sec. of War Eaton; Then he was twice tried, convicted, and sentenced to dismissal for drinking, but reinstated by Eaton. In October 1831, he and Cadet Robert Allen set fire to a small building near the barracks and then disabled the pumps so it burned to the ground. When he and 8 others were tried for refusing to testify about the fire, all were convicted and sentenced to be dismissed. President Andrew Jackson set aside the sentence. While the trial was in progress, Gibson and Cadet Alexander Wolcott set fire the the Ice House in Execution Hollow. Both were convicted by a court martial and sentenced to dismissal (Wolcott for arson, Gibson for aiding and abetting). While awaiting the decision of the President, both deserted, but were apprehended at the steamboat landing. In the interim, the dismissal for aiding and abetting arson was set aside. Tried now as a principal in the second arson, Gibson was sentenced to dismissal. That sentence was also nullified by Washington. Finally, Gibson was tried for the first arson, convicted, and sentenced to dismissal and (finally!) had his dismissal approved.
Teaser for next time: This graduate was injured by the premature discharge of a weapon as a cadet, and was nearly dismissed for serious infractions, but was allowed to remain and graduate. After graduation his class remained at West Point, taking additional courses as second lieutenants. Commissioned in the Engineers, he advanced rapidly in the Army and received a Brigadier General's commission in wartime, where he was cited for bravery under fire. He later served on the court martials that tried some prominent officers, including a well-known general. He was active in recruiting talented young men to become cadets, and helped place several who went on to senior command and staff positions or professorships. A confidant of several presidents, he was made a member of a group charged with revising and modernizing tactical doctrine, which changed the war-fighting methods of the army for several decades. After leaving the service, her was involved in a company that manufactured armaments for the Army.