When the springtime rolls around and the Hudson River is at its best, the annual influx of visitors begins to arrive at West Point. Trains and boats disgorge official visitors, tourists, boy scouts, delegations of various brotherhoods and sisterhoods, and picknickers galore. Little groups of them appear in all corners of the Post, in the area of Barracks, on the Plain, in the Public Buildings, and along the famous Flirtation Walk. Their chief interest, of course, is to catch a glimpse of the cadets, either en masse or individually. When the Corps starts either to meals or to dress parade, they gather along the sidewalks, or at the visitors’ seats to watch the marching. Some openly express their enthusiasm and pleasure, genuinely delighted at everything they see, while others remain silent and phlegmatic apparently taking only a languid interest in their surroundings.
As I watch my fellow-countrymen strolling about the grounds of the Academy, I often wonder what are their impressions of this institution. To many, of course, the historic traditions of West Point, as well as its functions and purposes, are thoroughly familiar, but to a vast majority West Point is a closed book. They see the cadets, the drills, the buildings, perhaps parade, but they never have an opportunity to acquaint themselves with the intimate life of the Academy. They do not derive the full benefit from their visit, because they are in the position of regarding the institution from the outside. In many cases, the spirit of investigation is restrained by a feeling of timidity upon their part, a feeling of awe in the face of military surroundings.
The Army is so little known to the people in the United States, that, to the average civilian, there seems to be some sort of mystery surrounding military life, and the presence of a man in uniform, with a waist belt and pistol, doing plain police duty, appears to act as a check on every natural impulse. The pleasure of his visit is consequently marred to some extent and he feels somewhat ill-at-ease. He wants to investigate with greater freedom, but he shrinks from being told that his projects are “Verboten.” Upon his departure he must of necessity have but a superficial idea of the great work done at the Academy, unless he has been fortunate enough to have some friend stationed at West Point who dissipates the apparently cold atmosphere of military life.
I have often regretted, as I watched the crowds swarming around, that each individual might not carry away a real appreciation of West Point, instead of leaving with only the most superficial impressions. Unless one has graduated from the Academy it is impossible to seize fully the spirit of the institution, or have a clear idea of its intimate life. My long familiarity with West Point, both as a cadet and as an officer, prompts me to portray for the American people the history, aims, ideals, and spirit of their National Military Academy.
Class Formation in the Area of Barracks
West Point seen for the first time from the river, whether in sunshine or through the mists, is a sight not soon forgotten. The monumental Riding Hall that rises out of the cliff of which it seems to form a part, first fixes the eye, but as one’s glance wanders a little higher it drinks in the towering pile of Post Headquarters; higher yet, the eye rests for a moment on the crenelated border of the roof of the Academic Building, and then, higher still, it pauses to contemplate the beauty of West Point’s crowning architectural achievement, the Cadet Chapel. For a moment the beholder seems withdrawn from the sordid material world, and filled with a multitude of noble impressions. He experiences a spiritual uplift as he admires the majestic simplicity and grandeur of the buildings, an architectural triumph worthy to have inspired Ruskin’s beautiful thought, “frozen music.”
When the Government determined to rebuild West Point, nearly fifteen years ago, the presence of two fine buildings of Gothic design—the Library and the Cadet Barracks—decided the style of architecture. These two buildings ranked as perhaps the most successful examples of the Collegiate Gothic that was much in vogue for educational institutions in the country half a century ago. A limited competition was held for designs and all architects who had distinguished themselves in Gothic work were invited to participate. Several beautiful designs for a Renaissance treatment were offered, but one group of architects, Cram, Goodhue, and Ferguson, submitted drawings for so admirable a Gothic treatment that they received the unanimous approval of a board of judges composed of eminent architects. The construction of the new buildings lasted over a period of about seven years, during which time the work was under the direction of Colonel John M. Carson, Jr., Quartermaster, who was representing the Government. In writing a book on West Point, any mention of the buildings involves the name of Colonel Carson who performed his difficult work with an unusual amount of zeal and intelligence. The result is that the new buildings are splendidly constructed, and because the architects had an eye for harmony these structures seem to grow out of the rocks upon which they stand, emphasizing rather than detracting from West Point’s natural beauty.
The Administration Building
The north road from the station passes first, on the river side, the Power House built of granite from local quarries. It is designed to supply the entire institution with electricity for light and power, and the central buildings with heat from exhaust steam. In a building of this nature, a factory-like look would be taken for granted and pardoned, but, on the contrary, its design is not only adapted for its function, but the building forms an important link in the architectural whole. It assumes its place quite naturally and modestly, almost unobtrusively in the natural landscape, tying the buildings in the upper terrace with the base. The tall smoke-stack is cleverly concealed within the walls of an imposing granite tower.
On a slightly higher level, and paralleling the river, is the Riding Hall splendidly impressive with its broad flat buttresses. The latter seem almost akin to the classic order, and serve in a very large measure to reconcile the classicism of the neighboring Cullum Memorial Hall,—an exotic among its surroundings—with the dominant Gothic of the place. The present Riding Hall occupies the site of not only the old hall, but also of the old Cavalry stables, and barracks. The old hall was built in 1855 and, for the number of cadets at West Point during the ensuing fifty years, it was sufficiently large. With the increase of the Corps of Cadets, and the quickened interest throughout the Service in equitation, however, more spacious accommodations for instruction were required. Usually when a building has served a useful and honorable purpose for many years, its demolition is generally viewed with regret. There was, however, no sentimental attachment for the Riding Hall. Many a painful hour had cadets spent within its walls learning to ride on the bare back of a raw-boned horse, or floundering around in the spongy tanbark.
In the little plaza at the junction of the Power House and Riding Hall, the road winds and passes under the mediÆval arch of the Post Headquarters, or Administration Building. At this point, the bulk and dignity of the buildings are stupendous, and admiringly we stand, imprisoned, it would seem, in a quadrangle of Middle Age fortresses, whose sternness and solemnity seem symbolic of discipline and strength. The main entrance to the Riding Hall branches from the road a few paces beyond the arch, the lower level of the galleries being reached by a flight of steps that cling to the steep retaining wall of the road. The great arena is 150 by 600 feet and is covered by a cantilever roof, so that when the eye first encounters this interior, a sensation of its vastness holds the spectator in its grip. The roof is mostly of glass so as to afford a maximum of light, and the floor is covered with tanbark to make more endurable any sudden and unexpected descent from the back of a capricious beast. The building is steam-heated and electric lighted, for during the winter months, equitation drills extend into the late afternoon. The hall can be divided by curtains into three smaller halls, a scheme that permits three classes to undergo instruction at the same time. In one portion of the hall are stalls for one hundred mounts, but the majority of the horses are kept at the cavalry barracks. The hall is so large that during the winter months the U. S. M. A. Battery of Artillery uses it for a drill ground, thereby keeping the horses in good condition and the men well instructed. Moreover, the officers and cadets are enabled to keep up their practice in polo. Every Wednesday and Saturday afternoon, teams of cadets play each other, or try their skill against civilian opponents. Along the full length of the west wall, and the north and south end, are balconies for the accommodation of visitors who are welcome whenever the hall is open.
Administration
Building Riding
Hall
Passing once more under the arch, we admire again for a moment the graceful Herculean proportions of the Administration Building whose imposing square tower, tipped with four smaller towers at the corners, rises precipitately one hundred and sixty feet. It is an interesting fact in these days of steel construction that this tower is built of solid masonry. At the southeast angle of the building, on a level with the base of the main floor, is an enormous eagle carved in granite, its head high, its wings outstretched and flattened back proudly against the two sides of the edifice, as if proclaiming to the world its mission of protection over the Academy whose administrative heart is enclosed in this structure. As we ascend the stairway, alongside the basement at the left, we pass a large Gothic window which affords light to a vaulted hall used for courts-martial. The interior of this hall is in keeping with the mediÆval donjon appearance of the whole building, and of such a chill and forbidding aspect as to inspire in the accused a feeling of guilt, nolens volens. The flight of stairs mounts to the level of the Post proper where an eastern view of the building is disclosed. A large sally-port leads into the court around which the building is constructed.
The exterior walls are ornamented with shields representing the coats-of-arms of various states, territories, and foreign possessions prepared from the official seals, and expressed according to the laws of Heraldry. The only coat-of-arms of an individual is that of George Washington, at the top of the east elevation of the courtyard. The obverse and reverse of the great seal of the United States will be found above the east and west entrances, respectively, of the sally-port. Flanking the obverse of the great seal are the seal of the War Department and the device of the Corps of Engineers. In addition to the shields, the devices of the various staff departments, usually associated with a headquarters, have been placed in the sally-port. Two of them, the Adjutant-General’s Department, and the Quartermaster’s Department, are on shields on the north side of the sally-port, and the Subsistence Department, Signal Corps, Pay Department, Ordnance Department, Inspector-General’s Department, Judge-Advocate-General’s Department, Medical Department, and Chaplain’s Corps, are on corbels at the bases of the ribs of the arch.
Colonel Jonathan Williams, Corps of Engineers
First Superintendent of the Military Academy
From the Painting by Thomas Sully, Library U.S.M.A.
In the courtyard the names that are carved in the granite were selected for the following reasons:
| Williams | Colonel Jonathan Williams, first Superintendent of the Military Academy. |
| Swift | Colonel Joseph G. Swift, first graduate of the Military Academy. |
| Totten | General Joseph G. Totten, the tenth graduate and ex-officio the first inspector of the Military Academy while serving as Chief of Engineers from 1838-1864. |
| Thayer | Major Sylvanus Thayer, Father of the Military Academy. |
| Delafield | Colonel Richard Delafield, Superintendent from 1856 to 1861, under whose administration much construction was completed. |
| Jefferson | Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United States, during whose administration, 1801 to 1809, the Military Academy was founded. |
| Monroe | James Monroe, fifth President of the United States, 1817 to 1825, under whose administration the Military Academy developed and was encouraged. |
Upon the second floor is the Academic Board room, a Gothic hall illuminated with stained glass windows containing emblems of the various arts and sciences. The most striking feature of the room is the massive stone mantel, modeled by Laurie and ornamented with statuettes of the world’s greatest warriors.
The description of the statuettes and the reasons for selecting the subject are given in a letter to Dr. Holden, late librarian, dated November 23, 1906. An Advisory Board of officers recommended:
That the character of the figures on the mantlepiece be of a general military type—historical or legendary—best suited to harmonize with the architectural treatment and selected by the architects themselves from the three lists in this letter of November 23, 1906.
The heads appearing at the top of the mantel—in the crenelations—have no relation to the statuettes underneath. The small shields immediately below the statuettes are, however, indicative of the subjects as follows:
Joshua. Sun and Moon—taken from the Biblical legend describing the distinctly miraculous standing still of the Sun on the occasion of a certain battle.
Hector of Troy. MycenÆan Scroll—a sort of triangular fylfot, which stands for MycenÆan civilization. This device would apply equally to that of Troy of which Hector was the greatest figure.
Colonel Joseph G. Swift
First Graduate of the Military Academy
From the Painting by Thomas Sully, Library U.S.M.A.
David. King of all Israel, warrior and psalmist—the harp—selected by the architects instead of a little sling, especially since the head of Goliath is under the foot of the figure above.
Alexander the Great. A conventionalized Gordian knot severed.
Julius CÆsar. The standard carried by the famous Roman Legions.
Charlemagne. King of the Franks—The imperial iron crown.
King Arthur of England. The Holy Grail, symbolizing the whole purpose of his career.
Godfrey de Bouillon. Heraldic cross of Jerusalem of which city he was king and which forms a part of his own coat-of-arms.
Judas Maccabeus. The hammer—which is the actual meaning of the name “Maccabeus.”
In the mantel, the figures are arranged chronologically and historically. Three of them, i. e., Hector, Alexander, and CÆsar, were Heathen; three were Christians, viz.: Charlemagne, King Arthur, and Godfrey; and three were Jews, viz.: Joshua, David, and Judas.
The choice of subjects was suggested to the architects by Caxton’s preface to the first volume of Sir Thomas Malory’s Morte d’Arthur, from which the following quotation covering the choice of the figures is taken:
For it is notorly known through the universal world, that there be nine worthy and the best that ever were, that is to wit, three Paynims, three Jews, and three Christian men. As for the Paynims, they were to-fore the Incarnation of Christ, which were named, the first Hector of Troy, of whom the history is comen both in ballad and in prose, the second Alexander the Great, and the third Julius CÆsar, Emperor of Rome, of whom the histories be well known and had. And as for the three Jews, which were also to-fore the Incarnation of our Lord, of whom the first was Duke Joshua which brought the children of Israel into the land of behest, the second David, King of Jerusalem, and the third Judas Maccabeus, of these three the Bible rehearseth all their noble histories and acts. And since the said Incarnation have been three noble Christian men, stalled and admitted through the universal world into the number of the nine best and worthy. Of whom was first the noble Arthur. The second was Charlemain, or Charles the Great, of whom the history is had in many places, both in French and English. And the third and last was Godfrey of Boloine.
Cadets at Equitation in the World’s Largest Riding Hall (600 ft. × 150 ft.)
Upon the same floor as the Academic Board room are the three offices of the Superintendent, the Adjutant, and the clerks. The Headquarters building houses, moreover, the offices of the Treasurer, the Quartermaster, the printing shops, the Post Office, and the Ordnance Museum, the entrance to which is at the left of the sally-port. Begun in 1854, the Museum has throughout the years gathered some valuable trophies of war, interesting relics, and models of the arms of all nations. Visitors are well repaid by a visit to this interesting spot. Historic relics abound in the rooms. I might mention among them a portion of the flagstaff that was at Fort Sumter in 1861; presentation swords belonging to distinguished American generals; General Grant’s uniform and horse equipment; mementoes of the Philippine insurrection and of the war with Spain, not to speak of a rare and beautiful collection of weapons of all kinds. Not the least interesting part of the exhibit are the trophies of the Revolution. In glass cases are preserved five flags captured by the American army during the Revolution, two of which were British royal colors, and three taken from the German mercenaries sent over by King George. The former were taken at Yorktown. All these flags were originally the property of General Washington by whom they were bequeathed to George Washington Parke Custis, the son of his adopted son, and grandson of Mrs. Washington. He in turn bequeathed them to the War Department, which came into possession of them in 1858. The same year Secretary Floyd presented them to the Academy.
Across the road from the Administration Building is the Cadet Mess. It is one of the oldest buildings, the main part dating from 1850. The architecture conforms in a general way to that of the new buildings. With its broad pavement in front, it sets well back from the road, possessing not only the dignity of its more imposing neighbors, but in addition a certain quaint charm.
The large central doors give access to the main hall whose walls are hung with portraits of distinguished graduates, chiefly the former Superintendents of the Academy. Perhaps the most interesting painting is that of General Robert E. Lee, who was Superintendent in 1852. Frequently I have heard visitors express surprise that General Lee’s portrait should hang in the halls of the National Military Academy, notwithstanding he was a graduate and afterwards a Superintendent. The fact that he fought against the Union, they argue, should preclude the bestowal of the honor. West Point, however, considers that since we are a united people once more, his record should be recognized by his Alma Mater from whom he learned the lessons that brought him his fame and his glory.
Symmetrically arranged in the hall are the mess tables. They are made to accommodate ten cadets, but occasionally, here and there, two tables are shoved together for economy of floor space. At these tables are twenty cadets. It is a pleasure to enter the Mess Hall prior to any meal. Every table is immaculate with its snowy clean cloth, its polished cutlery, and shining crockery. The cadets are not seated by classes but by companies, each company having a certain number of tables in the section of the hall assigned its battalion. As a rule, the ten messmates are made up of three first classmen, two second classmen, two third classmen, and three fourth classmen. The latter are given, by custom of the Corps, various duties to perform at mess such as carving the meat, procuring the coffee and milk.
The Carved Mantel in the Hall of the Academic Board
Sculptor—Laurie
The Nine Great Warriors of the World
Note: There are also two figures on the sides, not visible
Three long passageways lead from the main dining-hall to the kitchen. At first glance the super-cleanliness of the surroundings strikes the observer, but his attention is soon attracted to the numerous clever devices for cooking, and for saving time and labor. The preparation of the food for cooking occurs outside of the kitchen proper. Each department prepares its kind, whereupon it is carried to the chef to be cooked and served. The labor of preparation is greatly reduced by the liberal use of machinery. A clever electrical machine rapidly peels the potatoes, a whole bushel of them, in a few minutes; other contrivances make and cut the bread, sterilize the milk, freeze the ice-cream; and wash and dry the innumerable dishes. Without the aid of these labor-saving devices it would be impossible to maintain such an excellent mess for the cadets. Even now the capacity of the plant is tested almost to its limit, and with the increase in the Corps to 1200 cadets, it will be necessary either to enlarge the present Cadet Mess or to build a new hall. The disappearance of the present Mess, Grant Hall, will be viewed with great regret by many graduates who dined for four long years within its really historic walls.
South of the Cadet Mess is the Hospital for cadets, a large granite building perched on a terrace, well back from the road. It consists of a central portion of three stories and basement, with two wings of two stories each and basement. The older portions date from 1875, but the wings are of more recent construction. The wings are practically detached from the main portion of the building for the possible isolation of cases. The equipment is, of course, modern in every respect. Each wing contains two wards, making four in all, named respectively Cuyler, McElderry, McParlin, and Wheaton in honor of former distinguished military surgeons on duty at West Point. I do not suppose that there is a building on the Post which arouses in cadets so many different kinds of feeling. To some it is a place to be avoided, but to a large number, especially to those who succeed in entering for minor ailments, it is viewed as a haven of rest. It is the one place where the cadets are free from the irksome routine, where there is no reveille, and where the convalescents revel in what appears to them epicurean feasts. Vatel, the famous French chef, never enjoyed more renown than does the cook at the hospital.
Almost every cadet has a secret longing to be in the hospital at least for a short period during his course, and those who “break in” for slight ailments are regarded with a special esteem by their fellows. One of the first adages that a plebe learns at West Point is “faint heart never broke into the hospital.” The surgeons, however, are pretty clever men and they size up the situation very clearly in each case.
I remember that upon one occasion when I was a cadet, a group of convalescents were, one winter day, holding a mutual congratulatory meeting in one of the wards, the burden of the conversation being their luck and also their skill in remaining so long in this abode of rest. Arthur C——, who was the most successful of the disciples of the “rest cure,” was perched upon a bed explaining to an admiring line of heads in little snow-white cots, the strategy necessary to remain in the ward, finishing his discourse oratorically; “Some may come and some may go but I stay on forever!” when the door opened and in walked the surgeon. Cadet C—— was next day returned to duty.
The officer in charge of the hospital is the Post Surgeon, who is assisted by three or four captains of the Medical Corps, and by several Dental Surgeons. These officers are also in charge of the Soldiers’ Hospital, a separate building for the enlisted men of the garrison, and are responsible for the general health of the command.
The chief buildings of the Academy occupy relatively a small area of ground. Just north of the Cadet Mess and flanking the main road are the two Academic buildings, known as the East and West Academic. The East building is new, having been completed in 1913, one of the last provided for in the rebuilding of West Point. The West Academic building, which was completed in 1895, is built of Massachusetts granite and cost about five hundred thousand dollars. In this building are located the Departments of Civil and Military Engineering, Mathematics, Law, Drawing, Ordnance and Gunnery, and English and History; in the East building the Departments of Modern Languages, Chemistry and Electricity, Natural and Experimental Philosophy. The latter building is provided with the most modern lecture rooms, electrical and chemical laboratories, besides a mineralogical and geological museum. The major portion of both buildings contain the section rooms for recitation purposes. Visitors are admitted if accompanied by an officer.
The architecture of both of these buildings is Gothic, but that of the new or East building is of a more exquisite beauty. Splendidly situated, it gives the impression of bulk and mass, much the same feeling that one has in regarding a dreadnought for the first time, but this impression soon gives way to an appreciation of a certain delicacy of treatment, a simple dignity that pleases. One of the best impressions of its beauty is obtained about dusk when the evening mists dim its outlines and its surface is bathed in shadows relieved only by the glimmering of the mediÆval lanterns on either side of the main door.
Immediately facing the center of the East Academic Building and across the road, is a large opening known as a sally-port through which the sections of cadets must march to recitations in the East Academic building. This passageway connects the main road with the area of barracks, a space of ground that derives its name from the brown-stone buildings that bound a portion of its perimeter. Along one side is a cement walk on which the cadets form to be marched to their recitations, and a sidewalk borders the barracks. With the exception of a small plot of grass near the Academic building the area is devoid of verdure, but is covered with a fine gravel that gives a clean and well-groomed appearance to the ground. The word “Area” has great connoting power. To a large number of cadets, it vividly brings to mind the punishment tours that they wearily trudged on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons across its surface. To the majority, however, it is the “hub” of cadet life, the assembly place for recitations, sometimes for meals; the scene of many an inspection or a guard mount, and most important of all, it contains a small insignificant building with a clock tower where dwell the Commandant of Cadets and his assistants, the Tactical officers.
The building on the north and west of the area is the South Cadet Barracks, built in 1848. This edifice, of 360 feet frontage, is constructed of native granite, with crenelations and cornices of red sandstone, and the Elizabethan style of its architecture harmonizes perfectly with the Gothic of the new buildings. In fact, the old Cadet Barracks is one of West Point’s handsomest buildings. There are two hundred rooms in the building, 14 × 22 feet, each planned to accommodate two cadets. It is completely supplied with modern plumbing, heating, and electric lights. The barracks are divided into divisions, each containing sixteen rooms. There is no lateral communication between the divisions, but a certain number of them are assigned to a company, according to its strength. At present the 1st Bn. Cos. A, B, C, and D are quartered here.
I have often stood in the Area of Barracks and looked through the north sally-port to enjoy the fine vista that it framed. A section of the Plain fills half the picture, a beautiful foreground, either when resignedly spread out to the heat of the Highland summer, or shivering under its fleecy blanket of snow, over which the winter winds angrily blow. In the upper half against the far-away background of the Highland hills is the slender flagstaff, sometimes swathed in the folds of our national emblem, sometimes resisting with all its strength the fluttering of its precious charge which seems to implore its release to join the flight of the breeze.
As we leave the north sally-port and turn toward the angle between the two sets of barracks, high on the hill the monumental Cadet Chapel, West Point’s spiritual fortress, looms above with extraordinary effectiveness. It has a fine site on a commanding spur just above the old Cadet Barracks on the west, from which point it dominates the Post. It lies in the shadow of old Fort Putnam of Revolutionary fame, and, built of stone quarried from its own hill, it seems a part of its naturally beautiful surroundings.
The Chapel
This edifice is in reality a large church with a seating capacity of fourteen hundred persons. In plan it is a crucifix, surmounted by a large central tower whose parapet is 130 feet above the pavement of the interior and 420 feet above the level of the river. The tower contains two stories: the bell-ringer’s story and the belfry above. There are as yet no chimes, but on national holidays, Christmas morning, and Easter, the band mounts to the bell-ringer’s story, and the airs appropriate for the day float out through the louver windows in a weird and mysterious manner, as if some invisible symphony was playing in the clouds.
Just above the stately clerestory windows, and around the cornice of the building, is a row of carved figures, little bosses, representing the quest of the Holy Grail. Over the door of the main entrance is a great two-handed sword, Excalibur.
One should pause for a moment on the terrace in front of the main entrance to enjoy the magnificent panorama. In the distance, flows the Hudson winding among the Highland hills, and skirting the great Plain along whose edge stand the Bachelor Building, Cullum Hall, and the Officers’ Mess. Directly below, in the shelter of the chapel hill, are grouped all of the main buildings pertaining to the cadets, the most conspicuous of which are the barracks. Viewed from this height the arrangement of the buildings resembles a regular nest, le nid des cadets.
A winding road back of the barracks leads to the Chapel. The interior of the Chapel is 200 feet long, and across the transepts, 72 feet wide. The nave contains fourteen large Gothic windows, now filled with temporary glass but which will later be replaced with memorial windows.
The jewel of the interior is the great chancel window, with its noble inscription:
Erected to the glory of the God of Battles and in faithful memory of the departed graduates of the United States Military Academy, West Point, by the living alumni.
The deep shades of purple and red give the window an extraordinary richness. The best lights from the glass are obtained in the early afternoon about four o’clock. It is of rare richness and beauty, and for subject, color, and arrangement it is thought to be unexcelled in our country. There are twenty-seven panels, each of which contains an almost life-size figure representing one of the chief militant figures in the Bible. Services are held in the Chapel every Sunday morning at a quarter before eleven and are attended by cadets, officers, enlisted men, their families, and a large number of visitors. In addition to the regular service in the Chapel, where the cadet choir of one hundred and five voices is a feature, a series of organ recitals, free to the public, is given each year.
The Interior of the Chapel
The organ is of unusually fine quality and is surprisingly effective for an instrument of three manuals, or keyboards. But it is still incomplete, being both undersized for this cathedral-like building and inadequate to the proper performance of the finest music. The addition of a fourth manual, with its pipes located in the gallery opposite the present organ, now eloquently vacant, is needed to bring the musical part of the service and the recitals up to the highest efficiency.
Upon the completion of the improvements contemplated the organ will become one of the art glories of the country, and with the Chapel,—perfect in architecture, surroundings, and acoustics—would create an atmosphere of rare idealism. The acquisition of every new stop given is indicated by a bronze tablet placed upon the console, or key desk, of the organ. The significance of such tablets would make this organ and console unique, not only in establishing historic traditions but also in affording substantial encouragement to the volunteer organist and to the choir.
The opportunity here presented is most worthy for anyone desirous of establishing a memorial to a graduate of the Academy, for a graduate wishing to honor the memory of one of his immediate family, for a class gift, or for anyone interested in furthering an artistic influence over the lives of the future officers of the Army of our country.
To assist in the completion of the organ, a fund, known as the “Organ Fund” has been started, which is kept alive by recital offerings, private subscriptions, and proceeds from sale of “The Corps,” a popular West Point song.
In the transepts are galleries but they are not at present equipped with seats. Along the nave also are covered galleries, almost hidden from view by the suspended flags.
A request made to the sexton will enable the visitor to see the crypt, a vaulted room beneath the Chapel that is designed to be the final resting place of West Point’s illustrious military dead.
To care for the spiritual welfare of the cadets and other residents of the Post, there is a Chaplain who is appointed by the President. His term of office is for four years, but he is usually re-appointed.
The location of the Chapel makes it visible from many places on the Post. In walking around the grounds, every once in a while an extraordinarily effective view of the fine building strikes the beholder. Each glimpse seems more beautiful than the previous one, and a general impression remains that the Chapel holds a spiritual dominion over the institution. Every corner of the main part of West Point seems under its influence. This feeling is particularly strong as we stand on the sidewalk between the old and new Cadet Barracks and gaze at this monumental pile of ethereal beauty that seems to lose itself in the sky. I never view the Chapel from this point without thinking of one of Maxfield Parrish’s imaginative paintings of the Arabian Nights.
In the southwest angle of the Plain, from where I like to view the Chapel, is a white granite statue of Major Sylvanus Thayer, class of 1808. The funds for this modest but beautiful monument, which was unveiled June 11, 1883, were contributed by loyal graduates of the Academy and by loving friends. General Thayer was Superintendent of the Academy from 1817 to 1833. He was the first to establish a real curriculum, and so valuable were his services that he has since been called “the Father of the Academy.” The body of the distinguished officer was brought from South Braintree, Mass., and reinterred in the Post cemetery on November 8, 1877. The sculptor of the monument was Carl Conrad.
On the west side of the Plain is the North Cadet Barracks, one of the new buildings completed in 1908. The Gothic style employed in the treatment of this building, while resembling somewhat that of the old barracks, has more dignity, beauty, and grace. Not enough difference exists between the two to cause any lack of harmony. Chief among the changes made in the new barracks are the windows which are triple instead of single. As far as the interior is concerned the arrangement is identical. Modern plumbing has been installed in the old barracks to conform to its new neighbor, so that the cadets of today are no longer obliged to run down to the area to draw their water from the hydrant. The very mention of this ancient and picturesque custom brings back many memories, chiefly centered around reveille on a bitterly cold morning. Immediately upon the dismissal of the ranks, hordes of cadets (it seemed to me), clustered around one poor little hydrant from which a thin stream of icy water trickled into the papier machÉ buckets. Now, upon each floor of barracks are faucets with hot and cold water! I wish that I were a cadet again!
No one would judge the building to be a military barracks. Rather, a study of its lines would suggest that it was the home of some religious order. It has an undeniable ecclesiastical character that impresses one immediately. I have always derived great pleasure in contemplating its beauty and my imagination at these times fancies it as the refuge, the shelter, the sanctuary of a body of men separated from the material affairs of the world. It seems made to house only the best and noblest in nature, to be the environment from which high ideals receive their greatest inspiration. A group of happy smiling cadets coming out of their rooms at this moment tells me that my imagination has been dwelling upon reality and not wandering into fantastic fields. This building is indeed the home of a splendid Order, the inspiring order of young manhood, clean-minded and honorable, trained in a school where they are taught the most scrupulous regard for the truth, and where they are given a mens sana in corpore sano.
In the quadrangle the light brick facing gives, in all sorts of weather, a bright cheerful aspect, a sunny appearance, that contrasts in a most welcome manner with the gloom of the quadrangle of the old barracks.
Set well back from the Plain, and to the north of the new barracks, is the Gymnasium. It is not built of granite like its neighbor, the new barracks, but has received from the hands of the architect an artistic and interesting treatment of brick and limestone. The broad wall-like surface of the front is broken by six flat buttresses, whose terminals are richly decorated. Viewing the building from the southeast corner these buttresses appear like giant sentinels, fine specimens of the building’s physical development. Far across the parade ground the Bachelor Officers’ quarters, of similar design, serves with the Gymnasium to link in one harmonious whole the old and new buildings surrounding the Plain.
The second story is devoted to the gymnasium proper. It is lighted by large skylights, and equipped with every possible device for physical development. The remainder of the building houses a fine natatorium, 77 feet wide and 92 feet long, with a swimming-pool 40 feet wide and 80 feet long; a fencing-room, a boxing-room, a wrestling-room, besides the necessary dressing-rooms for both cadets and officers. In the basement is a shooting gallery for indoor rifle and pistol practice.
North of the Gymnasium and fronting the Plain, are the quarters of the Superintendent of the Academy, an interesting old house that dates from 1820. Surrounding the house is a quaint old ironwork porch of later date, but old enough to be a curiosity today. A well-proportioned central hall gives access to charming suites of spacious rooms on both sides of the quarters, but the suite on the left is the more beautiful for it offers a fascinating vista of three large rooms terminating in a conservatory filled with exotic plants. Delightful hospitality has been dispensed in these rooms to some of the most noted people in the world. Royalty, distinguished foreigners, civilians, and soldiers, noted American men and women are constantly visiting West Point to inspect the school and are always entertained by the Superintendent. If the walls of these quarters could speak they would relate some interesting incidents of the official life of West Point. The beauty of the rooms is today enhanced by a number of fine family portraits, painted by Thomas Sully, and the property of the present Superintendent, Colonel John Biddle, Corps of Engineers.
At any official function the guests usually crowd the fascinating old porch to watch the evolutions of the cadets upon the Plain opposite, or sometimes they indulgently stand on the front stone steps to pose for the breathlessly impatient movie men and photographers. The quarters are surrounded by beautiful, well-kept lawns and tall graceful elm trees.
A traveler may go far before he will behold so majestic a view as that of the Hudson River from Trophy Point and Battle Monument. For pure beauty it is unsurpassed. In the distance lies the city of Newburg, against a dim background of the Shawangunk Mountains, and in the foreground the little village of Coldspring nestles close to the side of rugged Breakneck. On the opposite side Cro’s Nest descends abruptly to the water. At this spot the Hudson seems to be surrounded on all sides by land so that the beholder might well imagine himself in Europe among the Italian Lakes.
Upon this spot are a number of trophies, among the most interesting of which is a portion of the old chain that, during the Revolutionary War, was stretched across the river from just above Gee’s Point to Constitution Island to prevent the passage of the British ships.
On a wooden carriage is a large Armstrong gun, captured at Fort Fisher during the Civil War, and nearby are many other guns taken in the Mexican and Spanish Wars. The Swartzkopf torpedo inclosed in an iron railing was captured from the Spanish cruiser Viscaya in the war with Spain, and the twenty-pound stone ball was brought from Smyrna, Turkey.
The polished monolith of granite nearby upon whose tip stands winged “Fame,” poised with trumpet and outstretched wreath, is Battle Monument. The names which may be read upon its rolls are the victims of the Regular Army of 1861, to whose memory their comrades in arms have created this beautiful memorial.
IN MEMORY
OF THE
OFFICERS AND MEN
OF THE
REGULAR ARMY OF THE UNITED STATES
WHO FELL IN BATTLE DURING THE
WAR OF THE REBELLION
THIS MONUMENT IS ERECTED BY THEIR
SURVIVING COMRADES
In the words of the late Colonel Larned, “this memorial was not built by a grateful country, but by voluntary offerings from the hard-won pay of comrades in the field within hearing of the roar of battle, and in sight of the dead whose memory it preserves.... It is but right to add that the designer, Stanford White, and the sculptor, Frederick MacMonnies, have given a generous and enthusiastic labor to the work, far beyond the money recompense received, and in the true spirit of the artist and patriotic citizen.”
View up the Hudson River from Trophy Point
Toward the east is an equestrian bronze statue of the Father of our Country, seated upon his charger and with hand raised toward the Academy buildings as if in benediction of the institution that he labored so hard to establish. In these days of materialism, it is interesting to note that this magnificent gift was recently made to the Academy by someone who refused to disclose his name. The base of the pedestal bears the simple inscription “Presented by a Patriotic Citizen.”
The hotel, just in the rear of the Washington Monument, was built in 1829, and with the exception of a wing that was added in 1850, it has remained practically unchanged. It is not difficult to imagine, therefore, that its appointments fail to satisfy the luxurious tastes of present-day Americans, so that many complaints are heard, and not a few jokes passed at its expense. One humorist remarked that Washington was raising his hand not in benediction of the Academy, but in a warning to the guests to keep away from the hotel.
From the hotel, a steep little graveled path entices the visitor into a most enchanting walk that skirts the steep precipice along the river. For three-quarters of a mile, Flirtation Walk pursues its way with its windings and abrupt turnings, its ascents and descents, past the site of the old chain Battery, and farther on past old Lantern Battery on Gee’s Point, past the Bachelor Officers’ quarters, until at the base of Cullum Hall it ends in Kosciusko’s Garden. The latter is a cool little sheltered plateau, said to have been a favorite of the Pole. When the trees are in bloom, to stroll along the Walk is to feel the delicacy of nature, to behold the quintessence of her refinement. The foliage seems like maiden-hair fern through which charming little vistas of the river and the opposite bank are framed. On summer days it is a favorite for the cadets and their girls, who wander along its graveled path whiling away the time, or who seek out the choice nooks and screen themselves from profane eyes with a gaily colored parasol.
Near the end of Flirtation Walk alongside of old Battery Knox, a Revolutionary relic, stands the Bachelor Officers’ quarters. This building of brick and limestone, serves to tie the new buildings with the classic Cullum Memorial Hall and the Officers’ Mess. Its color is darker than the pink granite of Cullum Hall, to approach more closely the dark brown of the Library and the gray of the Academic, while its flat buttresses harmonize with the straight lines of Memorial Hall.
Photo White Studio
“Spooning” on Flirtation Walk
In this building there are forty suites of three rooms and a bath each, besides rooms in the basement for the janitor and for officers’ servants.
Adjoining the Bachelor Officers’ quarters is the beautiful Cullum Memorial Hall, built of Milford pink marble and resembling somewhat in style, the Erechtheum, on the Acropolis at Athens. Just under the cornice and above the four Ionic columns is carved: “To the Officers and Graduates of the Military Academy.” To the left of the main hall is a small assembly room, whose walls contain bronze tablets to graduates who have been killed in action. The flags are guidons, carried by our Cavalry, both regular and volunteer, during our wars, chiefly during the Spanish War.
In the lower halls are tablets to Superintendents and to the deceased Professors of the Academy, besides fitting bronze memorial shields, recounting the battles of the Civil War in which graduates of the Academy participated.
Bronze trophy cannon are freely used in the adornment of the walls, both in the lower hall and in the hall on the second floor. They are chiefly Mexican and Confederate trophies, but a few were captured from the British at Stony Point (south of West Point) in July, 1779.
Among the most interesting perhaps of the cannon are the two large bronze ones in front of the main entrance. Both were made at Douay, France, in 1755, under the supervision of J. BÉranger, royal commissioner of foundaries. The one on the right (as one enters the building) is inscribed “Le FÂcheux,” and the one on the left “Le ConquÉrant.” Both were taken from the Punta Blanca Battery in the harbor of Santiago de Cuba. These cannon are almost the exact duplicate of the five cannon at the United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md., and very similar to two cannon at the Virginia Military Institute, Lexington, Va. The latter guns, cast about eighty years before the others, are part of several cannon purchased from France by Virginia in 1778 for use in the Revolutionary War. It is surprising that the Spanish should have been using them in Cuba, since the Spaniards manufactured guns of equally high quality.
The four inverted bronze mortars that surmount the corners of the piazza were made, two at Sevilla and two at Barcelona, in Spain, and were surrendered by the Mexicans to the American forces, April 22, 1847. These mortars were known as stone mortars, and they were employed in siege operations to precipitate large masses of stone upon the heads of the enemy in the advanced trenches, or in like manner to clear the trench of its defenders preparatory to an assault.
The second floor is called Thayer Hall, a large, beautifully proportioned room used for public functions, officers’ and cadets’ dances. At one end there is a small stage and a few scenic fixtures. In this hall are the portraits of graduates who have not only gained the rank of general officer, but have commanded in time of war units commensurate with their rank.
The building south of Memorial Hall is the Officers’ Mess, where the bachelor officers obtain their meals. The building was constructed and partially furnished from Government funds, but it is kept up and managed by personal funds of officers on duty at West Point. In design it conforms closely to Cullum Hall, although plainer and more modest. It was so built as to be inconspicuous and not detract from the classic beauty of its stately neighbor.
The interior of the Mess is quite beautiful, especially the main dining-hall and reading-room, whose principal features are mantels ornamented with small replicas of the figures of Day and Night, Morning and Evening, that adorn the tomb of the Medicis in Florence. Both Cullum Hall and the Mess were designed by the late Stanford White and completed, the former in 1899 and the latter in 1903. The Mess is an organized body incorporated under the laws of the State of New York as the West Point Army Mess. It was started in 1841 by General McClellan. There is no Mess in our Army that has had a continued existence for so long a term as this Mess, and I have heard it stated that few English or continental Messes are as old in the above sense.
The trip around the buildings brings us to the Library for which we all entertain a genuine affection. The quiet and repose of its fine rooms have an attraction for both officers and cadets that no other building offers, so that it is usually filled with lovers of books, especially on winter afternoons. Cadets, officers, enlisted men, women, and children frequent the various rooms whenever an opportunity presents itself. There is no greater pleasure, I believe, at West Point than to draw a big leather armchair over in one corner of the library and there forget the world in a good book.
Like so many of the buildings at West Point it was built of native granite, and in the Gothic style of architecture. The present building was erected in 1841 on the site of the old gun shed and cost approximately $50,000. It was, however, entirely remodeled in 1900-1901. The Library was originally designed by a board of Army officers and the style of architecture determined upon was used seven years later in the present South Cadet Barracks. The dominant note that these two buildings gave to the character of the structures at West Point, determined the style of architecture in the comprehensive rebuilding of the Academy that began in 1904.
The library proper was founded in 1812, and with the years has grown until at the present time it contains 99,148 books. I am informed that the 100,000 mark will be celebrated by the purchase of a memorable volume. The Library may be said to be the oldest inhabitant of the neighborhood, for all its former associates, the old Riding Hall, the Cavalry Barracks, and the old Cadet Chapel are gone.
The latter building, however, has not permanently disappeared. Sentiment against its demolition was so strong that an appropriation was obtained to remove it to the cemetery to be used as a mortuary chapel. Consequently in 1911 it was taken down, each stone marked, and so carefully reconstructed that it is impossible to detect the slightest change in its appearance. The tablets, and the painting of “Peace and War” by the late Professor Weir have been preserved, but the British flags have been removed to the Ordnance Museum.
The cemetery is a beautiful, peaceful spot set aside for the repose of West Point’s dead. In the northeast angle is the cadet monument erected in 1818, to Cadet Vincent M. Lowe of New York, by his fellow-cadets. On New Year’s day, 1817, Cadet Lowe was killed by the premature discharge of a cannon while he was firing a salute. The pedestal is covered with the names of other cadets who died later on. Among the illustrious dead buried in the cemetery are Major Sylvanus Thayer, General Winfield Scott, Robert Anderson, and George A. Custer.
Along the main roads both north and south of the Plain are modest dwellings furnished for the officers on duty at West Point. The south end terminates in a broad plain used for the Cavalry and Field Artillery drill of the cadets.
In order that thorough instruction in both of these arms may be imparted to the cadets, detachments of Cavalry and Field Artillery are stationed at the Academy. Their barracks and stables form part of the new buildings, and are fine examples of what intelligence and taste can do for comfort and convenience. Along the west side of the drill field are the stables and, directly above, gracefully placed on the hillside, are the barracks provided with the best and most modern equipment. The presence of these two detachments of enlisted men, as well as that of the detachment of Engineers, is absolutely essential to the efficient instruction of the cadets.
An understanding of the uses of the buildings and some description of the prominent landmarks is necessary to a correct appreciation of the cadet’s life and activities. The survey that I have given in this chapter will show that West Point is indeed fortunate in many ways. Few places have been so endowed by Nature with such wonderful beauty and picturesqueness, and, in addition, a generous Congress has adorned the place with magnificent buildings equipped with the finest that money can buy for the training of the future United States officers.
