Cadet Life at West Point

by Hugh T. Reed

Pyrotechnic Display on the Cavalry Plain.

The father of these old ladies rendered most valuable services to General Washington during the Revolutionary War, and as his family was left in humble circumstances they were permitted to live at the Point and board twelve cadets. We used to think that Miss Amelia was about ninety years old and that Miss Kate was seventy-five. Miss Kate for months talked of making a trip to New York, but finally Miss Amelia said: “Catharine could not go, as she was too young and giddy.”

There was an old saying at the Point in my day that “extras breed extras,” and I found it so in my case. While I was serving the two weeks confinement that were given me, in lieu of the last two of the six extras for “Off Limits,” an old boy friend from home visited the Point, and I got permission to be with him in rear of the guard tents for half an hour. We could not talk about everything we wanted to in half an hour, so I told him just how to run the gauntlet, that is, how to cross the sentinel’s post and get to my tent, which he did. At that particular time of day nearly all of my classmates were out of camp; some on permit visiting friends at the hotel, some boating and others anywhere fancy took them. I had the walls of my tent down, so that my friend could not be seen, for it was a violation of the regulations to have a citizen in the body of the camp. He and I were having a good time talking over boyhood days. R⸺s, a classmate, was officer of the day, and thinking that I was lonesome he came around to cheer me up, saying that my two weeks was nearly over, but, alas, he had no sooner opened my tent than he saw my friend, and as the officer of the day is “on honor” to report all violations of the regulations that he sees, he had to report me for “Citizen in tent,” and to send my friend at once out of camp. I have never seen that friend since to tell him that I was given two weeks’ confinement for that violation of the regulations.

C⸺s was a Cadet Captain, and one day when walking with a lady between the camp and the hotel, the lady raised her parasol, and C⸺s, to be polite, carried it for her. An officer saw him with the parasol and reported him. For this serious offense he was reduced to the ranks. It was not long afterward that the young lady saw him carrying a rifle and pacing to and fro on Post No. 2, but as he did not wish further punishment he did not speak to her as she crossed his post; he waited until he was relieved and then told her why.

We spent some time out in Fort Clinton digging trenches and making fascines, gabions and a sap roller, thus imitating methods used in the attack and defense of a fortified place. We also spent some time in the laboratory making rockets, bombs and other articles used at times by the military in time of war. With the assistance of the plebes we constructed pontoon bridges some distance out into the Hudson.

In my day we played base ball occasionally, but it was not a very popular game at the Point, not like football has been of recent years. Boating was allowed then, and the first, second and third classes each owned a number of row boats, and during camp and in barracks on Saturday afternoons the boats were always in demand. But since 1875 boating has not been allowed.

One evening, when I was officer of the guard, not long after taps, the sentinel on No. 1 challenged: “Who comes there?” and as I was awake and in the first guard tent, I heard the reply: “Friend with lemons,” and also the sentinel’s call, “Halt! Friend with lemons, Corporal of the Guard, Post No. 1.” As the reply was an unusual one I went out, and seeing a man in civilian dress, standing alone, I directed the Corporal to advance the friend with lemons. The man advanced and began to deliver lemons. He had lemons in every pocket, and he had a good many pockets, too. There were more lemons than the Corporal and I could carry (for there are no pockets in cadet uniforms), so I called other members of the guard to help us carry lemons. The gentleman proved to be an old army officer who had entered the army from private life and earned a Brigadier’s star during the war. He said he thought he would treat the guard that night, and that while I sent to the tank for a bucket of ice water he would go back to the hotel (not far from camp) for sugar. About the time two members of the guard returned with ice water No. 1 challenged again, and the answer this time was “Friend with sugar.” It did not take long to advance the friend with sugar and to disarm him, not only of sugar, but of a package of cakes, too. We were soon feasting, and it seemed to please the General to see us enjoying his treat. He knew that we violated the regulations by admitting him to camp, but he promised not to report us. He then treated us to cigars, and he and I sat under the trees for an hour or two discussing topics of interest to cadets. In speaking of the hops I told the General how B⸺y, C⸺s and I had taken many lessons in dancing, and that we were too timid to venture on the floor at a hop, but that we had agreed with one another to attend our next hop, and to waltz or treat at the Dutch woman’s. The next evening was the time for the three to dance, and just as I was ready to start for the hall[59] the General called for me, and we went to the hop together. As we approached the Academic Building we observed that the hop room was well filled. We went to a corner of the room, and the General surprised me by presenting me to his wife, for he had talked as though he was alone at the Point. His good wife said that she had come to the hop in the hotel ’bus with other ladies. The music ceased and a classmate brought a very pretty young lady over near us, thanked her and said that she was the best dancer in the room. The General again surprised me by saying: “Mr. R⸺d, this is my daughter.” At that moment the orchestra struck up a waltz and the young lady said: “Come, Mr. R⸺d, this is our dance.” I protested that I did not waltz, but she put my arm around her waist, saying: “Papa has told me of your agreement to waltz to-night or to treat at the Dutch woman’s, so come on;” and I have waltzed ever since then. After I got started to waltz I found the hops very attractive places to be, and I was more than sorry that I had not met Miss S⸺r long before I did. It was a long way from the hotel to the hop-room, too far for young ladies who danced much to walk, so they generally rode, but the cadets could not ride with them, as it was “Off Limits” to get into a vehicle. There were always plenty of young ladies at the hops, and some of them traveled several miles to attend; some came from Highland Falls, some from Cold Springs and others from Garrison’s, besides those from the West Point Hotel. They may come from greater distances now that there is the West Shore Railroad to travel on.

At one of the hops I met a New York lady. She was a good dancer and a good talker, too, but she was not very well posted on the history of our country. She asked me what state I was from, and when I replied “Indiana,” she said: “From way out there! You have plenty of buffalo and other wild animals there, don’t you?”