Cadet Life at West Point

by Hugh T. Reed

Mail arrived every day, and was sorted over, that for the cadets and plebes in each division was dropped on the floor in the halls near the entrances and the word mail called out in a loud tone of voice. Every one expecting mail buttoned up his coat and hastened to get such as might be for him. Now the policemen deliver mail to the cadets in their rooms.[13]

In a few days more the candidates were sent in sections of about a dozen to the section for their preliminary or entrance examination. The section I was in was sent to a room having tables, chairs and writing materials, and we were here examined in writing and spelling. There was but one officer present, and after a certain time we put our names on and handed our papers to him whether we had finished them or not. We were next sent to another room, where there were about a half a dozen members of the Academic Board, and as many other army officers.[14] Each candidate, as his name was called, was assigned a subject and then sent to a blackboard. The first one called was numbered one, the second numbered two, and so on, until five or six candidates were sent to different blackboards. Each was directed to write his name and number at the upper right hand corner of the board, to put such data or work on the board as he wished, and when ready to recite to pick up a pointer in his right hand and face about. While those sent to the blackboard were getting ready to recite, another candidate was sent to the center of the room, facing the examiners, and then questioned by one of them. After finishing with the candidate on questions, No. 1 was called upon to recite, and after he was through, another candidate was assigned a subject and sent to the board, and so on. Some of the candidates were self-possessed, and made good recitations and ready answers to questions, while others trembled all over and lost control over themselves, their hearts got up into their throats or went down into their boots. The examination here was in grammar, history, and geography. We were then sent to another room before as many other Professors and Army Officers for examination in arithmetic and reading. I was satisfied with my examination up to this time. After the assignments to the blackboards I was called upon to read. I began to tremble, and had much difficulty in turning to the page designated. I read very poorly, because I could not hold the book steady, and the words on the page danced so that it was hard for me to catch them. I was then told to put down the book and was questioned in arithmetic. Professor C⸺h asked me a number of questions, the answers to which I knew perfectly well, yet all the answer I could make was “I don’t know, sir.” Professor C⸺h then talked kindly and said how important it was to me, that I answer the questions, because if I did not answer properly that I would be found deficient and sent home. I then said that the old cadets had told me he would “find” me, and I believed he would. After having said this I got courage to ask to be sent to the blackboard. My request was granted, and I had no trouble in writing answers to every question, or to solve any problem given me, but for the life of me I could not turn my back to the board and tell what I had put on it; but fortunately I could point to anything called for. The preliminary examinations the next year were written, and they have been written ever since, which is decidedly the best, as some of my class were so badly frightened that they did not know what they said, and some who failed were graduates of good schools, or had passed splendid competitive examinations for their appointments. In a few days the result of the examination was announced, and I was happy to write home that I was one of the lucky ones to enter West Point, and be a “new Cadet” instead of a “Candidate.” Those of us who were fortunate enough to pass were sent to the Commissary[15] for “plebe-skins,” that is, rubber overcoats, caps and white gloves, and we were measured for uniform, clothes and shoes, and for fear perhaps that we might get lazy another hour’s drill, from 11 a. m. to 12 m., was given us. From now on we wore caps and white gloves at all infantry drills.

The new cadet whose name comes first in alphabetical order is the “class-marcher” whenever the class is called out by itself, and it is his duty to call the roll of the class and to report absentees. After our preliminary examination Baily became the class-marcher, and he marched us over to the Library, where we took the oath of allegiance.[16] We were now assigned to Companies, the tallest were put in A and D and the rest in B and C Companies, but the new cadets were still drilled by themselves in small squads, then in larger ones, and later on all in one squad as a company.

W⸺r of my class wore a plug hat when he reported, and he was sorry for it many times. He was the left file of Mr. H⸺d’s squad. One day we were drilling on the Cavalry plain,[17] and there were many ladies and gentlemen watching the drill. We were marching in line at double time, and Mr. H⸺d gave the command, “By the right flank, march.” Three of us marched to the right, but Mr. W⸺r went off to the left all by himself. Everybody near laughed, even Mr. H⸺d suppressed a grin, and then scolded the new cadets for laughing in ranks. Mr. W⸺r chewed tobacco, and this, too, caused him many unhappy moments, but after having been repeatedly reprimanded for chewing tobacco and told to spit it out he quit the practice in ranks.

There was a young man who could not keep step, yet he tried hard to do so. When in front he threw everybody behind him out of step and at other times he would walk all over the heels of the man in front of him. I do not remember whether he was found deficient physically or mentally, but he was not there long. This reminds me of the “Awkward Squad.” It was composed of those who were particularly slow in doing what they were told to do. Tired and sore as they were from the frequent drills, I have seen members of the Awkward Squad practice alone, determined to get out of it, which, of course, they eventually did.

We studied the Blue Book, but the most of the regulations were learned by having them beaten into our heads by the old cadets. We did not then have a copy of the Drill Regulations to study, but we learned them in the same way that we learned most of the Regulations in the Blue Book.

We were now instructed in many things besides Squad Drill. For instance, we were informed that we would be reported for all delinquencies, that is, for all offenses committed against the Regulations, that the reports would be read out daily after parade, and be posted the next day in a certain place; that we must go there every day to see the list; that when there were reports against us we must copy the exact wording of each report and then write an explanation for it; that we must write as many explanations as there were reports against us, and further, that for all official communications we must use “Uniform Paper” (i. e., paper of a certain size) and no other.

New cadets are taught to use as few words as possible in their explanations. One evening at Dress Parade, a plebe raised his hand and of course he was reported for it, and the reason he gave in his explanation for raising his hand in ranks was, “Bug in ear.”

The following illustrates the character of the reports posted against cadets, to-wit: