West Point / An Intimate Picture of the National Military Academy and of the Life of the Cadet - Robert C. Richardson

(A. O., M. A., July, ’16.)

SUPERINTENDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES MILITARY ACADEMY

NO.	Name.	Army Rank when Appointed.	Term of Service		Remarks.
NO.	Name.	Army Rank when Appointed.	FROM	TO	Remarks.
1	Jonathan Williams	Major, Corps of Engineers	April 15, 1802	June 20, 1803	Resigned.
2	Jonathan Williams	Lieut. Colonel, Corps of Engineers	[8]April 19, 1805	July 31, 1812	Resigned.
3	Joseph G. Swift	Colonel, Corps of Engineers	July 31, 1812	Mar. 24, 1814	Relieved.
4	Alden Partridge	Captain, Corps of Engineers	Jan’y 3, 1815	July 28, 1817	Relieved.
5	Sylvanus Thayer	Captain, Corps of Engineers	July 28, 1817	July 1, 1833	Relieved.
6	René W. DeRussy	Major, Corps of Engineers	July 1, 1833	Sept. 1, 1838	Relieved.
7	Richard Delafield	Major, Corps of Engineers	Sept. 1, 1838	Aug. 15, 1845	Relieved.
8	Henry Brewerton	Captain, Corps of Engineers	Aug. 15, 1845	Sept. 1, 1852	Relieved.
9	Robert E. Lee	Captain, Corps of Engineers	Sept. 1, 1852	Mar. 31, 1855	Relieved.
10	John G. Barnard	Captain, Corps of Engineers	Mar. 31, 1855	Sept. 8, 1856	Relieved.
11	Richard Delafield	Major, Corps of Engineers	Sept. 8, 1856	[9]Jan’y 23, 1861	Relieved.
12	Peter G. T. Beauregard	Captain, Corps of Engineers	[9]Jan’y 23, 1861	Jan’y 28, 1861	Relieved.
13	Richard Delafield	Major, Corps of Engineers	Jan’y 28, 1861	Mar. 1, 1861	Relieved.
14	Alexander H. Bowman	Major, Corps of Engineers	Mar. 1, 1861	July 8, 1864	Relieved.
15	Zealous B. Tower	Major, Corps of Engineers	July 8, 1864	Sept. 8, 1864	Relieved.
16	George W. Cullum	Lieut. Colonel, Corps of Engineers	Sept, 8, 1864	Aug. 28, 1866	Relieved.
17	Thomas G. Pitcher	Colonel 44th Infantry	Aug. 28, 1866	Sept. 1, 1871	Relieved.
18	Thomas H. Ruger	Colonel 18th Infantry	Sept. 1, 1871	Sept. 1, 1876	Relieved.
19	John M. Schofield	Major General, U. S. Army	Sept. 1, 1876	Jan’y 21, 1881	Relieved.
20	Oliver O. Howard	Brigadier General, U. S. Army	Jan’y 21, 1881	Sept. 1, 1882	Relieved.
21	Wesley Merritt	Colonel 5th Cavalry	Sept. 1, 1882	July 1, 1887	Relieved.
22	John G. Parke	Colonel, Corps of Engineers	Aug. 28, 1887	June 24, 1889	Relieved.
23	John M. Wilson	Lieut. Colonel, Corps of Engineers	Aug. 26, 1889	Mar. 31, 1893	Relieved.
24	Oswald Ernest	Major, Corps of Engineers	Mar. 31, 1893	Aug. 21, 1898	Relieved.
25	Albert L. Mills	1st Lieutenant, 1st Cavalry	Aug. 22, 1898	Aug. 31, 1906	Relieved.
26	Hugh L. Scott	Major, 14th Cavalry	Aug. 31, 1906	Aug. 31, 1910	Relieved.
27	Thomas H. Barry	Major General, U. S. Army	Aug. 31, 1910	Aug. 31, 1912	Relieved.
28	Clarence P. Townsley	Colonel, Coast Artillery Corps	Aug. 31, 1912	June 30, 1916	Relieved.
29	John Biddle	Colonel, Corps of Engineers	July 1, 1916

Note.—The selection of the Superintendents of the Military Academy was confined to the Corps of Engineers from the establishment of the Institution, March 16, 1802, till the passage of the law of July 13, 1866, which opened it to the entire Army. By the Act of June 12, 1858, the local rank of Colonel was conferred upon the Superintendent.

A DICTIONARY OF CADET SLANG

A. B., n. Area Bird, term used to designate one who regularly walks the area.
B. A., n. Busted aristocrat. Title given to a cadet officer who has been deprived of his chevrons.
B-ache, n. An official explanation of a report.
B-ache, v. To submit an explanation, to talk.
Beast, n. Name given to new cadets during their first few weeks at M. A.
Beast Barracks, n. Designation for the period of time a man is a beast: the first three weeks when he is quartered in barracks.
Bird, n. See A. B.
B. J., a. Literally means “bold before June”; as applied to a fourth classman who is impertinent and fresh.
Black Book, n. Regulations, U. S. M. A.
Blasé, a. Indifferent. Syn. B. J.
Bone, v. To study.
—— check book. To be economical.
—— dis. To try to avoid getting demerits.
—— efficiency. To be military for no apparent reason.
—— files. To strive for class standing.
—— make. To strive for chevrons.
—— muck. To endeavor to increase in brawn.
—— tenths. To study hard for a better mark.
Boodle, n. General term used to designate all eatables, contraband.
Boodler’s, n. The confectioner’s.
Bootlick, v. To curry favor obsequiously, to praise.
Bootlick, n. A “stand in.”
Bootlick Alley, n. A street passing in front of the officers’ tents in camp (off limits to plebes).
Brace, n. Term applied to muscular efforts of fourth classmen to look military.
Brace, v. To assume an excessive military position. Obsolete.
B. S., n. Loquaciousness; superfluity of talk.
B. S., v. To be loquacious.
Buck, n. Cadet in ranks; one who has no chevrons.
Bugle, v. To stand at the board all the period to escape reciting. (Not applicable to first-class year).
Bump, v. To deprive cadet officer of chevrons.
Butt, n. The remainder of anything, as the butt of a skag; of a month.
Cit., n. A Civilian.
Cits., n. Civilian clothing.
Clean Sleeve, n. A cadet who has never worn chevrons.
Com., n. Commandant of Cadets.
Con., n. Confinement.
Corp., n. Corporal.
Crawl, v. To correct or rebuke someone (especially fourth classmen) in a severe manner.
Crawling, n. A rebuke.
Deadbeat, n. An easy job; one who deadbeats.
Deadbeat, v. To avoid some distasteful duty.
Dis., n. Discipline.
Dissy, a. Lacking in demerits.
Div., n. A division of barracks.
Doughboys, n. The infantry.
Drag, v. To escort a lady; to pull a man out of bed; to pull off a pair of white trousers.
Drag, n. A puff of skag.
Femme, n. A member of the fair sex.
Fess, v. To fail.
Fess, n. A failure.
File, n. A member of the male sex; one of the successive grades in military rank.
Find, v. To find deficient and discharge.
Flirtation, n. Flirtation Walk.
Formation, n. Any military function or military gathering.
Fried Egg, n. The crest of the U. S. M. A. used on the cap and full dress hat.
Gig, v. To report for a delinquency.
Gig List, n. The delinquency list.
Goat, n. A low ranking man in any subject.
Grind, n. A joke.
West Point Grind, n. A practical joke of the kind in which the victim sees no humor.
Gross, a. Lacking in intelligence.
Growley, n. Tomato catsup.
Growley, v. To blush.
Gum, v. To make a mistake.
Gumstick, n. One who is in the habit of gumming it.
Hell Cats, n. The U. S. M. A. detachment of field music.
Hell Dodgers, n. Active members of the Y. M. C. A.
Hive, v. To understand; to discover.
Hivey, a. Smart, brainy, able to understand things.
Ignorance and Gummery, n. Ordnance and Gunnery.
Juliet, n. A cadet who enters in July.
Laundry Spike, n. An especially long pin used by the laundry; a girl who works in the laundry.
Limits, n. The boundary beyond which a cadet may not go.
L. P., n. A person who is undesirable.
L. P., v. To give an undesirable task to anyone.
Make, n. A cadet officer.
Max, n. A perfect mark.
Max, v. To finish a job in a perfect manner.
Missouri National, n. A tune supposed to bring rain.
Muck, n. Muscle.
O. C., n. The Officer in Charge.
O. D., n. The Officer of the Day.
O. G., n. The Officer of the Guard.
—oid. A suffix added to a noun or a verb to denote the agent by which the action in the noun or verb is accomplished, i. e. Ridoid—one who rides; Hopoid—one who attends hops.
P., n. A Professor.
P. C. S., n. Previous condition of servitude. Occupation before entering.
P. D., n. Pennsylvania Dutchman.
Pipe, v. To look forward to anything; to build castles in the air.
Plebe, n. A fourth classman.
Plebeskin, n. A flannel blouse issued to new cadets. Very badly fitting.
Plebeskin, n. A report for hazing.
P. M. E., n. Practical Military Engineering.
Podunk, n. A cadet’s home town. A name applied to any small town to denote its insignificance; a local newspaper.
Police, v. To discard; to relegate to the scrap pile; to throw from a horse’s back; to clean up, as to police a room.
Poop, v. To memorize verbatim.
Poop, n. One who memorizes by heart.
Poop Deck, n. The balcony of the south cadet guard house, used by the officer in charge.
Pred., n. Predecessor; a cadet’s forerunner in office.
P. S., v. To spoon on the post.
Quill, n. A person addicted to reporting cadets on every opportunity; subject matter for a report.
Recognize, v. To admit a fourth classman to the upperclass status.
Reverse, n. A position of disfavor, as to get a reverse on the tac.
Run-it-on, v. To take advantage of.
Scavenge, v. To acquire something that someone else no longer wants or has thrown away.
Skag, n. A cigarette.
Skin, n. A report for delinquency.
Skin, v. To report a delinquent.
Skin list, n. The delinquency list.
Slug, n. A disagreeable duty; an award of special punishment for some major offense.
Soirée, n. An unpleasant task or duty.
Soirée, v. To cause inconvenience or annoyance.
Speck, v. To commit to memory.
Speck, n. One who commits to memory.
Slum, n. Mess Hall stew (unknown ingredients).
Soundoff, n. A voice capable of being heard at long range.
Sound off, v. To bellow; to use the voice to the limit of its capacity.
Spoon, v. To court, amuse, entertain, or converse with a femme.
Spoony Up, v. To make neat or attractive.
Step Out, v. To hurry.
Sub-div., n. A subdivision of barracks: a cadet officer in charge of a subdivision.
Supe, n. The Superintendent.
Tac, n. A Tactical Officer.
T. D., n. The Department of Tactics.
Tarbucket, n. The full dress hat.
Tenth, n. The smallest division of the West Point system of marking.
Tie Up, v. To get a thing gloriously mixed up.
Turnback, n. A cadet who has been turned back to join the next succeeding class.
Walri, n. One who cannot swim.
Writ, n. A written review recitation.
Yearling, n. A third classman.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] Fort Clinton was originally named Fort Arnold in honor of Benedict Arnold, but after his defection its name was changed. It stood in the N. E. corner of the Plain at West Point.

[2] Fort Putnam was named for Colonel Rufus Putnam whose regiment, the Fifth Massachusetts, commenced it and did much toward putting it in shape.

[3] The Sterling Iron Works are still in operation at Sterlington, N. Y., on the Erie R. R., where the remains of the Revolutionary furnace are still standing.