Freshman Year.—First Term—Military Drill; Infantry Tactics; School of the Soldier; Second Term—Do.; and School of the Company and Manual of Arms. Third Term—Do.; and School of the Company and Battalion.
Sophomore Year.—First Term—Military Drill; Infantry Tactics; Manual of the Bayonet and Instruction in duty as Skirmishers. Second Term—Do.; and Bayonet Exercise. Third Term—Do.; and Skirmish and Battalion Drill; Guard Duty; and Forms of Parade and Review.
Junior Year.—Third Term—Military Drill; Artillery Tactics; School of the Piece. Second Term—Do.; and Artillery and Cavalry Tactics; Manual of the Sabre; School of the Trooper dismounted; Instruction in Heavy Artillery Tactics and Gunnery. Third Term—Do.; School of the Section; Infantry Tactics; Battalion Drill.
Senior Year.—First Term—Military Drill and Cavalry, Artillery and Infantry Tactics; Duty as Drill Masters and Officers in Infantry and Artillery Drill; Theoretical Instruction in Cavalry Tactics, and the organization and uses of Cavalry. Second Term—Military Drill and Cavalry Tactics; Sabre Exercise. Third Term—Military Drill; Target Practice; Sword Play: and General Drill.
The Committee of Examination for 1870 report as follows:
Your Committee can not refrain from alluding to the interest which all the young men take in the drills, the evident beneficial effect upon their bearing and health, and the value of the accomplished soldiers and officers thus, made for the future service of the Commonwealth, in the event of another call to send forth her sons for herself or the nation. Were no other result accomplished by this institution, the money of the Commonwealth could be no more judiciously expended, and yet this is but an incident to the regular course.
The Principal, Col. Clark, writes: “We have a fine hall for in-door exercise, and are furnished by the State with cannon, breech-loading rifles, sabres, &c., and consider our course a decided success. Our graduates are able to act as officers in infantry and artillery regiments, and I believe our system, as we are organized and taught by a West Point graduate, a most excellent and economical substitute for the ordinary militia system.”
The Louisiana State University was founded as “a State Seminary of Learning and Military Academy” by the Legislature in 1855, near Alexandria, in the Parish of Rapides, on endowments of land made by the General Government at different times, from 1806 to 1827, for establishing “a Seminary of Learning.” It was opened for the reception of students, January 2, 1860, and organized on a military basis, under the superintendence of Col. W. T. Sherman (now General-in-Chief, United States Army), who resigned his position, February 2, 1861, on the hostile demonstration of the State of Louisiana against the authority of the United States. The instruction of the institution continued under Col. W. E. M. Linfield, till April 22, 1863, when its operations were closed by the disasters of the War, to be reopened on the first of October, 1865, only to be closed again by the utter destruction of its extensive buildings by fire on the 15th of October, 1869. On the 1st of November following, its exercises were resumed at Baton Rouge, in the extensive building of the Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb, which was placed temporarily for the occupancy of the classes, and a portion of the students. The session of 1871, under the superintendence of Col. D. F. Boyd, closed with 217 matriculated Cadets, of whom 128 were admitted on the State Cadet warrants.