Page:Harris Dickson--The unpopular history of the United States.djvu/86

 chair of Government I omitted no proper opportunity of recommending it.” Mr. McHenry, Secretary of War in 1805, submitted his views to Congress and said: “It cannot be forgotten that in our Revolutionary War it was not until after several years’ practice with arms, that our soldiers became at all qualified to meet on the field of battle those to whom they were opposed. Occasional brilliant and justly celebrated acts of some of our militia detract nothing from this dearly bought truth.”

By Act of 1805 Congress authorized the President to establish a Corps of Engineers, with a cadre of not over 20 officers and cadets, “which shall be stationed at West Point in the State of New York, and shall constitute a Military Academy.”

Mighty small potatoes to begin with, but it grew.

During this period between the Revolution and the War of 1812 we had the Shay Rebellion, the Whiskey Rebellion, complications with England and also with the Republic of