Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XVI.djvu/595

 WEST POINT 571 ton were constructed 6 m. below on the W. bank of the stream, and the river was ob- structed at that point by a chain. All these defences fell into the hands of the enemy on Oct. 6, 1777, but the positions were abandoned on the receipt, a few days later, of the news of Burgoyne's surrender. In January, 1778, the work of fortifying West Point was begun by the erection of an enclosed work built of fas- cines, timber, and earth, called ut first Fort Arnold and subsequently Fort Clinton, on the N". E. angle of the plain. The construction of Fort Putnam, of stone, was commenced. Du- ring 177'J and 1780 eight other smaller works and redoubts were erected on the summits of the principal eminences W. and S. of the plain. The river was obstructed in 1778 by a heavy chain and boom stretched across between West Point and Constitution island. Early in August, 1780, West Point, including its dependencies, was assigned to the command of Maj. Gen. Ben- edict Arnold, and six weeks later it became the theatre of his treason and flight, his immediate object being to deliver up the defences of the Highlands to the enemy. After the war the defences of the place were allowed to fall into decay. In 1828 a monument was erected by the cadets to the memory of Kosciuszko, who mainly superintended their construction. The idea of establishing a military academy at West Point appears to have been first suggested in 1783 by Col. Pickering, quar- termaster general of the army ; but it was not until May 7, 1794, that provision for any mili- tary school was made by congress. Under that act four battalions of engineers and artil- lerists were organized, to each of which four cadets were attached; and in 1798 an addition- al regiment of artillerists was authorized and the number of cadets was increased to 56. The president was empowered to appoint four teach- ers for the instruction of the corps, but no provision was made for assembling the artiller- ists and engineers at any one point. By the act of March 16, 1802, fixing the military peace establishment, 40 cadets were attached to the artillery and 10 to the corps of engineers, and that corps was constituted a military academy and stationed at West Point, the senior officer of engineers present being the superintendent thereof. This was the beginning of the present military academy. By the act of Feb. 28, 1803, the president was authorized to appoint a teacher of the French language and a teacher of drawing, and in July following one teacher was appointed to perform the duties of both positions. The act of April 29, 1812, provided that the military academy should consist of the corps of engineers and the following professors, in addition to the teachers of the French lan- guage and drawing already provided, viz. : a professor of natural and experimental philoso- phy, with the pay and emoluments of a lieuten- ant colonel, and a professor of mathematics and one of engineering, each with the pay and emoluments of a major ; and it was provided that these professors might be officers of the corps of engineers or otherwise at the discre- tion of the appointing power, each professor to have an assistant professor to be taken from among the most capable of the officers or ca- dets, and to receive the pay and emoluments of a captain. The same act fixed the number of- cadets not to exceed 250, to be appointed between the ages of 14 and 21 years, and to bo well versed in reading, writing, and arithmetic when appointed. The professorship of geog- raphy, history, and ethics was created April 14, 1818 (the chaplain to be professor) ; that of chemistry, mineralogy, and geology in 1838 ; those of drawing and the French language in 1846; that of the Spanish language in 1857; and that of law in 1874. For purposes of military police, discipline, and infantry drill, the cadets are organized into a battalion of four companies, the battalion staff and the company officers being cadets. Each company is in charge of an army officer styled an assistant instructor of infantry tactics, and the battalion is commanded by the commandant of cadets, also an officer of the army, who by the act of 1858 was made instructor of artillery, cavalry, and infantry tactics, with the local rank of lieutenant colonel. There are also an instruc- tor of practical military engineering, signal- ling, and telegraphy, an instructor of ordnance and gunnery, and a sword master. The selec- tion of the superintendent was confined to the corps of engineers till the act of July 13, 1866, which opened it to the entire army. By act of June 12, 1858, the local rank of colonel was conferred upon the superintendent. The officers of the academy at the present time (1876) are the superintendent, with five officers constituting his military staff ; the comman- dant of cadets and instructor of artillery, cav- alry, and infantry tactics, with six assistants; the professor of mathematics, with eight as- sistants; the professor of drawing, with two assistants ; the professor of chemistry, miner- alogy, and geology, with two assistants; the professor of the Spanish language, with two assistants; the professor of natural and experi- mental philosophy, with four assistants; the professor of the French language, with four assistants ; the professor of military and civil engineering, with two assistants; the profes- sor of law; the chaplain and professor of ethics ; the instructor of practical military en- gineering, &c., with one assistant ; the instruc- tor of ordnance and gunnery, with one assis- tant; and the sword master ; total, 51. Cadets are admitted between the ages of 17 and 21 years. The authorized number is determined by the law that each congressional district, each territory, and the District of Columbia are respectively entitled to have one cadet at the academy, and ten are also appointed yearly at large. The appointments at large are con- ferred by the president; those from the dis- tricts and territories by the secretary of war on the nomination of the representative or