Civil War West Point

[amhistoryguy]

Some interesting, IMO, information on being appointed to and studying at the Military Academy at West Point in the Civil War era.

To be qualified to enter the Military Academy at West Point, a candidate must be at least 16 years of age, and not more than 21. He must be at least 5 feet in height and free from any deformity or disease.
Appointments to the academy are made on the nomination of one per each congressional district. The appointee must be a resident of the nominating district. As a general rule, no person will be appointed who has had a brother educated at the academy. An additional 10 appointments per year are "at large" appointments. Appointments were made in February and March, from the prior year applicants. The following is the course of study;

*** First Year Studies and Texts ***

Mathematics - Davis' Bourdon's Algebra
Davis' Legendre's Geometry and Trigonometry
Davis Discriptive Geometry

English Grammar, Including Etymological and Rhetorical
Exercises, Composition, Declamation, and Geograpgy
of the United States. - Boullion's Grammar
Vocabularies and Exercises by Professor French
Morse's Geography
Sargent's Elocution
Parker's Aids to English Composition
Roget's Thesaurus of English Words
Worcester's Dictionary

French - Bolmar's Levizac's Grammar
Bolmar's Verb Book
Agnel's Tabular System
Berard's Lexons Francaise

Use of Small Arms - Instruction in Fencing and Bayonet
Exercise

*** Second Year Studies and Texts ***

Mathematics - Davis' Descriptive Geometry
Davis' Shades, Shadows and Perspective
Davis' Spherical Projections and Warped Surfaces
Davies' Surveying
Church's Analytical Geometry
Church's Calculus

French - Bolmar's Levizac's Grammar
Bolmar's Verb Book
Agnel's Tabular System
Rowan's Morceaux Choisis des Auteurs Modernes

Drawing - Human Figure
Topography

Cavalry - Practical Instruction in Cavalry Exercise

*** Third Year Studies and Texts ***

Natural and Experimental Philosophy - Bartlett's
Mechanics
Bartlett's Accustics and Optics
Bartlett's Astronomy

Chemistry - Fowne's Chemistry
Electrics from Miller's Physics of Chemistry

Drawing - Landscape

Infantry Tactics - Rules for the Exercise and Manoeuvers
of the United States Infantry
Jomini's Art of War

Artillery Tactics - Tactics for Garrison, Seige and
Field Artillery
Thackeray's Army Organization and Administration
Extracts from McClellan's Military Commission to Europe
Army Regulations

Cavalry - Practical Instruction in Cavalry Exercise

*** Fourth Year Studies and Texts ***

Engineering, Civil and Military - Mahan's Course of Civil
Engineering
Mahan's Lithographic Notes on Stone Cutting
Mahan's Lithographic Notes on Machines
Mahan's Treatise on Field Fortifications
Mahan's Lithographic Notes on Permanent Fortification
Attack and Defense
Mines and other Accessories
Mahan's Treatise on Advanced Guards and Outposts

Practical Engineering - Practical Instruction in Fabricating
Fascines, Sap-*****s, Gabions, Hurdles, Sap Rollers & c,
Manner of Laying Out and Construction Gun and Mortar
Batteries, Field Fortifications, and Works of Siege
Formation of Stockades, Abatis &c
Topographical Sketching in the Field, embracing rapid
methods of reconnoitering woods, heights, defiles, fields,
marshes, fords, bridges, roads and other communications,
houses, villages, batteries, field-works, &c &c.
Recitations Upon Field Fortifications, Sapping, Mining,
Pontonniering and Military Reconnaissance

Ethics, Constitutional, International, and Military Law -
Kent's Commentaries
Practical Ethics by Professor French
DeHart on Courts Martial
Preliminary Lecture on Law, by Professor French

Mineralogy and Geology - Dana's Mineralogy
Hitchcock's Geology

Ordnance and Gunnery - Practical Pyrotechny
Benton's Course of Instruction in Ordnance and Gunnery

Spanish - Josse's Grammar
Morales' Progressive Reader
Ollendorf's Oral Method, applied to Spanish by Velasquez and
Simmone

Cavalry Tactics - Cavalry Tactics for United States Service
Youatt on the Horse

Cavalry - Practical Instruction in Cavalry Exercise.

****************
During July and August, all cadets except the second class
who were on furlough, attended an in the field encampment.
It was somewhat a period of relaxed atmosphere, yet they were
kept busy with military duties and exercises.

Upon graduation, about the end of June, the graduating cadet
is granted a leave of absence until October 1.

The cadets were assigned according to class rank, ordinarily
Nos. 1 and 2 to the engineer corps.; Nos. 3 and 4 to the
topographical engineers; Nos. 5 and 6 to the ordnance corps;
Nos. 7 to 20 to the artillery regiments; and the remainder to
cavalry and infantry regiments, according to "Customs of Service,"
page 177.

Regards, Dave Gorski