Trivia 6-8-16 Making the Grade

[rhettbutler1865]

What Civil War officer recorded the highest grades attained at West Point in the nineteenth century?

credit: @57th Indiana Infantry

CSA Gen. William Whiting.

 

[sarladaise]

William Henry Chase Whiting

 

[MaryDee]

http://www.westpointaog.org/page.aspx?pid=3682 lists the top 5 graduates 1821-1949, but none were Civil War officers, The only two who graduated before the CW were Charles Mason (the one who barely beat out Robert E Lee), who was US Coissioner of Patents during the Civil War, and Alexander Dallas Bache, who was superintendent of the United States Coast Survey during the war. This source also states that Lee, despite being so close to Mason, was #33 among the 1821-1949 graduates.

According to the above source, the highest grade average ever from West Point 1821-1949 (Mason was #2) was achieved by Irving Hale, class of 1884. This is confirmed by the Wikipedia article, "Irving Hale." It therefore seems that Hale was #1 in the 19th century. However, Hale was born in 1861, so it's rather doubtful that he served in the Civil War.

No luck finding a list of West Point graduates that includes grade average. Either my google search skills are inadequate (true) and online sources are inadequate (probably true). So this is another "I give up"

Edit - Since it is clear that you accessed the same source as other players who were confused by the evidence that no Civil War officer could claim the distinction of having the highest average in the 19th century, I will give credit for this response.

Hoosier

 

[chellers]

William Henry Chase Whiting

 

[TinCan]

General William Whiting CSA

 

[Bruce Vail]

Robert Edward Lee

 

[CheathamHill]

What Civil War officer recorded the highest grade attained at West Point in the nineteenth century?
Whiting

CSA General William Whiting graduated at the top of the class in 1845 and held that record until Douglas MacArthur established a new record in 1903.

 

[Chattahooch33]

William whiting

 

[adisciu9]

CSA General William Whiting

 

[38th OVI]

I will say Robert E. Lee, considering Civil War officers. I would ask you to consider Irving Hale, for the highest grades attained at West Point in the nineteenth century.

http://www.westpointaog.org/page.aspx?pid=3682

Hope I understood the question correctly.

38th

 

[lelliott19]

William Henry Chase Whiting (class of 1845) http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=10062

......achieving the highest grades ever given at West Point until Douglas MacArthur came along at the turn of the century (Class of 1903) was William Henry Chase Whiting, Class of 1845. At first a star in the Confederate firmament, this Mississippi native from Biloxi was promoted to brigadier general on site at First Manassas - by no less a personage than Jefferson Davis. After supervising the construction of Fort Fisher at the entrance to Cape Fear River near Wilmington, North Carolina, unfortunately, Whiting was accused of being drunk on alcohol or other drugs at Petersburg, Virginia. Returning to Fort Fisher in time for its seizure by Union forces in January 1865, he was severely wounded and taken prisoner. Confined at Fort Columbus on Governor's Island off Manhattan Island, New York, Whiting died there in March 1865, due to the lingering effects of his wounding two months earlier.
https://books.google.com/books?id=Y...officer "highest grades" "West Point"&f=false

William H. C. Whiting was a brigadier general, later major general. He graduated from West Point in 1845 with the highest grades ever attained there up to that point. http://www.gilderlehrman.org/collections/901e9587-fba7-4999-ad92-745210764105

The above is my answer - however this interpretation may not be entirely accurate as this source http://www.westpointaog.org/page.aspx?pid=3682 compares the highest grade averages among the 135 classes that graduated during the years 1821-1949 as noted in a booklet titled the Honors Register published on 1 September 1949 and compiled by a graduate in the Class of 1910 from official Academy records. It seems to indicate that there were men who graduated after Whiting (still in the 19th century) who were not CW officers but may have actually had higher marks?

 

[GELongstreet]

I actually don´t know ... as I don´t have a source with the precise points scoring - has anybody? Anybody? Where?

Though a guess would of course be Robert E. Lee (1966.5 points). There is at least one higher scoring officer, Charles Mason (1995.5 points), who was 1st in the same class as Lee; but he didn´t serve in the ACW.

 

[ErnieMac]

From what I read the best academic performance at West Point over the time such records was reported was not involved in the Civil War. "The best academic performance among the 135 classes cited was achieved by Irving Hale, first man in the Class of 1884—an overall average of 99.7783%."
http://www.westpointaog.org/page.aspx?pid=3682

 

[ami]

A. Confederate General William Henry Chase Whiting, who grauated at the top of his class at West Point in 1845, held the record for the highest grades ever attained at West Point--a record that lasted until a new one was established by Douglas McArthur in 1903.

Edit - You would think that the question of who had the best academic record at West Point during the 19th century would have a fairly straightforward answer, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

Some players found a source indicating that Charles Mason and Robert E. Lee had the two best records in the 19th century. According to this source, Lee would be the Civil War officer with the best record, since Mason did not serve in the Civil War.

Other players found a source indicating that Irving Hale of the Class of 1884 had the best record in the 19th century, and that, in fact, none of those with the five best records served in the Civil War.

Players who answered Robert E. Lee or players who were obviously confused by the fact that apparently Hale had a higher average than any Civil War officer will get credit for correct answers, since sources have been provided in support of each of these.

Hoosier