In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

2 Wearing the Military Uniform of the United States The West Point Years and Service as an Army Officer, 1855–1861 1. Dennis Hart Mahan was recognized as the nation’s premier authority on defensive military works, as the author of the bible of the operational engineer, Complete Treatise on Field Fortifications with the General Outlines of the Principles. 2. Ambrose, Duty, Honor, Country, 138. in the years before the civil war, the U.S. Military Academy was the nation’s premier engineering school with a curriculum designed to prepare its graduates to build the river and harbor works, lighthouses, canals, and railroads needed by a burgeoning nation. It also served to prepare topographical and military engineers for times of war. The institution had been founded early in the nineteenth century, patterned after Sandhurst and St. Cyr, its counterparts in England and France. In the wake of Napoleon’s campaigns across Europe, the French influence was especially strong in military strategy and tactics. Two of the academy’s stalwarts during Ramseur’s years had studied in France. Dennis Hart Mahan,1 professor of engineering and the art of war, spent four years at l’Ecole Polytechnique in Metz, and William J. Hardee, commandant of cadets, graduated from the cavalry school at Saumur. The Napoleon Club was the most prestigious intellectual society on campus, counting among its members Mahan, Superintendent Robert E. Lee, George B. McClellan, Gustavus W. Smith, and Dabney Maury.2 Proficiency in the French language was required to read what were considered the most authoritative writings on the art of warfare. Hardee’s revision of the U.S. Army’s infantry manual drew heavily on French sources. Indeed, the academy library exchanged books with bibliothecas in France. It is not surprising, therefore, that Ramseur’s letters are lightly sprinkled with Gallic expressions. 18 The West Point Years 3. Wright, “West Point and Cadet Life,” 193–96. 4. Aimone, “Much to Sadden,” 14. Ramseur’s class was the second to be enrolled under an expanded five-­ year curriculum instituted at the direction of Secretary of War Jefferson Davis and implemented by Lee. The fifth year was added to strengthen offerings in the humanities— ​ history, geography, and military law— ​ and to introduce Spanish training to enable graduates to operate effectively in territory recently acquired from Mexico. Embarking upon an extended program of study could have seemed excessive for Ramseur, who already had two years of college under his belt. Surprisingly, eighteen of his classmates were older than he and, according to him, two dozen had already attended the best schools of higher learning in the country. Ramseur soon realized he would be challenged by subject matter and a level of competition in the classroom that he had not faced at Davidson. Ramseur arrived at West Point located on a plain of about 160 acres overlooking a right-­ angle bend in the Hudson River, fifty-­ three miles above New York City. The first ordeal was to appear naked before three medical officers for a fitness examination, certainly a shock for a modest young man from rural North Carolina. He was then questioned by the Academic Board comprising the superintendent, commandant, and professors in the core disciplines, to determine his proficiency in basic arithmetic, history, and geography. Only afterward could he join the encampment of eight rows of tents (two per company) stretching out on the plateau in full view of the academy’s permanent buildings. Continuing each year until the end of August , summer camp emphasized training in infantry tactics, employment of artillery, riding and cavalry skills, and swordsmanship.3 The routine was relieved by the attention paid by fashionable young ladies. During the summer, the Hudson Valley was a favorite retreat for well-­ to-­ do families from northeastern cities who fled the heat at home and sojourned in local hotels. The attraction of a battalion of cadets in gray uniforms at thrice-­ weekly “hops” was irresistible for the daughters of vacationing captains of industry, finance, and commerce. New arrivals, or “plebes,” had little chance with these maidens. In subsequent encampments, however , Ramseur could look forward to strolling with a debutante along “Flirtation Walk,” an overgrown Revolutionary War sentry path on a bluff above the river with plenty of dark corners for innocent intimacies.4 Matriculation to West Point was a significant event for a small southern community. Only one cadet at a time could be appointed to the mili- [18.118.226.105] Project MUSE (2024-04-26 14:49...

Share