The United States Military Academy on the Hudson River at West Point, New York, was founded by Thomas Jefferson, our third president, in 1802. Originally, West Point was an engineering school, the best in all North America. Its students were all trained as military engineers. The most compelling stories of West Point are about powerful personalities, personal loyalties, fidelity to a cause, and heroism in battles. During the American Civil War (1861-1865), most of the key military figures on both sides were graduates of West Point and often had been classmates there.
Almost all colleges—especially military academies—in the nineteenth century were elitist institutions for privileged young men. West Point, however, welcomed qualified white male applicants* without regard to family background or financial wealth. While wealth and family ties were not required, a quota system limited enrollment from each state, and a key requirement was nomination by one’s senator or congressman.
In one notable case, a young man from Virginia moved to Illinois where he believed (correctly) that he would be more likely to secure a nomination. In this way, George Pickett, originally of Virginia, was nominated to attend West Point by Illinois Congressman Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln might have acted differently had he known that years later, Pickett would resign his commission in the U.S. Army and, like many of his peers from southern states, serve in the Confederate Army opposing the Union and its president, Abraham Lincoln.
The story of Thomas Jonathan Jackson is a tale about a young man who lacked the educational background to qualify for West Point but managed to get admitted and to graduate by virtue of extraordinary determination. Orphaned by the age of seven, Jackson grew up doing hard field work with no time to spend on “book learning.” He managed to graduate 17th out of a class of 56 in 1846. Fifteen years later, Thomas Jackson became forever known as “Stonewall” Jackson when he turned apparent defeat into a stunning victory at the First Battle of Manassas (Bull Run).
A few quick character sketches and juxtapositions can help readers appreciate how critical West Point was in molding the characters of key leaders during the Civil War. When Confederate troops shelled Fort Sumter, the act that initiated the war, Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard led the attackers; Robert Anderson led the fort’s defenders. Edward Porter Alexander was the Confederate artillery commander at the famous Battle of Gettysburg; John Buford was the Union cavalry commander there. Jefferson Davis was the President of the Confederacy, and his chief general was Robert E. Lee. Ulysses S. Grant was the Union General to whom Lee surrendered at Appomattox when the war ended, and Grant later became president of the reunited United States of America. All of these men were graduates of West Point.
One of the most cynical stories about close connections among West Point graduates on both sides involves Confederate General John Bell Hood and Union General William Tecumseh Sherman. Sherman, who was planning to attack Atlanta, learned Hood had been appointed to defend the city. Sherman called in three officers who had been classmates of Hood at West Point and asked them to describe the man. They all agreed Hood had graduated at the bottom of his class and was something of a romantic fool. Hood believed courage and spirit rather than planning and strategy won battles. They predicted Hood would launch a quick attack with ill prepared forces, which is exactly what happened, and Sherman showed no mercy.
One of the most touching anecdotes reflecting strong bonds formed at West Point involves Confederate General George Pickett and his former classmate Union General George McClellan. Pickett sent a letter to his wife Sally in which he wrote, “He was, he is and always will be, even with his pistol pointed at my heart, my closest friend. You my dear may never understand this Entante Cordiale between us old fellows.”
*The first African American was admitted to West Point in 1873, but the first women were not admitted until 1976.