Chapter V: The Plebe in Barracks

The next morning we took our bundles, buckets, and brooms to barracks, and upon returning to camp we unfastened the tent cords and held up the canvas by the poles, and, at the tap of the drum at 12 o’clock, every tent was lowered to the ground, and “Camp McPherson” was no more. We then “fell in,” and to the tune of “The Girl I Left Behind Me” marched to barracks, leaving the summer visitors standing under the trees near where the guard tents had been.

There were rooms enough so that every two cadets could have one together. Roommates having been chosen and rooms selected (according to rank, of course,) each cadet went to his own room, and there he found two single iron bedsteads and a double clothes-press. The old cadets got the balance of their effects (such as cadets are permitted to have in their rooms) from the trunk rooms, while the plebes got the articles they had there, and the balance, such as mattresses and tables, they went to the Commissary for, and carried them across the plain. Every one obtained at the Commissary the text-books he needed before Christmas, and by night all rooms were in order. The return to barracks is a great day for plebes, for then they quit carrying palms to the front.

The “Seps” arrived about this time, and those who were admitted were assigned to rooms, and they at once became a part of the fourth class. “Seps” are candidates, who, for some good reason, did not report in June. (See appendix.) They began recitations with the rest of the plebes, but for weeks they attended drill in squads by themselves. Notwithstanding the fact that Seps escape the many trials and tribulations of plebe camp, in escaping it, they miss one of the most valuable parts of cadet life, as it is an experience which most old graduates look back upon with pleasure. After having been through the course of deviling,[26] or hazing, as practiced in my day, I am a believer in the system, because I believe it makes young men manly and self-reliant. I never saw bodily injury inflicted upon a plebe, but I do not call bodily injury deviling. I call that cruelty, and cruelty should be severely punished. But times have changed at the Academy since I left it. Now after candidates have reported at the Adjutant’s office they are sent to the Army Officer in charge of new cadets. And it is his duty to personally instruct them respecting their rights and duties in their relations to old cadets and to the cadets on duty over them. He causes to be read to them the present regulations pertaining to new cadets and explains to them what is meant by “Cadet Limits.” Candidates are also informed that they must not submit to hazing, and that they must promptly report to the Commandant or to the Army Officer over them any attempt at hazing on the part of old cadets. But they must be respectful to all and perfectly subordinate and obedient to the cadets on duty over them.

No more shall Plebes be deviled,
And yearlings can’t be seen,
For there’s now a law against
Hazing the Plebes so green.

The penalties for hazing are very severe, and several cadets have been dismissed from the Academy for engaging in it. A recent act of Congress says: “Any cadet dismissed for hazing shall not be eligible to reappointment.”

White pants were very pretty for camp, but now that the hops were over and the visitors gone the cadets had to work, so on the first of September they appeared in their gray working clothes.

The daily routine from September 1st to about June 20th is as follows: Reveille at 5:45 A. M. (on Sunday at 6:30); roll call; police call five minutes after reveille; sick call fifteen minutes after reveille; then clean arms or study or take physical exercise; breakfast at 6:15; recreation except for the guard,[27] which is mounted, at 7:15; then study and recitations from 8:00 A. M. to 1:00 P. M.; dinner at 1:00; recreation; then study and recitations from 2:00 to 4:00; then generally military exercises for about an hour; then about half hour recreation, followed by retreat parade at about 6:00; supper; recreation; then study from about 7:30 to 9:30; taps at 10:00; then lights out till reveille the next morning. Rooms are inspected at police call; between 8 and 11 a. m.; 11 a. m. and 1 p. m.; 2 and 4; four times between 7:30 and 9:30; again at taps, and once more between taps and reveille. In September and May there are Infantry drills; in October and April there are Artillery drills; in every month from September first to June first there are Cavalry drills; from December first to April first there is exercise in the gymnasium or in dancing. Saturday afternoon is for recreation except between 2 and 2:30 during the weekly inspection of the battalion. On Wednesday after 4 p. m. there are no drills, the time being given for recreation. On Sundays there are no recitations and no military duties, except guard and inspection of quarters at 9:45 a. m., and the time for recreation is a little longer than usual; the cadets march to and from church; all wear white gloves, white belts and those entitled to do so swords, which (swords excepted) are not removed during service, some of the cadets are members of the choir. Visiting between cadets is allowed only during recreation hours.

The gymnasium is open to cadets daily, except Sundays, from 1:30 to 2 p. m.; 4:00 to supper mess parade, and on Saturdays afternoons and evenings until tattoo.

We were arranged into sections of from eight to ten cadets to the section, the arrangement of upper classmen being made according to class standing,[28] as determined at the last examination, while the arrangement of the plebes was alphabetical. The first cadet in each section was the section-marcher, that is, he marched the section to and from the section room. The section-marchers were notified what the first lessons would be, and the hours for recitations, and they then notified the members of their sections. The studies[29] for the fourth class were Mathematics and French, and in addition to these we had instruction in Fencing,[30] and for this the sections were larger than as stated above. One half the class attended recitations or fencing at a time, and the other half had to be in their rooms during Call to Quarters. To let the Inspectors know when cadets are at recitations the following form is used:

HOURS OF RECITATION.

Cadet __________________________ 4th Class.
Mathematics From 8 A. M. to 9:30 A. M.
Use of the sword, etc. From 12 M. to 1 P. M.
Modern Languages From 3 P. M. to 4 P. M.

Each cadet obtained a blank form (and there is a special form for each class), put his name on it in block letters, filled in his hours of recitation and put it on the mantel, and he also put his name in block letters over his alcove, on the orderly board, on his clothes-press, and on his gun-rack. Every cadet not in his room at inspection, and not at recitation at the time, was reported absent, unless his room-mate was in and could properly account for the absence. We at first thought that our studies, being so few, would be easy, but when we saw the great long lessons and had experienced the thoroughness required at recitations, we changed our opinions, and decided that much hard study was necessary.

Promptly at eight o’clock on the morning of September first, the bugle was sounded for sections to form. One half of each class “fell in.” The Cadet Officer of the Day commanded—“Front, Call your rolls.” Line was formed in the area of barracks, first classmen were nearest the Academic Building, next to them were sections of the second class, next third classmen and then the plebes. Each section-marcher facing his section, called his roll and faced to the front, then beginning with the ranking section of the first class, the section-marchers reported. The Officer of the Day then commanded “March off your sections.” If there were any absentees not excused, he hunted them up and sent them to their section rooms. The sections marched to the Academic Building, and each went to the room previously assigned, the members of each section hung their caps in the hall on hooks near the door and then filed into the room. The section-marcher took post near the center of the room, facing the instructor, who was seated on the platform opposite to the door. The members of the section went one half to the right, and the other half to the left, in front of two benches. The section-marcher saluted and reported, “All are present, Sir,” or, “Mr. ⸺ is absent, sir,” the instructor returned the salute and then the cadets sat down, the section-marcher taking seat on the right of the first half of his section. On a blackboard behind the instructor, was written the lesson for the next day, and each cadet noted it. The instructor then called Mr. ⸺, who took post in the center of the room facing the instructor. The instructor assigned to him a topic in the lesson, care being required on the part of the cadet to understand the topic which is called his “enunciation.” When he understood it, he went to a certain blackboard, and in the upper right hand corner wrote his name and number thus—Brown 1. The instructor called up another cadet who, after understanding his enunciation, went to the next board, and wrote his name and number, thus—Smith 2, and so on. Topics in the lesson of the day were assigned to the first four, and topics in the lesson of the day before were assigned to three or four others. Then one was called who took post in the center of the room, and the instructor questioned him for ten minutes or more upon such parts of either lesson that he elected, and when through said “That’ll do,” when this cadet returned to his seat. The cadets at the boards wrote on them such work as they wished pertaining to their own subjects and when ready to recite, each took a pointer in his right hand and stood at ease facing the instructor. Beginning with the cadet who was ready and had the smallest number, when he was called upon to recite the cadet, said: “I am required to” and then gave his enunciation, after which he proceeded in his own words. If the instructor was satisfied with the recitation, he said, “that’ll do” and the cadet faced about, laid down his pointer, cleaned his board, and took his seat; but if the instructor was not satisfied with the recitation, he asked such questions as he deemed proper to draw out, if possible, further information on the subject, and when through, said, “That’ll do.” This drawing out process is necessary with plebes, until they learn what is required of them in the way of recitations. No communication between cadets is allowed in the section room. When the time expired the instructor said, “That’ll do, gentlemen; section’s dismissed.” If the bugle was sounded before all had recited, those at the board who were ready to recite and had all necessary work on the board, were marked the same as if they had recited. The cadets filed out of the room, got their caps and “fell in,” then marched to the area where the line was formed and there the section was dismissed. The mark for a perfect recitation is a 3, 2.5 is a good mark, 2 is fair, 1.5 is medium, 1 poor, .5 very poor, and a zero a complete failure. Recitations go on every day except Saturday afternoons and Sundays. On Monday the marks of the previous week were posted so that the cadets could see them. The instructor never told the cadets what marks he gave them, and he could not excuse a cadet from recitation. A cadet who was sick enough to require it was taken into the hospital, or by the surgeon excused from reciting, but a cadet excused from reciting had to go to and remain in the section room, and there report to the instructor that he was excused. Nothing is gained by not reciting, because every cadet must make satisfactory recitations and pass the examinations[31] in January and June or be found deficient. At the end of the fifth or sixth week, and at times after that, transfers from one section to another were made, and some cadets were sent up and others down to other sections. By Christmas, the plebe class was pretty well dissipated by transfers.

Days, weeks and months passed with a firm, steady grind. In my day up at 5, but now 5:45 a. m., and nothing but study, recitations and drill till 9:30 p. m., except during the short half hour for recreation after each meal, the welcome half holiday on Saturdays and the change of routine on Sundays. No visitors at the Point, no hops, no nothing but hard study and drill to look forward to until the next June. It is true that Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s are always acceptable days to a cadet, but he generally eats so much turkey then, that he receives a poor mark at recitations the next day.

Not long before examination the instructor selects as many topics as there are cadets in his section and writes each topic on a separate piece of paper, turns them face down, mixes them, and then numbers them; number one being for the first cadet in the section, number two for the second, and so on, or otherwise mixes them so that no partiality be shown on examination.

Of course we could not study all of the time set apart for study, so we often devised ways and means to lighten our burdens.

All of our coats buttoned up to the chin and the white collars of my day were made so that we had to fold them lengthwise and pin them on the coat. As white shirts were not used to fasten the collar to we quit wearing them, and pinned our cuffs to the inside of the coat sleeves. We got the knack of dressing down to a fine point, no cadet wore suspenders then, so all we had to do for reveille or tattoo, was to jump into our pants, stick our feet into our oldest shoes, from which the strings had been removed, and called “reveilles,” put on the coat and cap to be worn and hustle, buttoning up just before going out of the hall-door. Two minutes gave us ample time to get from our rooms to the line in the area. Now the cadets are required to wear white shirts and the style of the white collar[32] having been changed it requires a white shirt to fasten it to.

A cadet generally carries his lead pencil stuck into his coat near the throat, but I made a little pocket on the underside of the tail of my dress-coat, just big enough for a little pen knife and a pencil an inch and a half long, and I never got “skinned” for it either. In my day, the last section was called “the Immortals” but I am told that the “Goats” have captured the name I once knew so well.

For many years, “Old Bentz” blew the bugle calls for recitations and mid rain or snow, he never missed a call, he blew it first on the north side of the Barracks, near the “Sally Port,” and then in the area. Many a cadet has stood at the blackboard, not ready to recite, praying for old Bentz to blow; once in a while he would succeed in “bugling it,” that is, avoid a recitation, but as the instructors have all been cadets themselves, the poor fellow was generally called upon to recite and got 1.5 or less for his pains.

A day or two after returning to barracks I was on post one evening in the hall of the old “sixth div.” when D⸺m, of my class, who lived in that “div.” passed through the hall with his coat unbuttoned. Of course I reported him for it. The next day the report was on the list of delinquencies read out to the battalion by the cadet adjutant. After supper that evening another classmate called on me and asked what I had against D⸺m, I said I had nothing against him and I wanted to know why he asked. He replied that D⸺m was very angry with me for having reported him for “coat unbuttoned in hall of barracks.” I was surprised and said that I had to report him or tell a lie to the officer or corporal of the guard. Up to that time D⸺m had not been on guard in barracks and he did not know the orders, so he consulted an upper classman about the report and learned that I had done my duty. Then he came to me and said, “I sent a friend to challenge you but find that you are right and I wrong, so I want to beg your pardon.” Had I not have reported D⸺m I would have gotten into serious trouble, because the cadets themselves have no use for a liar or a thief. As I have said the rooms of barracks are never locked, hence any cadet will promptly report another for stealing and the thief[33] is summarily dealt with by the authorities.

In barracks a sentinel is posted in each hall, and he walks post only during meal hours, evening call to quarters, and Sunday[34] call to quarters. When a relief is to be taken off post and no new sentinels are to be posted, such as after meals and at tattoo, the corporal of the relief on post, beginning at the first division hall, calls, “No. 1 Off,” marches him to the second division and calls, “No. 2 Off,” and so on until the eight sentinels are off, the relief is then marched to the guard house, and there dismissed. The spirit of deviltry used to crop out in the average fourth classman, as soon as his plebe camp was over, and he often laid awake at night devising ways and means for sweet revenge upon the next class or even upon the “Seps” of his own class, before they became acquainted with one another. One night a June plebe discovered that the sentinels on Posts 1, 2 and 3, were Seps of his own class, and that they were on guard for their first time. A happy thought came to this June plebe. He put on his overcoat, turned the collar up to hide his face, got his rifle, and just before time for the Corporal to take off his Relief at tattoo, this plebe took off the Relief himself. The first three sentinels being green Seps “fell in” without a suspicion of anything wrong, and the older cadets of the Relief knowing that it was about time to be relieved, also fell in. Just as the June plebe was approaching the guard house with the Relief, Lieutenant K⸺g saw the Corporal of this Relief in the guard house watching the clock, hence he knew that some devilment was up. The plebe saw that the Lieutenant saw him, so he fled to his room, with the Lieutenant after him and the members of the Relief ran back to their posts. The plebe was caught and he walked “extras” for many a Saturday afternoon for his fun; and the Corporal was reduced to the ranks for allowing his Relief to be improperly relieved.

Cadets do not salute one another except on occasions of ceremony prescribed by the regulations. Plebes address one another as Jones or Smith, but they say[35] Mr. Jones and Mr. Smith in speaking of them to an officer, or to an upper classman. In speaking to or of an officer, they use his title, but in speaking to or of an upper classman, they say[35] Mr. White or Mr. Black. Upper classmen address one another as White and Black, but they say Mr. White or Mr. Black in speaking of them to an officer or to a plebe. In speaking to or of an officer they use his title, but in speaking to or of a plebe, they say Mr. Jones or Mr. Smith. Officers in speaking to or of a cadet say Mr. Jones or Mr. White. Cadet titles are used only by the cadets having them, and then only in their permits and explanations, thus—Cadet Corporal, Cadet Sergeant, etc. Except officially, officers and cadets rarely speak to one another. At first it seemed very strange to recite to an officer for months, and to pass him on the plain without a friendly word being exchanged, the military salute being the only recognition. It is best that it is that way, as it avoids intimacy and favoritism.

When the first snow fell, I was greatly amused to see one of my classmates who had never seen it snow. He ran out into the area bare-headed (and was reported for being in the area without cap). He held out his hands and then opened his mouth to catch the flakes; it was a soft fine snow and melted as soon as it touched anything, so he could not catch any of the flakes, yet he could see them in the air and he appeared dumbfounded.

Now that we did not have to carry palms of the hands to the front we used to walk more about the post. I say walk, because we were not allowed to ride. We found our way occasionally to the Dutchwoman’s,[36] near the postoffice[37] (as no permits were needed to go there in my day), where cadets having a little change, or who, being out of debt, could get ice cream, cakes, pies, etc. On Saturday afternoons we went down “Flirtation Walk,” a beautiful stroll along the Hudson, or up to Cro’ Nest, the highest peak for miles around, or to old Fort Putnam, on a hill west of the Barracks, and once in a while to Kinsley’s orchard.[38] The only reason I can think of having gone to Kinsley’s is, that it was then “off limits,” and the Regulations said cadets caught off limits should be dismissed, or otherwise less severely punished. Christmas season had much in store for us. We received boxes of sweetmeats from home, we had a theatrical performance in the Mess Hall, and some of us, and I was one, had a three days’ “leave” from the Point. This leave was granted to cadets having not over six demerits for the past six months. But few cadets obtained leaves, and those who did were envied by the less fortunate fellows. Everybody enjoyed the boxes from home, because cadets are proverbially generous, and divide their good things with those who do not receive boxes. Many were “skinned” and given demerits for grease upon their floors after the boxes came. The cadets are not now permitted to receive Christmas boxes. An entertainment was given on New Year’s Eve, in the Mess Hall. A temporary stage was erected, and all of the actors, “actresses” and members of the orchestra were cadets.

A PARODY ON HOHENLINDEN.

At West Point, when the sun was low,
All spotless lay the untrodden snow,
And dark as winter was the flow
Of Hudson rolling rapidly.

But West Point saw another sight.
Loud groans were heard at dead of night,
And plebeians howled with wild affright,
Whilst dreaming of Geometry.

’Twas morn, but on that luckless day
The morning brought no cheering ray,
To pierce the mist of Algebra,
Or clear it of perplexity.

In glittering armor, bright arrayed,
Each teacher drew his battle blade,
And furious each plebeian made,
To witness such pomposity.

Then shook the hills with thunder river,
As each plebe to the blackboard driven
Despairing of all hopes of Heaven,
In view of his deficiency

And fainter still his hopes did grow,
When he received a big zero;
His throbbing bosom rent with woe,
The tears came railing rapidly.

“Immortals” falter! On! ye brave!
Who rush to glory or the grave,
Wave! plebeians; All thy banners wave!
And charge that Trigonometry.

The lesson o’er—the hovering cloud
Hath burst in torrents, wild and loud,
And buried in one common shroud
The essence of stupidity.

The “found” shall part, no more to meet,
For Math has been their winding sheet,
And every “hash” they now shall eat
Brings curses to the memory.

* * * * *

PROGRAMME

OF THE

Entertainment Given by the
U. S. Corps of Cadets,

NEW YEAR’S EVE., 1869
WEST POINT.

Overture Orchestra