The Franklin Mint History of the United States, 1776-1973
Manufacturer
The Franklin Mint
DateNo Date
MediumSilver
DimensionsOverall: 1 3/4 in. (45 mm.)
ClassificationsDecorative arts
Credit LineGift of Dr. Eugene F. Poutasse
Object number76.81.27
On View
Not on viewThe 1802 medal: U.S Military Academy Established
The United States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. was officially established on March 16, 1802 when Congress authorized a Corps of Engineers, composed of five officers and ten cadets, and directed that they be the nucleus of a military academy. There were, additionally, 176 cadetships for troops of the line but they were not eligible for admission to the Academy which was limited to military engineers. Jonathan Williams, Chief of Engineers, was the first Superintendent.
The Academy initially made use of the buildings that were formerly a part of this Hudson River fortress during the Revolution. George Washington had long worked for the establishment of an officer training school. Supported by Alexander Hamilton and Secretary of War Henry Knox, Congress in 1794 had established at West Point a "School for Artillerists and Engineers" but it was no more than a military apprenticeship. The later Military Academy soon degenerated to the same level. A superintendent that was away much of the time, an antagonistic Secretary of War (William Eutis), and a weak curriculum and standards led to virtual extinction of the school by the time of the War of 1812.
The U.S Military Academy as we know it today dates from 1817 when Colonel Sylvanus Thayer, the "Father of the Military Academy," become Superintendent and began the "no nosense" emphasis on character, discipline and honor.
The Academy's military value was realized during the Mexican War and the Civil War. Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee were among its graduates. After the Civil War, the engineering emphasis was dropped in favor of general training. Notable among later career officer graduates, to whom the Academy can look back with pride, are John J. Pershing, Douglas MacArthur and Dwight D. Eisenhower.
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