Mahi Mahi – Jun 6; West Point Academy, West Point NY

The West Point Academy (United States Military Academy)
West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. Located on the Hudson River, West Point was identified by General George Washington as the most important strategic position in America during the American Revolution.

Until January 1778, West Point was not occupied by the military. On January 27, 1778, Brigadier General Samuel Holden Parsons and his brigade crossed the ice on the Hudson River and climbed to the plain on West Point and from that day to the present, West Point has been occupied by the United States Army. It comprises approximately 16,000 acres including the campus of the United States Military Academy, which is commonly called “West Point”.

The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known as West Point – is a four-year educational federal service academy. It is one of the five U.S. military service academies and the oldest military academy in the nation (1778). Like the Naval Academy, West Point provides a 4 year FREE education, for 5 years of military service.

We went on a 90 minute, semi-private tour of only 6 people 🙂

Unlike Annapolis, West Point is on a very large campus, and the tour was given on/off of a nice air conditioned bus. The tour started at the visitors center where everyone had to get their ticket & security screening.

On the bus ride out, our tour guide Mary talked about some famous grads of West Point including ; Generals Ulysses S. Grant, Robert E. Lee, Douglass MacArthur, Dwight Eisenhower, & George Patton.

Interesting – both Ulysses S. Grant & Robert E. Lee were both West Point Grads. But Robert E Lee, lived in Virginia and thus served for the Confederate Army.

Douglass McCarthur was 1st in his class at West Point & the youngest general.

Like Annapolis, West Point also has their class of Astronauts ; Frank Borman, Buzz Aldrin.

On the bus ride out, we passed by the Army Football Field, Michie Stadium.
Michie Stadium, built in 1924, is named for Dennis Mahan Michie (USMA Class of 1893), who organized, managed and coached the first football team at West Point in 1890. We also got to see about 30 seconds of the Army Football Team.

The tour began at The Cadet Chapel (1830).
The Cadet Chapel is one of several churches on campus and is a non-denominational church. It was built by marble specialists from Italy, who were awarded citizenship after their hard work. The construction took only 2 years.

Some of the features of the Chapel –
1. Willet Stained Glass – just over 20,000 pieces of stained glass. The Willet company was awarded the business over Tiffany.

Fallen Heroes Row – identified with a candle & equipped with a cable closing off the row. The closed pew is to honor/rember fallen West Point heroes.

The Cadet Chapel Organ – The organ has an impressive 23,511 organ pipes & a keyboard that looks like a fighter jet control station. The organ pipes are as short as a pencil & as long as 23ft. Mary said that there have been only “FOUR” organists in the history of West Point, it is a very prestigious position that one gets awarded and never gives up until near death.

Our next stop on the Tour was The Battle Monument.
The Battle Monument (Civil War)
The Battle Monument includes upside down torches at the base of the statue, with 8 large bronze balls.
Inscribed on the 8 bronze “cannon balls”, are straps circling the the balls which show the names of 2,230 Officers and Soldiers who died for the Union Army during the Civil War. On the perimeter of the statue in the lawn, are cannons buried upside down into the ground, which all are intended to say “let us never be at war with our own brothers again”.

Near the Battle Monument, there are a bunch of cannons. Our guide Mary gave the story that there is one cannon from every war the Army had victory. The cannons are real cannons taken from the enemy after the end of significant wars.

The “Point” of West Point, The S-Turn, and The Chain.
After looking at all the monuments & cannons, we went to the riverfront and were informed that The United Sates Military Academy is called West Point because ; It resides in the city of West Point New York, but also because of its pointed location on the Hudson River. It is on a beautiful bluff, high above a sharp “S-turn” on the Hudson River. The beautiful photo supplied by Deena.

The sharp, nearly 90-degree turn in the river forced sailing ships of the 18th century to slow down significantly to navigate it.

This geographical feature, combined with the high ground surrounding West Point, created a commanding position for the Continental Army to control the river and prevent British ships from sailing north, thus dividing the eastern & western colonies.

The West Point Chain – The “S-turn” also provided a very narrow strategic location for the Continental Army to install a Large Iron Chain across the river to further obstruct enemy ships. While never tested in battle, the chain and its location at the S-turn proved effective in deterring British advancement.
The chain was constructed in 1778 under the supervision of Thaddeus Kosciuszko, a Polish engineer, and General George Washington. It was made of 1,200 links of wrought iron, weighed 65 tons, and stretched 1,700 feet
There is a monument which has 13 Links of the actual chain.

Control of the Hudson River was vital to both the American and British forces, as it served as a major transportation route for troops and supplies. West Point, situated at this strategic bend, was considered the “most important post in America” by General George Washington. Here is a graphic which shows how the western & eastern colonies could have been separated if West Point & the Hudson River had been lost to the British.

Next stop was the statue of General John Sedgwick.
He was wounded but not killed 3 times in battle, leading to the phrase “Lucky Sedgwick”
Legend holds that if a cadet is deficient in academics, the cadet should go to the monument at midnight the night before the term-end examination, in full dress, under arms, and spin the spurs on Sedgwick’s boots. With the resulting good luck, the cadet will pass the test.
I’m not so sure it works, Sedgwick is also known for his last spoken words “”They couldn’t hit an elephant at this distance” , right before he was killed by a sharp shooter.

During the tour, one of the other folks brought up – Benedict Arnold.
Benedict Arnold was a general during the American Revolutionary War who fought heroically for the American Continental Army. He was thought of so highly by George Washington, that he had Washington’s fullest confidence, and was given command of the fortifications at West Point. Thru a series of career events (lack of promotion) which soured Arnold against the new American Military, Arnold felt betrayed for all of his service, was offered money by the British, & planned to surrender West Point to British forces by giving away top secret West Point documents. But in September 1780 the plot was discovered and Arnold escaped with minutes to spare. His name quickly became a byword in the United States for treason and betrayal because he betrayed his countrymen by leading the British army in battle against the men whom he once commanded.

The West Point Cemetery
During this tour with Jerry & Deena, we did not go to the cemetery, but I did remember how cool it was from the tour that Jonell & I went on in 2018, so I Goolged a few tid-bits of information & some photos.
The cemetery overlooks the Hudson River, and served as a burial ground for Revolutionary War Soldiers and early West Point inhabitants before 1817, when it was officially designated as a Military Cemetery. Now the Cemetery allows burial for anyone who attended West Point and their family. The cemetery has many famous “old & recent” customers like General George Armstrong Custer & General Norman Schwarzkopf.

It was another great history lesson, today at The United States Military Academy.

Thanks for taking the time to read.

Mike, Deena, & Jerry