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The United States Military Academy Biography & Facts
The United States Military Academy (USMA) (West Point or Army) is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort during the American Revolutionary War, as it sits on strategic high ground overlooking the Hudson River 50 miles (80 km) north of New York City. It is the oldest of the five American service academies and educates cadets for commissioning into the United States Army. Candidates for admission must apply directly to the academy and receive a nomination, usually from a member of Congress. Other nomination sources include the president and vice president. Students are officers-in-training and are referred to as "cadets" or collectively as the "United States Corps of Cadets" (USCC). The Army fully funds tuition for cadets in exchange for an active duty service obligation upon graduation. About 1,300 cadets enter the academy each July, with about 1,000 cadets graduating. The academic program grants a Bachelor of Science degree with a curriculum that grades cadets' performance upon a broad academic program, military leadership performance, and mandatory participation in competitive athletics. The academy's traditions have influenced other institutions because of its age and unique mission. It was the first American college to have an accredited civil engineering program and the first to have class rings, and its technical curriculum became a model for engineering schools. West Point's student body has a unique rank structure and lexicon. The academy fields 15 men's and nine women's National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) sports teams. Cadets compete in one sport every fall, winter, and spring season at the intramural, club, or intercollegiate level. Its football team was a national power in the early and mid-20th century, winning three national championships. Among the country's public institutions, the academy is the top producer of Marshall and Rhodes scholars. Its alumni are collectively referred to as "The Long Gray Line," which include U.S. Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and Ulysses S. Grant; Confederate President Jefferson Davis; Confederate general Robert E. Lee; American poet Edgar Allan Poe; U.S. generals Douglas MacArthur and George Patton; presidents of Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and the Philippines; and 76 Medal of Honor recipients. History Colonial period, founding, and early years The Continental Army first occupied West Point, New York, on 27 January 1778, and it is the oldest continuously operating Army post in the United States. Between 1778 and 1780, the Polish engineer and military hero Tadeusz Kościuszko oversaw the construction of the garrison defenses. However, Kościuszko's plan of a system of small forts did not meet with the approval of New York Governor (and General) George Clinton or the other general officers. It was determined that a battery along the river to "annoy the shipping" was more appropriate, and Washington's chief engineer, Rufus Putnam, directed the construction of a major fortification on a hill 500 feet (150 m) above sea level that commanded the West Point plain. General Alexander McDougall named it Fort Putnam. The Great Hudson River Chain and high ground above the narrow "S" curve in the river enabled the Continental Army to prevent the Royal Navy from sailing upriver and dividing Patriot forces in the Northern colonies from the south. While the fortifications at West Point were known as Fort Arnold during the war, as commander, Benedict Arnold committed his act of treason, attempting to turn the fort over to the British. After Arnold betrayed the patriot cause, the Army changed the name of the fortifications at West Point, New York, to Fort Clinton, named after General James Clinton. With the peace after the American Revolutionary War, various ordnance and military stores were left deposited at West Point. "Cadets" underwent training in artillery and engineering studies at the garrison since 1794. During the Quasi-War, Alexander Hamilton laid out plans for the establishment of a military academy at West Point and introduced "A Bill for Establishing a Military Academy" in the House of Representatives. In 1801, shortly after his inauguration as president, Thomas Jefferson directed that plans be set in motion to establish at West Point the United States Military Academy. He selected Jonathan Williams to serve as its first superintendent. Congress formally authorized the establishment and funding of the school with the Military Peace Establishment Act of 1802, which Jefferson signed on 16 March. The academy officially commenced operations on 4 July 1802. The academy graduated Joseph Gardner Swift, its first official graduate, in October 1802. He later returned as Superintendent from 1812 to 1814. In its tumultuous early years, the academy featured few standards for admission or length of study. Cadets ranged in age from 10 years to 37 years and attended between 6 months to 6 years. The impending War of 1812 caused the United States Congress to authorize a more formal system of education at the academy and increased the size of the Corps of Cadets to 250. In 1817, Colonel Sylvanus Thayer became the Superintendent and established the curriculum, elements of which are still in use as of 2020. Thayer instilled strict disciplinary standards, set a standard course of academic study, and emphasized honorable conduct. He was very much inspired by the curriculum of the French École Polytechnique where he had been sent upon his demand for two years in order to study the scientific and technological achievements developed by the French Republican faction and bring them back to the United States. Known as the "Father of the Military Academy," he is honored with a monument on campus for the profound impact he had upon the academy. Founded as a school of engineering, for the first half of the 19th century, USMA produced graduates who gained recognition for engineering the bulk of the nation's initial railway lines, bridges, harbors and roads. The academy was the only engineering school in the country until the founding of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1824. It was so successful in its engineering curriculum that it significantly influenced every American engineering school founded prior to the Civil War. In 1835, during the Army's first year of the Second Seminole War, they had only three generals: Winfield Scott, Edmund P. Gaines, and Thomas S. Jesup. The Army's remaining fourteen generals "held their rank by brevet only," and none of them were West Point graduates. Nearly the only way to obtain a commission up to 1835, was through the academy, "which created loud complaint", and added to the "Jacksonian Democracy...a deep desire to get rid of the Academy, where, Jacksonians were sure, an aristocratic tradition was being bred." The Mexican–American War brought the academy to prominence as graduates proved themselves in battle for the first time. Future Civil W.... Discover the The United States Military Academy popular books. Find the top 100 most popular The United States Military Academy books.
Best Seller The United States Military Academy Books of 2024
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Army Regulation AR 150-1 United States Military Academy Organization, Administration, and Operation March 2019
United States Government US ArmyThis manual, Army Regulation AR 1501 United States Military Academy Organization, Administration, and Operation March 2019, provides policy and procedures for the command and contr...
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The Pentagon Papers
Neil Sheehan, Hedrick Smith, James L. Greenfield, E. W. Kenworthy & Fox Butterfield“The WikiLeaks of its day” (Time) is as relevant as ever to presentday American politics.“The most significant leaks of classified material in American history.” –The Washington Po...
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The Long Road to Annapolis
William P. LeemanThe United States established an academy for educating future army officers at West Point in 1802. Why, then, did it take this maritime nation fortythree more years to create a sim...
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Historic Photos of United States Naval Academy
James W. CheeversWith a proud tradition reaching back to its founding in 1845, the United States Naval Academy today pursues its role as the nation’s premier institution dedicated to teaching and m...
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When Saturday Mattered Most
Mark BeechWhen Saturday Mattered Most is the stirring story of the 1958 undefeated Army football team and the controversial coach who inspired Vince LombardiIt was the end of an era, the las...
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Death at the Little Bighorn
Phillip Thomas TuckerOn the hot Sunday afternoon of June 25, 1876, Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer decided to go for broke. After dividing his famed 7th Cavalry, he ordered his senior office...
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Guiding Lights
Nancy ArbuthnotIn this easytouse reference, Naval Academy English professor Nancy Prothro Arbuthnot tells the stories behind sixty of the Academy's monuments and memorials. To personalize the mem...
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Freedom by the Sword
William A. DobakThe Civil War changed the United States in many wayseconomic, political, and social. Of these changes, none was more important than Emancipation. Besides freeing nearly four millio...
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Darkside
P. T. DeutermannA midshipman's sixstory fall onto a plaza at the United States Naval Academy is classified initially as an accident. The Academy's administrationnonetooaffectionately called the 'D...
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Assault at West Point, The Court Martial of Johnson Whittaker
John MarszalekA dramatic account of one of the most momentous trials in American history.Set in the 1880s, this riveting story focuses on Whittaker, a former slave who became the third black man...
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The West Point History of the Civil War
The United States Military AcademyThe definitive military history of the Civil War, featuring the same exclusive images, tactical maps, and expert analysis commissioned by The United States Military Academy to teac...
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Five Came Back
Mark HarrisOne of The Hollywood Reporter’s 100 Greatest Film Books of All Time“One of the great works of film history of the decade.” SlateNow a Netflix original documentary series, also...
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Henry Knox
Mark PulsMark Puls delivers a compelling portrait of the Revolutionary War general who played a key role in all of George Washington's battles.During the Siege of Boston, Henry Knox's amazi...
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West Point History of the American Revolution
The United States Military AcademyThis is the definitive concise military history of the Revolutionary War and the fourth volume in the West Point History of Warfare series is packed with essential images, exclusiv...
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Historic Photos of United States Naval Academy
James W. CheeversWith a proud tradition reaching back to its founding in 1845, the United States Naval Academy today pursues its role as the nation’s premier institution dedicated to teaching and m...
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The Long Gray Line
Rick AtkinsonThe New York Times bestseller about West Point's Class of 1966, by Pulitzer Prizewinning journalist and author Rick Atkinson. "A story of epic proportions [and] an awesome feat o...
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Walk the Blue Line
James Patterson, Matt Eversmann & Chris MooneyFrom the #1 New York Times bestselling authors of Walk in My Combat Boots: truelife stories from the men and women who protect and serve our homes, families and communities.Protect...
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Attack of Fortified Places. Including Siege-works, Mining, and Demolitions.
James MercurWith centuries of literature, it's inevitable that some will fall through the cracks. We hunt down public domain works and restore them so they're not lost to the world. Who are w...
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Guide to West Point, and the U.S. Military Academy
Various ArtistsFiftyone miles above New York, on the west bank of the Hudson river, in the midst of scenery of the most picturesque and impressive character, and on a bold shelving plateau, forme...
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Annapolis
William MartinFrom the days of pirate raids on the Chesapeake to swiftboat actions in Vietnam, the Staffords and their traditional rivals, the Parrishes, struggle with foreign enemies and each o...
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Army Regulation AR 150-1 United States Military Academy Organization, Administration, and Operation January 2021
United States Government US ArmyThis United States Army manual, Army Regulation AR 1501 United States Military Academy Organization, Administration, and Operation January 2021, provides policy and procedures for ...
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Columbia Military Academy
Turner PublishingAn outstanding historical record of the Columbia Military Academy (preparatory school, 19041979) in Columbia, Tennessee. Graduates became leaders in their fields, and many pursued ...
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United States Naval Academy, The
Christopher MillerFor 178 years, the United States Naval Academy has trained and educated young men and women to be commissioned officers in the US Navy and US Marine Corps. The Naval Academy is the...
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The Herndon Climb
James McNeal & Scott TomasheskiThe Herndon Climb is an important and meaningful ritual in Naval Academy culture. Scaling the heavily greased, 21foot tall Herndon Monument as a group at the very end of the year f...
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The West Point History of World War II, Vol. 2
The United States Military AcademyThe definitive, musthave military history of World War IIspanning 1942 until the end of the warpacked with the same expert analysis, exclusive tactical maps, unique graphics, and h...
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The Other Custers
Bill Yenne & George Armstrong CusterNot one, not two, but three Custer brothers died at the Little Bighornand so did their only sister's husband. Most do not realize that not one, not two, but three Custer brothers d...
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Fifth World Conference on Information Security Education
Lynn Futcher & Ronald DodgeInternational Federation for Information ProcessingThe IFIP series publishes stateoftheart results in the sciences and technologies of information and communication. The scop...