The Naval Academy in Five Wars

The United States Naval Academy has furnished naval officers for service in five different wars in which our country has fought; the Mexican War, the Civil War, the War with Spain, and the two World Wars. The leaders that it has supplied to the Navy have been the equals or the superiors of any that its foes could offer. These men have paid back a thousand-fold to the country's taxpayers the entire cost of equipping and running this institution for the last century. Each war has left its mark on the Academy in some way, and each war has made the public better acquainted with the solid worth of the institution which it was financing. Not only has the Naval Academy trained officers for war leadership but between wars it has kept abreast or a little ahead of naval developments so that when the embers of the next war were kindled the nation found its Navy's officers trained and ready for the next conflict. It found the Navy's equipment as good or a little better than the equipment of its opponents.

THE MEXICAN WAR

When war was declared on Mexico, May 13, 1846, the Naval Academy (known as the Naval School until 1850) had been in existence but seven months. On May 14 its Superintendent, Commander Franklin Buchanan, requested the Navy Department for orders for "immediate, active service at sea." George Bancroft, the Secretary, refused his request but softened the refusal with "Were it not for the important business in which you are at present engaged, you would be one of the first on whom the Department would call." The midshipmen under his command felt a similar urge and 56 of them applied for active service. A few of the 56 applicants were rewarded for their temerity by getting almost immediate action. On May 20, 1846, a week after the declaration of war, Acting Midshipmen W. B. Hayes, Thomas T. Houston, and John Adams were ordered to report to the U.S.S. Dale. These three men were the first midshipmen ever ordered into active war service from the Academy. Midshipman S. S. Bassett was ordered to the brig Truxtun on the 25th, Acting Midshipman John R. Hamilton on May 30 was ordered to the Dale, and on June 2 Midshipmen Seth L. Phelps and H. G. D. Brown were ordered to report to the Commandant of the New York Navy Yard. The rest of the applicants, however, were obliged to complete their term and take their promotion examinations for Passed Midshipmen. The Board of Examiners adjourned on July 10, 1846. Those who passed their examinations of the date of 1840 (midshipmen who had first received their appointments in the year 1840) were ordered to their homes to await further orders. Forty-seven midshipmen of this date received their commissions as Passed Midshipmen, dated July 11, 1846, and were soon ordered into active service. The midshipmen of the date of 1840 who were rejected and all of the date of 1841 were permitted to go on leave of absence until October 10. The acting midshipmen (the men who had come to the Naval School without previous sea experience) were ordered to sea. It seems probable that their sea duty was given them mainly for practical experience and lasted only until the beginning of the next academic year.

The midshipmen of the date of 1840 who were promoted to Passed Midshipmen on July 11, 1846, were really the first graduates of the Naval School, though they had studied at the institution for considerably less than a year. Owing to the war Secretary Bancroft advanced their examinations by four months, making it possible for them to get into active service that much earlier.

In October, 1846, Bancroft ordered to the School about one-third of the 1841 date, who were graduated and commissioned Passed Midshipmen on August 10, 1847. Thirty-six men were in this group, thus making 90 officers furnished by the infant Naval School to the Navy, in this, the first war in which the Navy had fought since the close of our second war with Great Britain. The second group of the 1841 date had already seen active war service. There was much grumbling among the midshipmen because they were obliged to study ashore in wartime, when they all craved the excitement and possible glory of service afloat. The Secretary indeed showed them consideration by shortening their course and sending them to sea, a precedent that has been followed by the Naval Academy in all subsequent wars. But Mr. Bancroft judged rightly that the Naval School must be maintained whether or not the country was at war. Incidentally, it seems now quite possible that this Mexican War saved the School from being snuffed out early in its existence. A strong group in Congress had opposed its establishment and were equally opposed to its continuance. But their arguments could hardly carry much weight with a war in progress and with the School steadily turning out trained officers to meet service needs. During the year 1846-47 about 56 midshipmen were in attendance. These men raised a fund for the first monument to be erected in the yard, a monument in honor of the midshipmen lost at sea or killed in action during the Mexican War. It is called the Mexican Monument to this day.

On February 2, 1847, Commander Buchanan again requested sea duty and on March 2 was ordered to the command of the sloop-of-war Germantown. He was detached on March 8. Lieutenant James H. Ward, the Commandant of Midshipmen, acted as Superintendent until late in March when he was succeeded by Commander George P. Upshur, the second Superintendent. Ward was detached from the School the same year and served on the frigate Cumberland in the Gulf of Mexico. Later he was given command of the steamer Vixen.

During the year 1847-48 attendance was irregular. Thirty-one sessions of the Board were convened to examine 37 midshipmen for admission. They came one at a time at intervals of a few days apart. Orders came detaching them singly or in groups of two or more. No practice ships had yet been provided and there was no way of teaching them seamanship or great gun drill afloat. The irregularities in attendance, admission, and detachment of the midshipmen created an almost impossible situation. The burden of maintaining proper classes for this constantly changing student body was almost insuperable. In spite of mounting difficulties, Commander Upshur, a gentle, patient man, endeavored to meet each situation as it arose and held the School together until after the close of the war.

THE CIVIL WAR

The outbreak of the Civil War, 13 years after the close of the War with Mexico, found the Academy in a vastly improved situation. The institution was now officially designated as the United States Naval Academy. It required a four-year course of its students with practice cruises each summer. Each of its students came direct from civil life. They were not known as midshipmen but as "Acting Midshipmen on probation at the Naval Academy." This cumbersome title was, however, changed by the naval reorganization act of July 16, 1862. After that date they were appointed to the Naval Academy as midshipmen. There was a special reason for this change, related directly to the exigencies of the war. As an "Acting Midshipman" his status, if captured in a practice ship by the Confederates, was questionable. But the cartel or exchange value of a midshipman was definitely fixed, at that time, as equal to seven Army or Marine privates, or to seven ordinary seamen. By this naval reorganization act the old title of passed midshipman was abolished and the new grade of ensign was established, a grade made equal to that of a second lieutenant in the Army or the Marine Corps. Each midshipman, after graduation and Upon completion of two years' service at sea, was entitled to receive his commission as ensign. An Act of Congress of March 7, 1912, eliminated the two years of sea service.

The Naval Academy made a very real contribution to the service during the four years of the Civil War. On January 1, 1864, there were 317 commissioned officers in the Federal Navy, who were graduates of the Naval Academy or of the old Naval School; 142 lieutenant commanders, 85 lieutenants, 58 ensigns, and 32 acting ensigns. And on January 1, 1865, there were 138 lieutenant commanders in the service, 113 lieutenants on the active list, 21 ensigns on the active list, 32 acting ensigns, and 31 midshipmen who had been graduated on November 22, 1864. (For some reason these recent graduates were not yet listed as ensigns. It seems most likely that the Navy Register published on January 1 of each year was made up before or about the time of their graduation.) On January 1, 1865, there were 455 midshipmen at the Naval Academy. Up to the class of 1860, 72 graduates of the Naval Academy resigned, "went South," or were dismissed. Twenty-three graduates of classes after 1860 also "went South." The oldest graduates in the service were, of course, the officers of the date of 1840 who had been made Passed Midshipmen on July 11, 1846. Fourteen of this date were still living and in service when the war broke out. Twelve of these men became lieutenant commanders on July 16, 1862, the date of the naval reorganization bill, but none of them rose above the rank of commander before the close of the war. The Naval Academy had been in existence only twenty years when the war closed and could furnish no officer of flag rank or even of the grade of captain during the war. But they did add to the fleet a body of trained, reliable, competent junior officers who were the backbone of the service. Two men of the date of 1840, William Nelson and Samuel P. Carter, felt that they could serve their country more effectively in the Army and were allowed to follow their preference. Nelson was killed by a brother officer in 1862, but Carter rose to the grade of major general in the Army, and returning to the Navy after the war, rose to the rank of rear admiral. No other officer in the long history of either service ever has established such a record for himself in both services.

When the year 1861 opened, the clouds of war were just over the horizon. Yet the midshipmen tried hard to carry on as though nothing were amiss in the country. On January 1, according to the Officer of the Day's Journal? "A large number of midshipmen were granted leave to attend the ball on board the Constitution." But on January 4 it was recorded that "This day was recommended by President Buchanan as a day of fasting and prayer." On January 5, "The midshipmen of the Constitution gave a hop this evening. Very well attended by the ladies." It should be stated here that the famed frigate Constitution had been brought to the Naval Academy during the previous summer. The members of the Fourth Class were quartered on board her. The Journal recorded on January 14, "All the midshipmen from Alabama sent in their resignations this P.M." On March 19 it recorded that "Mr. J. L. Lovell (Photographist) came into the Yard and commenced preparations for taking pictures of the graduating class." These pictures taken by Mr. Lovell, together with photographs of the staff of instructors and many of the Academy's buildings, were bound into a small volume, which is now in the keeping of the Naval Academy Library.

Captain William Harwar Parker, of the United States Navy and later of the Confederate States Navy, in his book, Recollections of a Naval Officer, gives a graphic account of happenings at the Naval Academy during the tense winter and spring of 1861:

In the summer of 1860 I was ordered to the Naval Academy for the second time, and in September reported for duty as instructor of seamanship and naval tactics, and entered upon my duties. Captain George S. Blake was at this time Superintendent of the Academy. . . . It may well be imagined that the constant state of excitement in which we were kept was not conducive to hard study; yet so good was the discipline that everything went on as usual, and the midshipmen were kept closely to their duties. As the states seceded, the students appointed from them generally resigned with the consent of their parents; but their departures were quietly taken, and the friendships they had contracted at the school remained unimpaired. Affairs remained in this state until the bombardment of Fort Sumter, April 11-13; but after that, as war was now certain, the scholastic duties were discontinued and the place assumed more the appearance of a garrison. I resigned my commission on the 19th of April 1861, upon hearing of the secession of Virginia.

After Fort Sumter had been fired upon, the rebellion of the Southern States had become so threatening that fear was felt for the safety of the Academy. The port and city of Annapolis had certain distinct advantages as a base of operations against Washington and the arms and ammunition stored at the Academy invited attack. The old frigate Constitution would also have been a rich prize. Under these circumstances, every possible preparation was made for the defense of the place. But the means of defense were limited. The grounds of the Academy were commanded by neighboring heights, and the Constitution lay aground except at high tide. On April 15, the Superintendent, Captain Blake, notified the Navy Department that he would defend the Constitution if it were attacked. But in the meantime the Federal Government was taking steps to insure the safety of the frigate and of the Academy. It was realized that the port of Annapolis must be kept open for the movement of troops and supplies by water to the city and thence by rail to Washington.

The story of these tense April days has been told often and well, but it has not been told better or more concisely than by the youthful midshipmen whose duty it was to keep the Officer of the Day's Journal, young men who were on the spot at the time and knew exactly what was happening from day to day.

U. S. Naval Academy, April 21, 1861.

Day opened clear and pleasant. At an early hour the acting midshipmen were ordered to assemble at their usual places of mounting guard. At 7 o'clock A.M. the steamer Maryland with troops on board destined for Washington City steamed in from her anchorage of the previous night and came up alongside the Constitution. The midshipmen on board were moved on shore in the morning and quartered in the buildings, when the Constitution slipped her cables and was towed out by the steamer into ,the stream. "Divine, Service" was not performed owing to the extra guard mounting. After supper the drum beat to quarters for the purpose of "inspection," after which regular guard was mounted and sentinels and patrols were distributed about the Yard.

Respectfully submitted,

H. E. Mullan.

The steamer Maryland, mentioned by Midshipman Mullan, was a Chesapeake Bay ferryboat commandeered by General Benjamin F. Butler, and the troops on board her were the 8th Massachusetts Regiment, commanded by Butler himself.

With the Constitution safely at anchor in Annapolis Roads and with Butler's troops on the Academy grounds, all fears for the safety of the institution seem to have disappeared that Sunday morning of April 21. For further events let us return to the faithful Journal:

April 22, 1861.

Commenced clear and pleasant with a light breeze from the Sd. and Wd. At 4.30 A.M. the steamer Boston with the N. Y. State Regiment on board hove in sight and stood into the harbor. At 5 p.m. the Boston came alongside the long wharf, landed her troops, which after disembarking were drawn up in the rear of the Recitation Hall and Midshipmen's Quarters. The members of the Seventh Regiment were quartered for the night in the different rooms of the Recitation Hall. There were no recitations or exercises for the Midshipmen today they being occupied throughout the day in extra guard duty. The steamer Maryland with Massachusetts troops on board is still aground on the shoal off Greenbury Point. The school ship Constitution is safely anchored in Annapolis Roads.

Respectfully submitted,

John W. Philip.

The John W. Philip who signed the above entry was the Captain "Jack" Philip of Spanish-American war fame, who admonished his men after the Battle of Santiago: "Don't cheer, boys, those poor fellows are dying,"

April 23, 1861.

This day commenced clear, cold and pleasant and continued so throughout. The usual calls to studies and recitations were sounded but no recitations were heard, the Recitation Hall being occupied by the troops now in the grounds. The acting midshipmen were exercised by Professor Lockwood in infantry and artillery tactics combined. During the forenoon the steamer Maryland was gotten off the bar and her troops to the amount of about 600 were landed.

April 24, 1861.

Several steamers with troops on board hove in sight. These troops were destined for Washington. Among the vessels were the Baltic and the Coast Guard Steamer Harriet Lane. Several thousand more troops were landed and were quartered in the Yard, occupying the midshipmen's class rooms. Ten of the First Class received orders to report to Washington.

One of the ten members of the First Class so ordered was Midshipman William T. Sampson, later Superintendent of the Naval Academy and commander of the North Atlantic Squadron in our War with Spain.

As Captain Parker has already stated, most of the midshipmen from the South resigned when they received word that their native states had seceded. According to the Navy Register issued January 1, 1863, 152 acting midshipmen resigned between December 4, 1860 and July 1, 1862, and 13 were dismissed. It seems quite possible that many of the later resignations were for reasons other than political, but from December 4, 1860 to July 1, 1861, there were 106 resignations. Certainly the greater part of these resignations submitted at a time when political feeling in the country was at fever heat must have been made because the men wished to return and follow the fortunes of their home state. Many had postponed leaving their friends at the Academy until after Fort Sumter had been invested and war appeared certain. But on April 19, 3 midshipmen resigned; on April 20, 11 resigned; on April 23, 4; on April 24, 3; and on April 25, 12. Many dramatic scenes took place in the closing days of the Academy. Southern midshipmen said good-by to their friends from the North with tears running down their cheeks. Northern men escorted their southern companions to the Academy gates and shook hands in a last farewell. Some of these friends were to meet each other in the next four years in deadly battle. In other cases the leave-taking was final. They would never again meet.

By April 25 the routine of the Academy had been disrupted utterly. On the 24th the remaining midshipmen were transferred to the Constitution, still lying in Annapolis Roads. Captain Blake wrote the Department recommending the immediate removal of the Academy. He proposed Fort Adams at Newport, Rhode Island, as the most available place and suggested that the steamer Baltic then lying in the harbor should be used to transport the officers, civilian instructors, and their families. As there was no likely chance that instruction could be resumed at Annapolis for a long time the Department readily approved his recommendations. On April 27 Captain Blake was officially ordered to remove to Newport. All the books, models, and apparatus that could be moved were stowed on board the Baltic. The officers and their families embarked on her on May 5 and on the evening of May 9 arrived in Newport. The Constitution under the command of Lieutenant G. W. Rodgers with the midshipmen on board left Annapolis on April 25 and on April 29 reached the New York Navy Yard. From New York they sailed for Newport arriving there on the evening of May 9 about 2 hours before the Baltic. Soon after May 10 the remaining members of the First Class and all the members of the Second and Third Classes, except for a few who remained to assist in discipline, were detached and ordered into active service. By May 13, just 18 days after the Constitution had left Annapolis, the Academy was again in full operation.

As the fort failed to provide adequate or comfortable accommodation for the officers and the upper class of midshipmen, the Atlantic House, a large hotel in the central part of the city, about ten minutes' walk from the water front, was leased by the Government for one year. This hotel, built in 1846, stood at the corner of Bellevue Avenue and Pelham Street. Its site is now occupied by the Elks' Club. On September 21 the upper class, those who had entered the Academy in the summer of 1860, were moved to this hotel, the Constitution being given over to incoming members of the new Fourth Class. The taking over of the hotel was done with considerable ceremony. The Battalion was marched to its new quarters preceded by the band. The ensign was hoisted above the hotel. The Battalion was then addressed by Mayor Cranston of Newport and by Captain Blake. The first recitation was held in the Atlantic House on September 23, 1861.

For the most part the days passed at the Academy as if there were no war going on but a few hundred miles away. But on November 15, 1861, a salute of 21 guns was fired from the Constitution in honor of Flag Officer Dupont's success in the capture of Port Royal, South Carolina, on November 7.

On December 7 a midshipman was placed under close confinement for playing at cards. Throughout the four years spent at Newport one finds numerous references in the Journal to midshipmen being punished for smoking, for playing cards, or for having cards or tobacco in their possession. In the autumn of 1862 the members of the First and Second Classes petitioned Secretary Welles for the privilege of smoking but their petition was denied. On December 23, 1862, football playing in the hotel or in the immediate vicinity was forbidden and four days later football playing was prohibited until further orders were given. Captain Blake was a splendid officer; his patriotism, zeal, and professional competence were unquestioned. But, at this day, it does seem that he erred in being too strict with the young men under his charge in what were, after all, but trivial matters. And in curtailing or forbidding athletic activities he was doing positive harm to the midshipmen and encouraging indirectly many mischievous activities that would scarcely have been thought of if these young men could have worked off their surplus energies in healthful outdoor recreation. The practice of hazing is said to have been started in 1862 while the school was under this too-puritanical regime. The testimony of a foreign observer bears out some of the above observations. On February 23-24, 1864, Captain J. G. Goodenough, of the Royal Navy, visited the Academy. His comment on the Academy in his diary is most illuminating for it depicts the school as seen through unprejudiced eyes:

Newport (Naval Academy), February 23rd.

This college is more advanced than our Britannica . . If application and study are of any use, I'm afraid that these people will have very superior men to ourselves in their navy. They are working harder and more intelligently for it than we are . . . But the boys don't seem to get exercise enough. I can't make out that they have any games, or outdoor amusement either.

During the summer of 1862 cruises were made on the Marion and John Adams, keeping close watch for Confederate raiders. The commanders of these two ships, Lieutenant Commander Stephen B. Luce and Lieutenant Commander Edward Simpson, were directed to overhaul every vessel that they met and satisfy themselves as to her identity. Though every midshipman watched with great excitement the firing of blank cartridges and shots across bows, no captures were made. The summer cruise was made again in 1863 on the Marion, Macedonian, and yacht America which had recently been given to the Academy. The Marion was ordered to search for the Confederate raider Tacony which had been reported burning vessels on the New England coast. The Macedonian crossed the Atlantic and visited Plymouth, England.

The Naval Academy grew steadily in numbers during its sojourn in Newport. On January 1, 1861, four months before leaving Annapolis, there were 267 midshipmen in attendance; on January 1, 1862, after deducting the large number of resignations of men from the Southern States, there were 318 midshipmen at the Academy; on January 1, 1863, there were 386; on January 1, 1864, there were 457, but on January 1, 1865, because of the graduation of 2 classes in 1864, there were only 455. The first of these graduation exercises was held on June 8, 1864, the speaker on this occasion being the Hon. James A. Hamilton, of New York. The subject of his address was, "Personal and Public Characters of Naval Officers." There were 29 men in this group, all men who had entered the Academy in 1860 and had come to Newport after one year at Annapolis. On November 22, 1864, the second graduation took place for this year. There were 31 midshipmen in this group, all of the date of 1861, and all of whom had come to the Academy after it had been established at Newport. The Officer of the Day's Journal simply records: "At 11.45 beat to quarters and assembled in the Main Hall to witness the presentation of diplomas to the graduating class. Study hours were suspended until 2 P.M." No mention of a speaker at this ceremony was made in the Journal and no record of any speaker can be found. This was the last graduation ceremony to be held at Newport. The Congress, on May 21, 1864, passed an act providing that the Naval Academy should be returned to its old quarters at Annapolis before October, 1865.

On April 11, 1865, 2 days after Lee's surrender at Appomattox, a salute of 36 guns was fired "in honor of the recent great victories of the Army and Navy." In the evening a large bonfire was built in front of the Academy. Four days later news came of the assassination of President Lincoln. The flag of the Academy was lowered to half-mast. On June 22, 1865, the midshipmen left Newport for their summer cruise on the Macedonian, Marion, and the steam sloops Marblehead and Winnipec. These ships were to return the midshipmen to Annapolis at the end of their cruise. During the summer of 1865 the Academy equipment and the books of the Library were boxed and brought back to Annapolis. The officers, instructors, and their families were also returned to Annapolis, ready to greet the midshipmen on their return.

But what was happening in the old Naval Academy quarters at Annapolis while the school was sojourning at Newport? On October 6, 1864, a letter was written to the editor of the newly established Army and Navy Journal, signed "Graduate," and published in the Army and Navy Journal of October 22. This letter describes in considerable detail the condition of the grounds while under the control of the Army:

Can you find space in the Journal for a few thoughts suggested by a short visit to the Naval Academy grounds at Annapolis by one of the many who had to leave its pleasant location, because of the then doubts as to the loyalty of Maryland to the Federal Government? After its hasty evacuation by the Navy, the buildings and grounds were taken possession of by the Army as a military post; then began the work of destruction, until it was so notorious that the Navy Department was compelled to order a naval officer there, to check, if possible, the desolation of the property. After being occupied for about 16 months as a military post, it was turned over to the Medical Department of the Army as a general hospital . . . My eyes were struck by the view of a number of hospital tents occupying the grounds once held sacred from the footprints of any one. Around these tents were trodden innumerable footpaths, marring the beauty of the grounds. Next came an unsightly board fence dividing the upper from the lower grounds; then came roads and pathways, made on pavements and grass plots, the crossing of which once subjected a student to demerits. . . The fine buildings I found occupied in various ways. Most of them are used as hospitals, while other portions are given up as sutler-shops, where lager-beer, etc. is dispensed. The fine old quarters of the Superintendent are used as a billiard saloon. What a transformation from their once legitimate use. Within the enclosure is also a barber-shop, tailorshop, photograph gallery, etc. Thousands of dollars will be required to restore this valuable institution to its original condition. Meanwhile every friend of the Navy looks forward with interest to the day when the operations of the Academy may be resumed there.

This indignant letter writer, no doubt, felt justified in his criticisms. But it must be recalled that the nation was then engaged in its greatest and bloodiest war up to that time, and with streams of wounded men coming from the Southern battlefields to the hospital, there was little time to be given for the meticulous care of the grounds and buildings which the Army had temporarily under its control.

When, 33 years after Appomattox, we found ourselves at war with Spain, the Navy was an entirely different organization from that of the Civil War. Its wooden ships had for the most part been replaced by steel armored craft. Its regular officers were now practically all graduates of the Naval Academy, then rounding out its fifty-third year of service to the Republic. Every officer of flag rank, every captain, and most of the other officers had received their diplomas from Annapolis. Dewey was of the class of 1858, Schley of the class of 1860, and Sampson headed the class of 1861 and was in the first group of ten to be called into active service. By the end of June, 1897, 2,307 men had been graduated from the Naval Academy.

THE SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR

On February 16, 1898, the Officer of the Day's Journal carried this ominous announcement: "Received news of the blowing up of the U. S. Battleship Maine in Havana Harbor with the loss of many lives." On February 26 the Army and Navy Journal announced in its Annapolis news-letter:

News of the loss of the Battleship Maine has caused a suspension of social activities in Annapolis. On Sunday the Chapel and the Annapolis Churches made special reference to the disaster. A subscription is being made up in Annapolis for a fund for a memorial to be erected in memory of the heroes of the Maine.

The Navy Department decided to graduate the Class of 1898 two months ahead of schedule in order that they might be sent to sea. On April 2, 1898, this class of 39 members received their diplomas. It was a simple, brief ceremony. A short address was made by Commander Edwin White, the Commandant of Midshipmen. On May 17, 1898, the death of Ensign Worth Bagley was announced. Bagley, who was graduated with the class of 1895, was a well-known figure in the city, as he had become famous for his athletic ability. His death brought the war close to the Academy. On May 24 it was decided to abandon the summer cruise; 123 of the cadets (the official name given to midshipmen at that time) were ordered to ships actively engaged in the prosecution of the war. On July 12 a mass meeting was held in the city. At this meeting it was voted to tender to Commodore Schley, his officers and men, congratulations and thanks for the splendid victory at Santiago. Later there would be a nation-wide debate as to who should claim credit for the victory, Sampson or Schley.

Probably the most colorful event at the Naval Academy during this short war with Spain was the sojourn of the Spanish Admiral Cervera and his officers at the Academy after their capture subsequent to the destruction of the Spanish fleet at Santiago. On July 16 they reached the city and were quartered in what was then known as Buchanan Row. Admiral Cervera, who, a few short weeks before had been regarded as some sort of an ogre to be feared and dreaded, turned out to be a handsome, dignified, elderly gentleman with most charming manners. The officers who came with him proved to be charming gentlemen, too. After giving their parole not to leave the city they were allowed to do about as they pleased and were invited into the homes of officers stationed at the Academy and to the homes of the people of the city, who vied with each other in offering them every courtesy and hospitality. One middle-aged lady told this writer that she well remembered Admiral Cervera, though she was but a very small girl at the time, and that meeting her on the street he actually patted her on the head. These prisoners-of-war bicycled and took walks about the streets where they soon became well-known figures. Though technically they were prisoners-of-war, their treatment ,was about as different from that usually given to such prisoners as could well be imagined. At the conclusion of hostilities they left the Naval Academy for their homes in Spain and took with them the good will of everyone. As far as is known, not one untoward incident marred their stay at the Naval Academy.

WORLD WAR I

Some 20 years later, owing to the precarious situation of the world in general and the increasing threat of war with Germany, it was decided to graduate the class of 1917 two months in advance of the regular time. This class that had entered in 1913 and now consisted of 182 members was graduated on March 29, 1917, almost 19 years since the day when the class of 1898 had been graduated. The speakers at the ceremony were the Secretary of the Navy, Mr. Josephus Daniels, and the Superintendent, Captain Edward W. Eberle. There had been, with the graduation of this class, 4,823 graduates of the institution since its founding in 1845. Eleven days before, the student officers at the Postgraduate School had received orders assigning them to special duty, discontinuing the work of the school.

On April 6, 1917, the Superintendent published and posted at the evening roll call the following ominous announcement:

Sixteen ALNAV—The President has signed Act of Congress which declares that a state of war exists between the United States and Germany.... Acknowledge 131106. Secnav.

We had now embarked on the greatest war that had been fought thus far in world history. The Naval Academy prepared to do its part in the grim realities that lay ahead. During that spring of 1917 no athletic contests were held at the Naval Academy. Late that spring an Italian Commission with Prince Udine at its head visited the institution. In June, Prince Hiroaka Tamura, a former Naval Academy graduate, was also a visitor. The Japanese were at that time our allies. On June 28, 1917, the class that had entered in 1914 and which would normally graduate in 1918, were given their diplomas. This class was made up of 199 men. The speakers at the ceremony were again Mr. Daniels and Captain Eberle. Mr. Daniels presented the diplomas. Shortly after the outbreak of war it was decided by the Department that it would be necessary to train many more officers for service with the fleet than the Naval Academy could possibly supply by any ordinary means. Our Navy was expanding with giant strides and steps had to be taken to supply its ships and men with trained officers. On June 2, 1917, a letter was sent to Captain Eberle outlining a proposed plan for training additional officers and calling upon the Naval Academy to do its part. Captain Eberle acquiesced promptly with this plan. Young men from all parts of the country and from all walks of life were offered a short course at the Academy to fit them for service with the fleet. They must have had at least two years of college work and must, of course, meet certain rigid physical requirements. The course given them was planned to be as practical as possible with no unnecessary frills. It comprised navigation, gunnery, and seamanship for deck officers; electrical and marine engineering for engineer officers; and Navy regulations and naval customs for both branches. Before they reported at the Naval Academy they were commissioned as Ensigns in the U. S. Naval Reserve Force, though a few with special qualifications were commissioned as Lieutenants, junior grade. Young men came to the Academy from every part of the country. Many held degrees from civilian colleges and technical schools. Many had held positions in the professional or business world before aspiring to be naval officers. Others had served as enlisted men and petty officers in the U. S. Naval Reserve Force before the war. They were somewhat older than the regular midshipmen, their average age being 29. They wore, while under instruction at the Academy, khaki uniforms, in striking contrast to the blues and whites of the regular officers and midshipmen.

The first group arrived on July 5, 1917, and were detached on September 14, 1917, after two months' intensive training. On graduation, these men for the most part were given temporary commissions in the regular Navy. If they failed in not more than one course they were sent to sea but were not given temporary commissions. In the event that they showed the necessary ability they would then be given temporary regular commissions. There were 169 in this first group of Reserves. Five such groups were graduated from September 14, 1917 to January 25, 1919. The largest group, the fourth, with 523 members were graduated September 18, 1918. Several other special groups, civil engineers, pay officers, assistant naval constructors and others, were also trained at the Academy. In all the Naval Academy supplied 2,569 graduates from these groups of Reserves for the naval service.

The first Reserves to arrive were quartered in Bancroft Hall but in the summer and fall of 1917 temporary wooden barracks were erected on the tennis courts running parallel to Dewey Basin. These quarters were ready for occupancy by December, 1917. All later groups were quartered in these barracks. Each group of Reserves was divided into two battalions of two companies each. They took up sports with enthusiasm and interbattalion contests took place in baseball, tennis, and crew.

In the summer of 1917, 744 plebes were sworn in, the largest entering class in the Academy's history until then. But the next summer a still larger class of 971 members was admitted. On July 5 bids were opened for the construction of two new wings to Bancroft Hall to house the greatly enlarged group of regular midshipmen. So great was the demand for housing the midshipmen that a section of the Fourth Class were quartered in the Marine Barracks, now the quarters of the Postgraduate School. Interest in football was as great as ever and on September 5, 1917, the new coach, Mr. Gilmour Dobie, reported for duty. Memorial services were held in the Chapel October 28 for the men who had lost their lives in the naval service thus far in the war with Germany. On November 18 members of the French Commission and French Army officers were the guests of the Superintendent. In April, 1917, it was decided to graduate the Class of 1919 on June 6, 1918, decreasing the four-year course to three for the duration of the war. In April, 1918, it was ordered by the Navy Department that all midshipmen at the Academy must learn how to swim before they could be graduated. On June 6, 1918, Secretary of the Navy Daniels presented their diplomas to the graduating class of 199 members. On October 10 Sir Eric Geddes, First Lord of the Admiralty, visited the Academy as the guest of Secretary Daniels. On November 23, one of the strangest incidents in football history took place at the Academy. A game was being played between the Great Lakes Naval Training Station and the midshipmen. A Navy substitute sitting on the sidelines ran out and tackled a Great Lakes man, causing a touchdown to be conceded to Great Lakes. The midshipmen lost the game, 7-6.

Life at the Naval Academy went on about the same during the first World War as if there had been no war. The war was discussed, read about in the newspapers and magazines, officers were detached and ordered to sea and officers fresh from sea duty took their places as they had been doing for over 70 years.

WORLD WAR II

In the present World War little outward differences can be noted. The guards carry pistols and are even more vigilant at the gates. Visitors cannot enter the yard without a pass. The presence of many reserve midshipmen is noticeable as well as many reserve officers though they cannot be distinguished outwardly from the regulars.

The Second World War came very suddenly to the Academy on that Sunday afternoon of December 7, 1941. When the fatal word came that the Japs were attacking Pearl Harbor, sightseers were herded out of the gates. The watchmen were armed immediately and patrol boats were.sent out to guard the water front. A dance was under way in Smoke Hall when the guards swarmed in and escorted the girls out of the gates. Then the Academy settled down with grim seriousness to the business of war. It had been foreseen, of course, that war was in the making and few doubted but that we would soon be in it. So, long before the Pearl Harbor attack the Academy had begun to prepare for eventualities. Two new wings were added to Bancroft Hall, and a new classroom building, Ward Hall, named in honor of the first gunnery instructor at the old naval School, was constructed for the use of the Department of Ordnance and Gunnery. About 30 acres were added to the grounds by purchase and by reclamation from the Severn River. The minimum age limit for midshipmen was raised from 16 to 17. During the year 1941, the Academy sent out two classes of regular midshipmen. On February 7, 1941, the regular class of 1941 was graduated; and on December 19, twelve days after the Pearl Harbor attack, the regular class of 1942 received their diplomas. By increasing the midshipmen appointments allotted each Congressman from four to five, and with proportionate increases in the other categories of appointments, the Naval Academy had in October, 1941, the largest enrollment in its history, for there were over 3,100 midshipmen here at that time. It required the services of over 350 officers and civilians to instruct these men. The majority of the officers on instruction duty were and are retired officers called back to active duty or officers in the Naval Reserve.

The course was shortened by a full year, eliminating entirely the Second Class. Yet it was found possible to give about 95 per cent as much instruction in three years as had been formerly given in four. This was done, for the most part, by changing the normal summer schedule, so that about one-third of the midshipmen followed a modified academic program for the summer. This program has been followed substantially as outlined through the three war years. Since 1940, 3,257 regular midshipmen have been graduated from the Academy.

About two weeks after the outbreak of war the Superintendent, Rear Admiral Russell Willson, was ordered to Washington to serve on the staff of Admiral Ernest J. King. He was succeeded by Rear Admiral John R. Beardall, who has been retained in that position until the present time.

Early in 1941 the Academy's gates were opened to groups of young men from civilian colleges throughout the country who are known as Midshipmen of the U. S. Naval Reserve. They are given intensive courses in strictly professional subjects: marine engineering and electrical engineering. The first group, however, that was graduated on May 15, 1941, was divided into two sections: deck officers and engineers. The deck officers were given courses in seamanship and ordnance and gunnery. All subsequent groups have been engineers only and have been given engineering instruction. These Reserve Midshipmen are quartered and messed in Bancroft Hall, but have few contacts with the regulars. Their uniforms are blue, exactly like those of the regular midshipmen, except that each Reserve wears a thin band of gold braid on each cuff three inches long. In the last three and one-half years 3,319 of these Reserve Midshipmen have been graduated from the Academy in ten different groups. Upon graduation each man is given a commission as an Ensign in the U. S. Naval Reserve.

In addition to the routine training of regular midshipmen and the intensive training of Reserve Midshipmen, in the summer of 1941 a group of graduates from technical schools from different parts of the country was brought to the Academy for a month's indoctrination course in Navy regulations and naval traditions and customs. These men were commissioned in the Naval Reserve before coming to the Academy. At the conclusion of the course they were sent out as ordnance inspectors wherever munitions for the Navy were being turned out.

These are busy days at the Academy, inspiring days, never-to-be-forgotten by the officers and civilians serving here. If George Bancroft, the Navy's Secretary, who first visited the grounds of Fort Severn in the summer of 1845, should visit them now, he would find little in this huge, modern, busy wartime institution to remind him of sleepy old Fort Severn.