in times like those we have but recently passed through, when the theories and studies of thirty years are being put to tests of fire and the sword, it is interesting to turn for a moment to our naval school at annapolis, where the officers who planned our campaigns, directed our battles and our blockades, and commanded our ships were first trained to the serious business of war. though the years which have passed since 1861 have made changes in the personnel system and appearance of the naval academy, the city of annapolis itself is the same sleepy, careless, happy-go-lucky town of earlier days.
once a year, and only once, it rouses itself from its lethargy and assumes an air of gayety and importance which it may not even have shown when it earned for itself the title of “the gayest colonial capital.” during the latter part of may and the first of june each train that pulls into the ramshackle station bears a load of pretty young women,—sisters, cousins, sweethearts,—who come for the two-weeks’ exercises, when the naval cadets are[232] graduated, and for the june ball. it has been so since the founding of the naval academy, and will be so as long as youngsters in brass buttons are brought up to be professional heroes.
in the old colonial days annapolis was rich. there was an english governor, and grouped about him were some of the oldest english families. in the middle of the eighteenth century annapolis had become refined, gay, elegant, and even dissipated.
not only was annapolis in these old days the most lucrative place in the colonies for the practice of law, but it was the birthplace of such lawyers as daniel dulaney, william pinckney, charles carroll, and reverdy johnson. in those days, too, after the revolution, charles carroll of carrollton, the richest man in america, was one of the citizens. to-day, while the descendants of some of these families are still in possession of the homes of their forefathers, the seat of power and money of maryland has changed to the commercial capital, baltimore. the centre of social gayety, therefore, is to be found in the naval academy.
the social feature of the life of the cadet must not be underestimated. the youngsters who present themselves as candidates for admission,[233] appointed politically, come from all parts of the country, and represent every shade of opinion and training in the united states. they are a smaller image of the large mass of our people. the problem of bringing these different natures into accord with the conditions which they must face is no easy one; and the weeding-out process, which immediately begins, is conducted by the superintendent—usually a captain in the navy—and the officers under his command, under rules which have been adopted after sixty years of previous administrations.
there is an indefinable something in the organization of the place that makes an indelible impression upon the mind of the candidate, and as he enters upon his duties it does not take long to discover whether he is mentally and personally fitted for the long task before him. it was said in the old days that a seaman was born and not made. but modern warfare has so changed the conditions that, while the officers of the navy must always command men and have the instincts of the sailor, high mental attainments are also the requisite, and those instincts can be formed by experience and association.
the course, then, in brief, is the training of the mind and the body, the school of the soldier[234] and sailor, and the school of the gentleman. here, then, is where the social influences of the naval academy are felt. politics, like misfortune, makes strange bedfellows, and the scion of your eastern banker may soon find himself detailed as the room-mate of the most impecunious and unpretentious of uncle sam’s younger sons. it is the democracy of military training, in which every man’s standing is governed alone by his professional qualifications. money or position can in no way affect his life. his rise or fall depends entirely upon his own worth.
to the young man fortunate enough to secure an early appointment from his representative in congress, his new home, in the month of may, presents every attraction. from the moment he passes the gate, passes the marine guards, his eye meets the beautifully kept lawns of the campus and drill-ground, sweeping gradually down to the sea-wall on the north and east sides, where the severn river flows, stretching out to the blue waters of chesapeake bay, only three miles from old fort severn. to the left, as he enters, are the new quarters and hospital. to the right, the sacred precincts of “lovers’ lane,” into which he cannot go, under pain of displeasure of his upper classmen, until he has passed[235] through the first, or “plebe,” year, and this rule is stringent.
to pass the examinations successfully the candidate must be physically sound, and must have a knowledge of arithmetic, geography, united states history, reading, writing, spelling, english grammar, and the first principles of algebra. the number of appointees is limited by law to one naval cadet for every member or delegate of the house of representatives, one for the district of columbia, and ten at-large; the district of columbia and the at-large appointments being made by the president. the course of the naval cadets is six years,—four years at the naval academy and two years at sea,—at the expiration of which time the cadet returns for the final graduation.
the fourth-class man who enters in may has a certain advantage over the september appointee, for he has the advantage of four months of practical instruction, which hardens his muscles and gets his mind into excellent shape for the harder work of the year. having passed his examinations, the youngster goes to the office of the superintendent, where he takes the oath of allegiance which binds him to serve in the united states navy eight years, including his time of probation at the naval academy, unless sooner discharged. he deposits a sum[236] of money for his books, and such other amount as may be necessary for his outfit, and is put to no further expense.
his pay is five hundred dollars a year while at the naval academy, but, while he acknowledges its receipt to the paymaster by signing the pay-roll, he is furnished with only sufficient pocket-money to get along on. this sum of money is microscopic, and is usually spent as soon as received. having procured his outfit from the storekeeper, he reports on board the “santee.” the “santee” is one of the old sailing-frigates in the navy, and has for years been anchored at the naval dock as quarters for cadets during the summer time and for practical instruction in the drill of the old dahlgrens. here, too, is where the fractious cadets are placed in durance.
until within a very few years the new fourth-class men were sent upon the summer cruise of cadets, first on the “dale,” then on the “constellation” and the “monongahela.” but by a change in the curriculum the may appointees in the fourth class do not take the summer cruise. the “monongahela,” one summer, carried the line division of the first class, the second class, and the third class. before this change the life of the “plebe” on the summer cruise was not a bed of roses.[237] the cadets of the third class, until recently “plebes” themselves, were prepared to wreak upon their juniors all of the pent-up exuberance of the previous year.
hazing, in the old sense, has died away, and even the “running” of ten years ago has been reduced to a minimum through the efforts of captains ramsey, sampson, and phythian; but the “plebe” was made to step around in a very lively manner, and to do most of the hauling on the heavy gear, while the third-class men did the complaining. on the “monongahela” the first, second, and third classes are now, as in the old days, considered as sailors, although a number of the blue-jackets are retained on the vessel. the cadets do their share of the work, and perform all the duties of men-of-war’s-men except scrubbing, holy-stoning, and cleaning brass-work. the lower-class men are divided into watches with the regular blue-jackets, side by side with whom they assist in performing all the evolutions in working the ship.
the cruise which follows is usually a pleasant one. there is a lot of hard work to do, and in a short while the hands and muscles get hard, the white suits conveniently tarry, and the skins of the youngsters as brown as leather. but the life has its compensations, for at fortress[238] monroe they get into their uniforms again and go ashore to the dances given there at the time of their arrival and departure.
meanwhile the engineer division of the first class is off on a cruise to visit the various navy-yards and docks of the atlantic coast. their course of instruction differs from that of the cadets on the “monongahela,” and they are shown the practical side of engineering work on sea-going ships. away down below the water-line of their vessel, in the stoke-hole, engine-room, or boiler-room, covered with grease or coal-dust, they do all the work of oilers, engineers, stokers, and mechanics, so as to be able to know accurately all the duties of those men, and to be able to command them in the years to come.
in october the study-term begins, and the cadets are then given their quarters for winter. most of them are in the building known as the new quarters, while the others, cadet officers of the first class, are placed in the old quarters. the subtle distinction in the titles of these two sets of buildings is hardly appreciated at the naval academy, since they have both been built for thirty or forty years, and are in a frightful state of dilapidation. two cadets of the same class are quartered in each room, and the discipline of household, as well[239] as of person, begins immediately. each room is plainly furnished, and contains two beds, two wardrobes, two looking-glasses, two iron wash-stands, a common table, and a broom. the charge of the room is taken by each cadet every other week, and this cadet is responsible for its general order and cleanliness. if the officer in charge should happen to inspect the quarters in his absence, and find anything contrary to regulations, the cadet in charge is the one who is reported at the next morning’s formation, although his room-mate may have been the delinquent.
throughout the year the reveille sounds at six o’clock. at a quarter to seven is morning formation, roll-call, and inspection. the ranks are opened, and the keen-eyed officer in charge, followed by the cadet officer-of-the-day and his ominous scratch-pad, with keen eyes looks for grease spots, specks of dust on blouses, tumbled hair, or unblackened boots. after breakfast the sick-call is sounded, and cadets who are ill, or who think they are, report to the hospital. at eight o’clock the study begins, and lasts until half-past twelve. the cadets of each class are divided into sections of from six to a dozen each, and at the bugle-call are formed by sections and marched to their recitation-rooms for study. the morning is divided[240] into two parts, and each part is divided into two periods, one for study and one for recitation.
briefly, the course of instruction is as follows: fourth class, first year: algebra, geometry, english, history of greece and rome, french, naval history of the united states, spanish. third class, second year: descriptive geometry, trigonometry, the constitution of the united states, analytical geometry, mechanical drawing, physics, and chemistry. second class, third year: seamanship, principles of mechanism, differential calculus, integral calculus, physics, chemistry, mechanical drawing, and navigation. first class, line division: seamanship and naval tactics, ordnance and gunnery, theory and practice of navigation, hydrographic surveying, least squares, applied mechanics, naval construction, ballistics, armor, and torpedoes. the engineer division has marine engines, boilers, machinery designing, mechanics, and naval construction.
the first part of the course, it will be seen, deals with the simpler branches of study. the plan is not to burden the mind of the cadet with unnecessary knowledge, yet every branch which will directly, or even indirectly, contribute to his ultimate efficiency has its place in the curriculum. the end—the making of a thoroughly[241] trained seaman—is kept constantly in view. the simpler studies train the mind of the cadet to the technical work which follows in the third and fourth years, and in those two years he gets his principal technical and practical training. each one of the departments in which he studies has a head, usually a naval officer above the rank of lieutenant-commander. all of these heads of departments, with the superintendent and commandant of cadets, who is also head of the department of discipline, form the academic board. the afternoon classes begin at two and last till four, after which comes the afternoon drill, which lasts until 5.30 and completes the daily duties.
it does not seem with all this work as though the cadet had very much time to himself, but the cadet is not unhappy. wednesday and saturday afternoons are given over as recreation-hours, and football and baseball with neighboring college teams bring crowds of visitors into the academy. the band plays upon the lawn, and the pathways are filled with fair visitors, who walk with their respective heroes along the shady lanes. saturday night, too, during the winter, hops are given, sometimes by officers and sometimes by cadets, and a gymnastic entertainment once a year gives the cadets the opportunity to show their[242] prowess in boxing, fencing, and work on the gymnastic paraphernalia.
towards the end of may the annual exercises begin. the examinations finished, the arrival of the board of visitors is announced by the booming of cannons from the sea-wall. the cadets receive them on dress-parade, and the work of showing their progress during the year is at once begun. the board of visitors go out on one of the government tugs into chesapeake bay, and there they see the upper-class men tack, wear-ship, box, haul, and perform all the evolutions in a seamanlike manner on the old “monongahela.” light yards are swung across with the precision of old men-of-war’s-men; sails are reefed, furled, or set in an incomparably short space of time; and the cadets are down from aloft for their target practice. the target is towed out by a launch, anchored, and gun by gun, battery by battery, division by division, or by broadside, the cadets hammer away at it as though it were the vessel of a hostile power, more often than not blowing it entirely to pieces.
reefing top-sails
back again at the yard, they go through with their drill as infantry or artillery; and last, but not least, comes the drill by companies for the honor of bearing the naval academy flag during the coming year. the judges in this[243] competition are usually army officers, and every movement is carefully watched and marked. the captain of each company, before going to this drill, selects its sponsor,—a very pretty girl, who, the drill over, presents the flag to the victorious company amid loud cheers from the whole battalion.
the exercises are over. the cadet of the first class is now ready to be graduated. companies are formed up in hollow square, and the secretary of the navy in the centre, with a pleasant word to each, presents the diplomas to the graduates amid cheers from the companies. as quickly as he can the first-class man goes to his quarters and shifts into his new uniform, and comes back to the campus for the congratulations of his friends. that night the june ball takes place, and the graduate bids farewell to his old associations and goes out into the world.
few articles that have been written about the naval academy have given anything of the personal side of the life of the cadet,—the side of his life that is an escape-valve from books and drills. there was a time, years ago, when smoking was permitted by the superintendent, and this is how the privilege was granted: one night, in january, 1879, an alarm of fire was sounded just before ten[244] o’clock. the cadets, then nearly ready for turning in, appeared in all sorts of costumes, but reported promptly in the hall. when the battalion was assembled at fire-quarters, word passed that there was a fire in the city and they were expected to aid.
with a cheer the cadets dashed to the engines, and, in spite of the cold and their scanty costumes, rushed out to the state-house circle, where seven or eight buildings were all ablaze.
it was found that the hydrants could not supply enough water, so the cadet officers immediately took charge and ran a line of hose to the river. four houses were already past help, but attention was immediately directed towards saving the others.
in order to save three buildings it was found necessary to pull one of these burning structures down. a heavy chain was passed through the doors and one of the windows, which was manned by the cadets and townsfolk, and the building was in a short time demolished. in some unaccountable way, after part of the building had been pulled down, the chain was unshackled, and the townsfolk, who were now manning it, shot half-way up the street. so the cadets, in spite of their hard work, could always find time for skylarking. one officer,[245] who was not very much liked, received the full force of the hose, which was in charge of two cadets, directly under the chin. of course, apologies were in order, but the officer had to go home. at four o’clock in the morning the cadets, wet and tired out, returned to their quarters.
the next day they found that it was generally considered that they had not only saved the buildings but the greater part of the business portion of the town, as the wind had shifted, and the part of the town towards the harbor would have been completely destroyed. at formation the order of the superintendent was read. it said that, “whereas, the cadets had shown great bravery in the performance of their duty the night before, and had conducted themselves in a creditable manner, the superintendent desired to express his appreciation and grant to them the privilege of using tobacco.” ten minutes after breakfast there was not a man in the battalion of nearly four hundred who was not puffing away furiously on pipe, cigar, or cigarette, although not an ounce of tobacco had been drawn from the stock of the storekeeper. whence it came is a mystery.
the privilege was taken away in 1881; and though to-day there is no smoking allowed,[246] and smoking is considered one of the most serious offences, yet it is safe to say that in many a secret nook this contraband is safely hid from the eye of the officer in charge. in the old days, after taps, or lights out, poker-parties were the order of the night. the windows and transoms were covered with blankets, and every ray was hidden from the eye of the zealous officer and watchman. but to-day the discipline is different, and the cadet, to pass the rigorous mental examination, has no time to transgress the written and unwritten law.
there are, of course, many criticisms from various quarters as to the methods of instruction at the naval academy, but it is not desirable to make rapid changes, in spite of new conditions, in a course that has proved successful for many years. it is asked that if cadets are to man steamships without sails, what is the use of educating them to officer sailing-vessels? what was the necessity of building the “bancroft,” if she was not to be used for the practice-cruises of the cadets? why has it been proposed to build wooden vessels for their instruction? the superintendent of the naval academy, captain cooper, secretary herbert, and secretary long have contended that officer-like qualities can best be attained by experience in sailing-vessels. they believe[247] that intrepidity and alertness come from the old school of sailing-ships.
on the other hand, many of the older officers believe that there is too much book-learning at the academy and too little practical instruction; but most of them are willing to admit that the naval officer of to-day must be a scientific man to properly meet requirements of modern ships, and that he cannot acquit himself properly unless he has a complete theoretical training. it is certain that the cadet graduated now from the naval academy is thoroughly trained in his profession. he has never yet been shown deficient in knowledge of any duty which he has been called upon to perform, nor incapable of mastering the intricate parts of modern ships. considering the age at which he leaves the academy, he is better educated in his profession than the college graduate, and is also trained in those qualities for command which make the american naval service what it is to-day. he goes forth thoroughly equipped for his life-work.