The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since 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.
Bill the Goat is the mascot of the United States Naval Academy. The mascot is a live goat and is also represented by a costumed midshipman. There is also a bronze statue of the goat in the north end zone of Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. This statue also plays a role in "Army Week" traditions.
West Point Cemetery is a historic cemetery on the grounds of the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. It overlooks the Hudson River, and served as a burial ground for Revolutionary War soldiers and early West Point inhabitants long before 1817, when it was officially designated as a military cemetery.
The United States Military Academy Preparatory School (USMAPS), sometimes referred to as West Point Prep, is a preparatory school for the United States Military Academy (USMA). Located in West Point, New York, its official mission is "to provide academic, military and physical instruction in a moral-ethical military environment to prepare and motivate candidates for success at the United States Military Academy."
The Sandhurst Military Skills Competition is a military skills competition at West Point that first began in 1967 with the presentation of a British officer's sword to the United States Corps of Cadets by the British Exchange Officer. 2010's event, dubbed SANCOM10, was a two-day event conducted at West Point, New York. The 2009 competition featured a record 49 teams and nearly 500 competitors. Besides the 36 squads from each of the West Point companies, visiting service academy teams included the Naval, Air Force and Coast Guard Academies, Britain's Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS) teams "Red" and "Blue", Australia's Royal Military College Duntroon, Canada's Royal Military College (RMC), the National Military Academy of Afghanistan, and the Chilean Military School. That year saw eight ROTC squads: Texas A&M, BYU, East Carolina University, Iowa State University, Florida Tech, Georgetown, University of Hawaii, and Appalachian State.
George Washington Cullum was an American soldier, engineer and writer. He worked as the supervising engineer on the building and repair of many fortifications across the country. Cullum served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War, primarily in the Western Theater and served as the 16th Superintendent of the United States Military Academy. Following his retirement from the Army, he became a prominent figure in New York society, serving in many societies, and as vice president of the American Geographical Society. The society named the Cullum Geographical Medal after him.
Major General Frederick Augustus Irving was a United States Army officer who served in both World War I and World War II and was superintendent of the United States Military Academy from 1951 to 1954 and eventually lived to the age of 101.
The United States Military Academy and grounds were declared a National Historic Landmark in 1960 due to the Revolutionary War history and the age and historic significance of the academy itself. The majority of the buildings in the central cadet area are historic.
The history of the United States Military Academy can be traced to fortifications constructed on the West Point of the Hudson River during the American Revolutionary War in 1778. Following the war, President Thomas Jefferson signed legislation establishing the United States Military Academy (USMA) on the site in 1802. In 1817 the academy was transformed by the appointment of Sylvanus Thayer who drastically reformed the curriculum.
The Cadet Chapel at the United States Military Academy is a place of Protestant denomination worship for many members of the United States Corps of Cadets. The chapel is a late example of Gothic Revival architecture, with its cross-shaped floor plan, soaring arches, and ornate stone carvings. It houses the largest chapel pipe organ in the world, which consists of 23,511 individual pipes. The Cadet Chapel dominates the skyline and sets the architectural mood of the academy. Designed by architect Bertram Goodhue and completed in 1910, it replaced the neoclassical Old Cadet Chapel which had been built in 1836. The Old Cadet Chapel was deconstructed and relocated to the entrance of the West Point Cemetery, where it stands today.
Sedgwick Monument is a memorial to Union General John Sedgwick at West Point. "Uncle John" Sedgwick was born in Cornwall, Connecticut, 67 miles (108 km) northeast of West Point, New York. Sculpted by Launt Thompson and dedicated in 1868, the monument was erected by officers and soldiers of the 6th Army Corps to commemorate Major General Sedgwick and his death at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House in 1864. Originally, the monument was located on the northwest edge of the Plain, it was later relocated to its current location at Trophy Point across Washington Road from Battle Monument. 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 rowels on the monument's spurs. With the resulting good luck, the cadet will pass the test.
The Chapel of the Most Holy Trinity at the United States Military Academy is a Catholic church and place of worship for many members of the United States Military Academy Corps of Cadets. Completed in 1900, it is the oldest chapel on the West Point campus in continual use, although the 1836 Old Cadet Chapel, moved in 1910 to West Point Cemetery, is still in use for funeral services and weekly Lutheran denominational services. Most Holy Trinity Chapel was expanded in 1959.
The Old Cadet Chapel at the United States Military Academy is a church and location of funeral and memorial services. It is the oldest chapel at West Point, having originally been built in 1836. The chapel was originally located in the cadet area near present-day Bartlett Hall, but was disassembled brick-by-brick and moved to the West Point Cemetery when the current Cadet Chapel opened in 1910. Lutheran services are held at the old chapel on Sunday mornings during the school year.
Dade Monument is a monument and United States Military Academy Cemetery, in honor of Major Francis L. Dade and his command of 110 men who were defeated by Seminole warriors at Dade Massacre on 28 December, 1835. The monument has moved several times in its history. First erected in 1845, it originally stood overlooking the Hudson River on the east edge of the Plain. It was moved further inland prior to 1898 to make way for the construction of Cullum Hall. In 1917 it was moved further south in front of the Old Cadet Library. In 1948, it was relocated to its current location near the entrance to the West Point Cemetery to make way for the Patton Monument.
L'Ecole Polytechnique Monument is a statue and monument located at the United States Military Academy in West point, New York. It is a replica of a statue at École Polytechnique that commemorates the cadets of that French school who died in defense of France in 1814. In 1919, in the wake of Franco-American cooperation in the First World War, an association of alumni of the École Polytechnique presented a full-size casting of the statue to West Point as a symbol of brotherhood between the two nations and schools.
Wood's Monument is an obelisk monument in honor of Colonel Eleazer Derby Wood (1783–1814), an engineer officer and early graduate of West Point who died during the War of 1812 at the Siege of Fort Erie on 17 September 1814. Old prints of West Point show this monument located on a knoll near the flag pole. The monument was once used as a navigational aid for ships making the passage down the Hudson River.
Charles Clarendon Ballou was a United States Army officer who attained the rank of major general during World War I.
