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Several military academies existed in the United States when the
Civil War broke out in 1961. The most famous was the U.S. Military
Academy at West Point which many of the major Fedeal and Confederate
best known officers attended as wll as Confederate President Jefferson
Davis. There were several other less known academies, some of which
were for younger boys.
The South Carolina Legislature in 1822 passed "An Act to Establish a
Competent Force to act as a Municipal Guard for the Protection of the
City of Charleston and
Vicinity." A site on the north end of Marion Square was selected for an
arsenal and guard house. Archetect Frederick Wesner in 1829 completed
the building which became known a the Citadel. A similar edifice was
built in Columbia, the state capital, and became known as The Arsenal.
Governor John P. Richardson concluded that guard duties should include
some military training. The South Carolina Legislature on December 20,
1842, passed an act to
officially establish the South Carolina Military Academy. Both The
Citadel and The Arsenal were used forthe new state academy and cadets
replaced the state militia. The Academy decided to use the Colomia
Arsenal to train incoming freshmen. The cadets would then transfer to
Charleston for the 3 remaining years. The South Carolina Military
Academy estanlished a reputation for academic standards as well as
strict military discipline.
There werev 34 cadets in 1843, but tbe Academy expanded and by 1864
there were nearlky 300 boys. Attending the school was rather
expensive. The tuition was set at $200, but by 1864 had been raised to
$1,200. South Carolina was the first state to suceed from the Unioin
in December 1860. The small Federal garison in Charleston was commanded
by Major Robert Anderson. He moved his men to Fort Sumter in Charleston
harbor and requested that he be reinforced. Most Federal garrisons in
the South surrendered. Major Anderson was one of the few to hold out.
Citadel Cadets manned harbor defenses. Cadets at Morris Island on
January 9, 1861, fired on the U.S. steamer, Star of the West as
it tried to reinforce Fort Sumter with mem and supplies. This was the
first hostilities which were lead to the Civil war. The Citadel cadets
on January 28, 1861, was incorporated into the state military forces and
was known as The Battalion of State Cadets. The Arsenal and The Citadel
continued to operate as military academies in the early phase of the
War. Classes were often disrupted, however, when the governor called
the cadets up for military service. They mannied heavy guns, performed
guard duty, and escorted prisoners . The Citadel on February 18, 1865,
ceased operating as a military academy when Federal troops entered
Charleston and occupied the site. The Arsenal was burned by Sherman’s
troops when they entered Colombia and never reopened. The Citadel in
Charleston would not be opened again as a milirary for decades.
The Porter Military Academy did not operate during the Civil War, but
we have included it here as it opened so soon after the War. Dr. Porter
was a former South Carolina rice planter. After the War he became a
minister to help normalize South Carolina society after the War. While
mourning the death of his son in 1867, Porter founded what he named the
the Holy Communion Church Institute. His wife was a partner in the
school. Their goal was to educate former soldiers and boys left
orphaned or destitute by the War. Dr. Porter wanted to use the former
facilities of the South Carolina Military Academy which were called The
Arsenal. He received support from General William T. Sherman whose
troops had burned The arsenal in 1865. The Holy Communion Church
Institute moved to The Arsenal which had been rebuilt in 1880. The
school became known as the Porter Military Academy in the the late
19th century. The school expanded, adding new buildings. The school
also used and modified The Arsenal buildings for school use. The school
needed a chapel. Dr. Porter remodeled the artillery shed in 1883 by
removing the roof and raising the walls. He added a Gothic roof and
stained glass windows. It is now known as St. Luke's Chappel today.
St. Charles County was founded in 1835. It was located in
Mississippi and was reortedly the first boy's school west of the
Missippi. An available photograph probably taken in the 1860 shows a
group of boys drilling in what look like Federal uniforms. Perhaps the
photograph was taken before the War began. The boys look to be
teenagers. There are two younger boys serving as drummer boys, but they
are mot in uniform. Perhaps they were not enrolled in the school.
The VirginiaLegislature in 1839 founded a military academy at
Lexington in 1839--the Virginia Military Academy (VMI). Lexington was
the site of a state arsenal which was placed in the care of the VMI
officers and cadets. The superintendent was Colonel Francis H. Smith, a
graduate of West Point. VMI was the largest and best equipped military
school in the southern states. Itvwas also to send its cadets as a body
into battle, at New Market in 1864. The regulation age for the cadets
was 16, but some younger oys were admitted. VMI by 1862 was virtually
the only school that continued to function in the state. Other colleges
were osed or used to care for wounded soldiers. The students and
manyteachers at Univdrsity of Maryland, William and Mary, and Washington
Cllege hadmarched off to war. The older boys at VMI had done the same,
but the school was crowded by new cadets from all over the South.
President Davis referred to them as "the seed corn of the Confederacy".
Uuniforms at the school became increasingly make do as the boys were
reduced to whatever their parents could provide, from "Melton grey to
Georgia butternut". The cadets were afaid that they were going to miss
out on the War. The cadets were called on May 10, 1864 to aid
GeneralnBreckenridge who was hard pressed in the Shenadoah Valley. One
cadet reports, "We jeered the little boys who were left behind." I'm
not sure what that meant, it seems to suggest there were some younger
boys at VMI. One the way to battle, a veteran regimenbt sang
"Rock-a-byre, Baby" when the cadets masrched by. There were 350 cadets,
225 were mustered for the battle. There were 56 killed or wounded at
Newmarket. [Wise]
Congress in March, 1802 passed an act establishing the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. The Academy appropriately enough opened July, 4, 1802. It was a t first primarily used as an
apprentice school for military engineers. Another act of Congress in April, 1812, reorganized the academy to create a college to train and educate students to be officers in the United States Army. Additional
staff were engaged and a new 4 year curriculum was developed. Many of the major Fedeal and Confederate best known officers attended as wll as Confederate President Jefferson Davis. Perhaps the best known cadet was
Roibert E. Lee who not only graduated second in his class, but never received a demirit. West Point graduates included Ulysses S. Grant, Stonewall Jackson, Philip H. Sheridan, William T. Sherman, and most of
the other principal commanders.
We note an ambrotype portait of two military school cadets. The boys are dressed in military academy uniforms. They are not identified. We do not know the school they attended. Hpefully the destinctive uniforms will help us to eventally identify the school. While the portrait is not dated, thefact that it is an ambrotype suggests hat it was taken in the late 1850s or early 60s. Theboys probably served in the Civil War.
Wise, John S., "The West Point of the Confederacy: Boys in battle
atNew Market, Virginia, May 15, 1864," The CenturybMagazine, May
15, 1864.
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