The Best School: West Point, 1833–1866

by James L. Morrison Jr.

Describes not only the curriculum & administration but also the social, military, & bureaucratic aspects of West Point. The Civil War was a war between West Pointers. All of the top commanders on both sides were graduates of the U.S. Military Academy -- Ulysses S. Grant vs. Robert E. Lee, William T. Sherman vs. Joseph Johnston, William S. Rosecrans vs. Braxton Bragg -- the list is long. Hence what these men learned & did not learn at West Point, & how that institution influenced their characters & attitudes, is of cardinal importance in understanding the war they fought & how they fought it. Carefully delineates the context in which a significant public institution of higher education operated, & the external pressures which shaped it.

Genres: Military Fiction

267 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1986

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still the best comprehensive study o the U.S. Military Academy from the resignation of Sylvanus Thayer in 1833 until the removal of the school from the control of the Corps of Engineers in 1866. Anyone interested in the history of West Point or the antebellum army should read it.