Cadet Life at West Point

This work is a sketch of cadet life at West Point by West Point Alum Mayor Gen. George Strong, who began his career at the academy in 1857. It gives good insight into what life for a cadet was like day-to-day. In 1842, Stonewall Jackson was accepted to the United States Military Academy at West Point. Because of his inadequate schooling, he had difficulty with the entrance examinations and began his studies at the bottom of his class. Displaying a dogged determination that was to characterize his life, however, he became one of the hardest working cadets in the academy, and moved steadily up the academic rankings. Jackson graduated 17th out of 59 students in the Class of 1846. It was said by his peers that if he had stayed there another year, he would have graduated first.