Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. HIE MILITARY ACADEMY ? FORMATION OF LIFE FRIENDSHIPS ? DRILL AND DISCIPLINE ? SHAVING A BISON ?CADET RANK - "BENNY HAVENS, O! " ? PROFICIENCY IN STUDIES ? FIN AL EXAMINATIONS?CHANGING THE GRAY FOR THE BLUE. WEST POINT was a glorious laboratory for the transformation of an awkward country lad, fresh from his work-bench, into ''an officer and a gentleman." To young Burnside the militarv academy, with its surroundings, appeared like fairy land, and he was charmed with what he saw. There was the parade- ground on which Washington witnessed battalion drills bv that irascible tactician, Baron Steuben, and the romantic haunt of Kosciuszko still retained its picturesque beauty. Near by was Stony Point, the scene of Wayne's exploit, and on everv hand were eloquent testimonials of the vigor of our soldiers and of the achievements of our armies. The class of 1847, which entered the militarv academy on the 1st of July, 1843, numbered fifty-three cadets, from every section of the United States. In that class, and other classes which immediately preceded and followedit, were a number who afterwards became famous, including Generals McClellan, Hancock, Parke, Pleasanton, Fitz John Porter, Hatch, Sacketl, Granger, Russell, Pitcher, Foster, Reno, Stoneman, Gibbs, Frye, Gibbon, Griffin, Viele, De Russy, Duane, Michler, Tidball, Gilrnore, Benet, Baird, and McKeever, of the Union army, with Generals T. J. (Stonewall) Jackson, Buckner, Bee, Rhett, Wilcox, Maxey, Pickett, Hill, Heth, Steuart, Withers, and Robinson, who espoused the Confederate cause. Then all were loyal, and life-lasting friendships were formed between cadets from the North and from the South, as they vied with each other in qualifying themselves for upholding the national glory. Cadet Burnside was assign...