The Student Is Converted Into the Warrior
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“THE STUDENT IS CONVERTED INTO THE WARRIOR”— THE COLLEGE OF WILLIAM AND MARY IN VIRGINIA AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH THE MILITARY FROM THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR TO THE PRESENT DAY Thesis submitted for the degree of Master of Philosophy At the University of Leicester By Wallace Wilford Kale Jr. BA (Park University) School of Historical Studies University of Leicester December 2010 Abstract In this first comprehensive study of the military history of the College of William and Mary in Virginia, it is easy to appreciate how the rich and varied military accounts have played important roles in the institution’s history. Beginning with the French and Indian War (1754), when students left the College to fight, and continuing to the present warfare in Afghanistan, military encounters have woven through the tapestry of the College’s history. The citizen-soldier, breaking away from life’s routine to fight for liberty and for their state or nation, is vividly demonstrated here. The College was directly involved in two wars—the American Revolution and the American Civil War—with events on, near, or surrounding the campus. Other United States wars, continuing to the present day, and a number of military events and quasi-military situations are involved, some not really of the College’s own making, but thrust upon the school as a matter of course. During the Revolution and Civil War the institution was forced to temporarily close. In other cases of military conflict, the school lost significant numbers of students and was pushed to near bankruptcy. Public service of students and faculty demonstrated by military involvement pervades the culture of the College throughout the centuries, along with the keen sense that military service is an individual responsibility. The actions of the William and Mary presidents at times of national military crisis demonstrate the school’s ability to survive and sustain itself during times of crisis. A number of individual students, who achieved significant reputation during military conflicts and activities, are described here. They have been identified as evidence of William and Mary’s ability to educate the citizen-soldier, and in doing so, promote the belief that public service—governmental and military—is a noble calling. Acknowledgments Without the constant effort and support of Dr. Nigel Aston of the University of Leicester’s School of Historical Studies, this thesis and my work towards a master of philosophy degree would never have been accomplished. From the outset he agreed to take on this older Virginian from across the Atlantic who wished to pursue his educational goal of a master’s degree, along with additional educational enrichment. Dr. Aston was more than a tutor; he was a guide and friend. Special thanks must be given to Dr. James Campbell and Dr. Andrew Johnstone of the University’s Center for American Studies. Dr. Campbell’s insightful help and suggestions in preparation for my viva and his remarkable support meant much in the final stages of this project. Dr. Johnstone went out of his way to offer timely and significant suggestions following my viva in order that this document might more fully explain the distinctiveness of the College of William and Mary and its important citizen-soldier relationship. Appreciation also goes to Professor Ian Beckett of the University of Kent, a U.S. military history expert, for serving with Dr. Johnstone on the viva team. Helping with the extensive research were two archivists at the Earl Gregg Swem Library at the College of William and Mary. Beginning about ten years ago, Stacy Gould, and more recently Amy Schindler always went the extra way to point out relevant avenues of additional research. Susan Griggs, manuscript and rare books librarian, was always quick to lend her aid. Their supporting staff, including Anne Johnson and Eileen O’Toole, handled the reading room task of making source materials available. Additionally, Hope Yelich and Mary Sawyer Molineux, reference librarians, stood ready to provide ideas and to open new avenues of research whenever asked. My thanks also to current William and Mary President W. Taylor Reveley III, who agreed to a lengthy interview and provided several other communications that helped define important aspects of William and Mary’s current military relationship. Invaluable assistance was given at the George Marshall Research Library by director Paul Barron and archivist Jeffrey Kozak. Thanks also to Kate Crispin of the School of Historical Studies staff. Louise Lambert Kale, director of the College’s historic campus, provided ideas and suggestions during the on-going, multi-year research effort. She also was an excellent copyreader, who struggled with my misplaced or non-existent commas. Mary Ann Williamson also helped me maintain style and footnote order. Neighbor and friend Frank Polster, a retired military educational specialist, and archaeologist and author Ivor Noël Hume and Carol Noël Hume, special friends and keen observers, read the manuscript and offered timely and appropriate suggestions. Lastly, I wish to thank my family: wife, Kelly, sons Walker and Carter, and daughter, Anne-Evan, who have put up with much over the past eight years—much longer than they anticipated, I am sure—as I struggled through this process. Their patience, love and above all, understanding, helped me get through crises of temperament and disillusionment as well as struggles when I could not locate—sometimes for many months—pieces of research that would help complete my puzzle. List of Contents Introduction 1 Chapter One The French and Indian War and the American Revolution 9 Chapter Two The War of 1812 and the Years between the Wars – 1815-1861 44 Chapter Three The Civil War and its Aftermath 54 Chapter Four The College in World Wars I and II 81 Chapter Five Reserve Officer Training Corps and more wars 113 Conclusion 137 Bibliography 140 Introduction The College of William and Mary in Virginia, chartered on 8 February 1693 by King William III and Queen Mary II of England, has a rich and varied 318-year history, which has been chronicled several times in the past century,1 but the relationship between the College and the military has never heretofore been compiled. This thesis focuses on the military history of William and Mary from the French and Indian War to the present day.2 It will focus on the College during wartime; its important alumni involved in those wars, the military affairs of the College related to wars, the impact of those wars on the College, and reaction to the wars and the aftermath. Three of the conflicts had a direct and profound impact on the very identity of William and Mary. The American Revolution was responsible for the shift from a royal college to a private college; the Civil War impoverished the College to the point where the only road to survival was to become a state college; and World War I was a strong—although not the only—factor in coeducation. Within the scope of higher education in the United States, William and Mary has been a distinctive institution from its chartering. It was second only to Harvard College to begin operation.3 There are a number of priorities in college/university education where William and Mary ranks first. It was granted a charter from the English crown under the seal of the Privy Council in 1693 and received a coat-of-arms from the College of Arms in 1694. The College was the first to have a full faculty of a president, six professors, usher and writing master (1729), and began conferring the first gold medals donated by Lord Botetourt in 1771. A productive year for the College was 1779 when it became a university, instituted an honor system, created schools of modern languages and municipal and constitutional law, and included the study of fine arts in a 1 Susan Godson, Ludwell H. Johnson, Richard B. Sherman, Thad W. Tate, and Helen C. Walker, The College of William & Mary: A History (Williamsburg, Va.: King and Queen Press, The Society of the Alumni, 1993). Wilford Kale, Hark Upon the Gale—An Illustrated History of the College of William and Mary (Virginia Beach, Va.: Dunning Co. Publishers, Inc., 1985). J. E. Morpurgo, Their Majesties’ Royall Colledge—William and Mary in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries (Williamsburg, Va.: College of William and Mary, 1976). 2 Known in Europe as the Seven Years’ War. 3 Harvard, now a university, was established in Cambridge, Mass., in 1636. 1 professorship. It began teaching political economy in 1784 and in 1803 was the first college to have a school of modern history.4 Specifically, within the military history of the William and Mary, there also have been significant hallmarks that distinguish the College from other American colleges or universities. Battles of two wars—the Revolutionary War and Civil War—were fought on or around the College campus, and opposing armies occupied the campus during each conflict. The College’s academic mission was diverted when the school closed for nearly a year during the Revolution and for nearly four years during the Civil War. Schools like Harvard, Yale, and Princeton (then the College of New Jersey) were involved militarily in the Revolution. At Harvard, Massachusetts Hall (the oldest building) and several other structures housed militiamen and Continental Army personnel in 17755 and both British and American troops occupied Princeton buildings including Nassau Hall.6 But these and other Revolutionary-era schools had no Civil War involvement. Similarly, southern schools, such as the University of Virginia and University of Georgia, had Union and Confederate troops on campus during the Civil War. In Charlottesville, Virginia, buildings were turned into hospitals7 and in Athens, Georgia, Union prisoners of war were briefly housed on campus.8 However, neither institution was in existence during the American Revolution nor between 1861 and 1865 were any battles fought either on or around the campus.