A "Wealth of Hallowed Memories": the Development of Mission, Saga, and Distinctiveness at the Virginia Military Institute
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W&M ScholarWorks Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects 1993 A "wealth of hallowed memories": The development of mission, saga, and distinctiveness at the Virginia Military Institute David Roger Loope College of William & Mary - School of Education Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd Part of the Higher Education Commons Recommended Citation Loope, David Roger, "A "wealth of hallowed memories": The development of mission, saga, and distinctiveness at the Virginia Military Institute" (1993). Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects. Paper 1539618270. https://dx.doi.org/doi:10.25774/w4-taqv-1n81 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects at W&M ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects by an authorized administrator of W&M ScholarWorks. 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Reproduced with with permission permission of the of copyright the copyright owner. owner.Further reproductionFurther reproduction prohibited without prohibited permission. without permission. Order Number 9414204 A “wealth of hallowed memories”: The development of mission, saga, and distinctiveness at the Virginia Military Institute Loope, David Roger, Ed.D. The College of William and Mary, 1993 Copyright ©1994 by Loope, David Roger. All rights reserved. UMI 300 N. Zeeb Rd. Ann Arbor, MI 48106 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with with permission permission of the of copyright the copyright owner. owner.Further reproductionFurther reproduction prohibited without prohibited permission. without permission. A "WEALTH OF HALLOWED MEMORIES": THE DEVELOPMENT OF MISSION, SAGA, AND DISTINCTIVENESS AT THE VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE A Dissertation Presented to The Faculty of the School of Education The College of William and Mary in Virginia In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Education by David Roger Loope December 1993 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. A "WEALTH OF HALLOWED MEMORIES": THE DEVELOPMENT OF MISSION, SAGA, AND DISTINCTIVENESS AT THE VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE by David Roger Loope Approved December 1993 by 5ohn R. Thelin, Ph.D. Chair of Doctoral Committee ,OA Roger G/Baldwin, Ph.D. ames M. Yankoviih, Ed.D. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. To CHL-for her support and encouragement iii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Table of Contents Chapter One: Introduction ......................................................................................................... 2 Chapter Two: Foundations ....................................................................................................... 28 Chapter Three: Implementing M ission ......................................................................................59 Chapter Four: Claiming a Place in History ........................................................................ 115 Chapter Five: Ideology, Saga, Distinctiveness ..................................................................... 162 Chapter Six: Epilogue-Conclusions and Legacies .............................................................. 217 Bibliography ........................................................................................................................... 227 V ita ..............................................................................................................................................241 iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Acknowledgements I would like to thank John R. Thelin for giving me the latitude in the William and Mary higher education program to study this topic and for guiding me through the numerous pitfalls of historical research. I also owe an enormous debt of gratitude to several archivists and reference librarians: Diane Jacob, Archivist at the Virginia Military Institute’s Preston Library; Minor Wizzeger, Archivist at the Virginia State Library and Archives; the reference staffs of the social science reading room and the law reading room at the Library of Congress; and, the staff of the Virginia Room at the Fairfax County Public Library, Fairfax, Virginia. v Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Photographs 1. Francis H. Smith, Superintendent of VMI, 1839 -1889 (in Confederate Army uniform) 2. Cadet Marcellus N. Moorman, Class of 1856 3. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson, Professor of Natural and Experimental Philosophy, 1850 - 1863 4. Scott Shipp, Commander of Cadets at New Market; Commandant of the Institute; Superintendent of VMI, 1890 -1907 5. Cadet J. Beverly Stanard; mortally wounded at the Battle of New Market, May 15, 1864 6. Cadets of the Class of 1867 and veterans of the Battle of New Market 7. The ruins of the VMI barracks in the aftermath of Union General David Hunter’s June 12, 1864, burning of the Institute 8. George Washington Custis Lee, Professor of Civil and Military Engineering and Applied Mechanics, 1865 - 1870 vi Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. THE DEVELOPMENT OF MISSION, SAGA, AND DISTINCTIVENESS AT VMI ABSTRACT This study seeks to discover the elements in Virginia Military Institute’s past that have proven most influential in guiding and preserving its present-day distinctive culture. Integral to the overarching theory behind this dissertation is the assumption that VMI’s history is closely linked with the history of Virginia and of the American South. Specifically, the study hypothesizes that Virginia Military was heavily reliant upon Virginia state government from the time of its founding in 1839 through the Civil War. However, the war provided the circumstances by which the Institute could claim its own "place in history." The Battle of New Market, in which cadets from the Institute fought and died in support of the Confederate cause, gave VMI a substantive past separate from, yet tethered to, Virginia history and the history of the South. After the war, the Institute cultivated its own ideology and traditions, creating what Burton Clark terms "an institutional saga." Self- realization of this saga, coupled with its external recognition by alumni, forged the distinctiveness exhibited by Virginia Military today. In turn, this distinctiveness, preserved by a conservative ideology, created an institutional atmosphere reluctant to embrace change. DAVID ROGER LOOPE DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION THE COLLEGE OF WILLIAM AND MARY IN VIRGINIA vii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. The Lost Cause Oh! say not that our "cause" is "lost," Exult not in our pain, For they who war for truth and right Can never war in vain. The precious seed may hidden lie; But, sown in faith and prayer, From wintry storms spring to life, And a rich harvest bear. Then gather treasures from the wreck, Ere yet oblivion sweep Our wealth of hallowed memories Into the voiceless deep. And let us sadly, proudly wear The gems, while life shall last, And heirlooms, to our children leave These jewels of the past. --Sara Henderson Smith VMI, 1865 viii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. A "Wealth of Hallowed Memories": The Development of Mission, Saga, and Distinctiveness at the Virginia Military Institute Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION Robert Penn