The U.S. Military Academy was founded in 1802. It was located at West Point on the Hudson River in New York. It soon gained a reputation for hard partying. In 1817, Sylvanus Thayer was appointed Superintendent with the understanding that he would improve the college’s reputation. He must have done a good job because he is now known as the Father of West Point. He instituted rules against cooking in rooms, leaving campus, and dueling. The Academy already had a rule against alcohol consumption, but it wasn’t being enforced. Thayer put emphasis on no alcohol, but little changed.
It was traditional to celebrate Christmas eve with eggnog spiked with alcohol. Eggnog was a popular beverage. George Washington had his own recipe which called for rum, sherry, brandy, and (not or) whiskey. On Dec. 24, 1826, several cadets went to taverns (one was Benny’s Haven where Edgar Allen Poe had spent a lot of time before being expelled). They smuggled in two gallons of whiskey and one of rum. Around 4 A.M. on Christmas day, faculty member Capt. Ethan Allen Hitchcock was awakened by noisy partying. He went to a room which had seven drunken cadets and chewed them out and ordered them to their rooms. He then heard noises in another room. He found three cadets who attempted to conceal their identities. Two got under blankets. Angry words and threats were hurled at Hitchcock. He then heard more noises from a third room. On the way there, he encountered a drunken Jefferson Davis. Davis rushed ahead to the room to warn that Hitchcock was coming. The drunkards verbally abused Hitchcock, who sent them to their rooms. Davis went and stayed, which saved his future. Meanwhile, cadet Lt. William Thornton was on guard duty and making his rounds. He was threatened with a sword. He was knocked down by a piece of wood. Hitchcock approached a room that was barricaded. Inside, a cadet brandished a pistol. When another cadet bumped him, it went off, hitting the door jamb near Hitchcock. Hitchcock sent a sober cadet to get Commandant of Cadets William Worth. Rumor spread through the unruly cadets that the “bombardiers” (artillerymen stationed on campus and hated by the cadets) were being called out. Some called for defense of the barracks against the “attackers”. The situation escalated into breaking windows and furniture. ($168.83 in damages – $4,430 in today’s money.) When Worth arrived, cooler and sorer heads prevailed and the riot petered out.
Around 90 of the 260 cadets participated in the mayhem. 70 were charged (not including Jefferson Davis). Six resigned and 19 were court-martialed. 10 were expelled. These included two future Confederate generals (Benjamin Humphreys and Hugh Mercer) and one future Supreme Court justice (John Campbell).
https://www.historytoday.com/archive/months-past/eggnog-riots
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eggnog_riot
0 Comments