Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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THE SUN. NEWBERRY, S. C- FRIDAY. SEPTEMBER 8, 1939 The Virginia Military Institute Back Over Its 100 Years ol Looks Stirring History as "West Point of the South" A view of the parade ground of Virginia Military Institute, the “West Point at the South,” with its 700 cadets staging their final review before the summer quarter begins. In the background are the barracks where they live. By ELMO SCOTT WATSON (Released by Western Newspaper Union.) I TS official name is the Virginia Military institute but down in Dixie everyone knows what you’re talking about when you refer to the V. M. I. For this school, which is celebrating its centennial this year, is the “West Point of the South” and back of it there is a tradition as full of glory as the honored legends which cluster around the school on the Hudson and one in which all Americans, North as well as South, can take pride. Although it is officially on ly 100 years old this year, its history really goes back to 1798 when the general assem bly of the state of Virginia provided for two more arse nals for the preservation of state arms in serviceable condition. The location of these two arsenals was not decided, however, until the end of the War of 1812 made them a necessity. In 1816 it was decided to place one of them in the city of Lexington and a reservation of about seven acres overlooking the north branch of the James river was set aside for this purpose. Here about 30,000 stands of arms and other munitions were stored and it was not long before the citizens of Lexington began discussing the idea of a military school at the arsenal. Roosevelt to Speak. So the assembly passed legisla tion establishing the Virginia Military institute there. The first corps of cadets was mustered into service on November 11, 1839, and it is on November 11 of this year that the climax of the centennial celebration will come with President Roosevelt going to Lexington to deliver the principal address. There were only 23 young cadets at first, then 31, and gradually the enrollment increased. Although only 58 men had been graduated from V. M. I. when the Mexican war broke out, 25 of these went into service at once and distin guished themselves in that war. .On August 13, 1851, there came to Lexington a man whose name was destined to become a part of V. M. I. tradition. He was Bre vet-Major Thomas J. Jackson of the First Regiment of United States artillery who had made a brilliant record in the Mexican war. He had been appointed “professor of natural philosophy and artillery tactics,” obtained a furlough for nine months to ac cept this position and finally in February, 1852, resigned from the army to remain at V. M. I. At the outbreak of the War Be tween the States, there were 1,902 living former cadets at V. M. I. and although 94 per cent of these served in the Confederate army, it is recorded that 15 of them pu' on the Union blue. When Vir ginia seceded from the Union in April, 1861, the corps of cadets marched to Richmond to enroll in the Confederate service and they marched there under the leader ship of their “professor of natural philosophy and artillery tactics.” Three months later this professor was to win immortality as “Stone wall” Jackson at the Battle of Bull Run. The cadets were used to in struct and drill volunteers but many of them rapidly advanced in rank in the various branches of the Confederate service. It soon became apparent that the South would have need for a train ing school to supply skilled and trained officers for the Gray army so V. M. I. was reopened at the beginning of 1862. Heroic Schoolboys. Two years later the cadets were called upon for another service and as the result of it V. M. I. is the only school in the world en titled to wear an active service pennant on its flag. It won that right in a battle which was fought just 75 years ago last May—the Battle of New Market, where the repeated charges of these beard less lads was one of the most heroic incidents in American mili tary annals. It came about in May, 1864, when Lee had just commenced his death grapple with Grant which was to end within a year at Appomattox. All of his avail able forces had been engaged in the Peninsula campaign and con centrated for the defense of the Confederate capital. Valuable supplies for this great army were being furnished by the rich Val ley of Virginia, “the Granary of the Confederacy.” Early in May, the Federal com mander, General Sigel, with about 12,000 troops proceeded southward down the Valley Pike to cut off this source of supply. General Lee detailed Gen. John C. Breckenridge with less than 3,000 men to stop this advance and to protect the lines of com munication from Staunton to Richmond. On May 10, 1864, the superin tendent of V. M. I., General Smith, received an order from General Breckenridge to send to him at Staunton the cadet corps and a section of artillery. At midnight the long roll was sound ed, the corps assembled in front of barracks and an order was read, directing the corps to take up the line of march to Staunton. The next morning a battalion of four companies of infantry and a section of three-inch guns left Lexington for Staunton, arriving in Staunton the evening of the twelfth. The corps left Staunton at daylight on the thirteenth, marching 18 miles, moving at daylight on the fourteenth for an other 16 miles. At midnight on the fourteenth, the corps received orders to march immediately without beat of drum and as noiselessly as possible and at 1:30 a. m., on the fifteenth took posi tion in the general column in rear of Echols brigade. After proceeding up the Valley pike a distance of some six miles, a halt was called, the troops re maining on the side of the road two or three hours. The Federal troops failing to advance as had been expected, General Brecken ridge proceeded to attack the enemy at 12:30 p. m. in the gen eral vicinity of New Market. General Breckenridge formed his infantry in two lines. Whar ton’s brigade of infantry consti tuted the first line, Echols brigade, including the battalion of cadets, the second. The cadets were next to the last battalion in the second line of the left dank, the second line following at an interval of 250 paces in rear of the first. The battle lasted from 12:30 until 6:30 p. m., by which time the Confed erate forces of less than 3,000 men had completely routed the 12,000 opposing them, the Feder- als retreating across the river. Three Cadet Charges. The fighting lasted only six hours, but it was hot and furious and the Confedt- ates carried ev erything before them by impetu ous charges, the cadet corps be ing called upon to make three separate advances all under most withering fire. Out of 225 men engaged, the corps lost 56 killed and wounded. It is a well-known fact that a casualty of 10 per cent will strain the morale of sea soned troops and yet on this occa sion, the cadet corps suffered a casualty of nearly 25 per cent without wavering. As a battle. New Market was of minor significance and had no material bearing on the final out come of the struggle in Virginia. For soon afterwards the raid of the Union General Hunter swept through the valley, burned the institute buildings and was not checked until he was met by General Early at Lynchburg. But the achievements of these school boys stiff in their teens who had never before smelled the smoke of battle or seen the car nage of warfare is not only a bright page in V. M. I. history but symbolical of what we like to believe is all that is best in Amer ican courage and American devo tion to an ideal. Charge of the Virginia Military Institute cadets at New Market, Va., during the War Between the States, as depicted by mural painting in the chapel of the institute. It was painted by Sir Moses Ezekiel, who as a youth was a member of the corps that participated in the battle. Inextricably woven wttn tne story of V. M. I. is the story of one of the greatest military geniuses that America ever pro duced—“Stonewall” Jackson. An interesting view of this great sol dier, while he was “professor of natural philosophy and artillery tactics” at that institution, is giv en in these reminiscences of a former student at Washington col lege (later Washington and Lee university) which appeared many years ago in the Wheeling (W. Va.) Register. He writes: “My first recollection of Stone wall Jackson is when I was a college boy at Lexington, Va., in the fall of 1860. I am not able to say whether it was the pecu liar carriage of the stiff, military looking institute professor who daffy passed the college grounds, that was of chief interest to the students of Washington college or whether the stories told of dar ing and reckless courage in his early military life, invested him with a halo of romance and mads him an object of hero worship in their youthful minds. “ ‘Old Jack,’ as he was famil iarly called by the cadets and students, was so plain in manner and attire, there was so little ef fort at show, his feet were so large and his arms and hands fastened to his body in such an awkward shape, that the cadets didn’t take much pride in him as a professor. They feared him in the lecture room, they paid the strictest deference to him on parade, but in showing a stranger the sights about the institute, a cadet was never known to point out ‘Old Jack’ as one of the orna ments of the institution. He was more popular with the college students . . . "The next spring the fires of war threw their lurid glare over the entire land. Then it was Jackson took a final farewell of Lexington, never to return until' he was brought back to be buried, according to his dying request, ‘in the Valley of Virginia.’ “The cadets were ordered to the field. Major Jackson was se lected to command them. After the passage of the ordinance of secession on the seventeenth of April, 1861, the war spirit was at fever heat in Virginia. The steady-going old town of Lexing ton had suddenly been metamor phosed into a bustling military camp. Volunteer companies were being organized, and every preparation being made for a hor rible war. But no event of that memorable period has left a more vivid impression upon my mind than the departure of the cadet battalion from the military institute. “It was a bright Sabbath morn ing early in May, and a vast con course of people had gathered on Institute hill to see the youthful soldiers start for the war. The baggage and camp equipage had been put into the wagons, the horses hitched in, the drivers mounted, with whip in hand, wait ing for the command to pull out. The cadets were in line, their cheeks aglow, and their eyes sparkling with the expectation of military glory awaiting them. Poor boys! Little did they know as they stood there, in their bright uniforms and gilt guns shining in the morning sunlight, how few of them would be left to answer at the last roll call of the Army of Northern Virginia. “As they stood thus, Major Jackson, mounted on an ordinary- looking horse, rode up. His face was as calm and unmoved as ever, the thin lips tightly com pressed, and looking just as he looked at Kernstown and Manas sas. Riding up to the side of an elderly looking gentleman in clerical cloth, standing in front of the main entrance to the insti tute, Major Jackson wheeled his horse, and facing his battalion as he raised his cap, said ‘Let us pray.’ “The venerable Dr. White, pas tor of the Presbyterian church, then stepped forward, and baring his gray locks to the sun, poured forth a feeling prayer. It was a memorable scene. Just as the clergyman pronounced the ‘Amen,’ Jackson wheeled his horse, and in a short, crisp man ner, gave the command, ‘For ward, march.’ Waving a silent adieu to the assembled crowd, he rode off at the head of the col umn. That was the last time his gaze fell upon the town of Lex ington.” Household Neuis /^mnoT' TASTY SUNDAY NIGHT SUPPERS (See Recipes Below) Sunday Night Suppers Even though you expect everyone to have had a noon meal with stay ing power on Sundays, people do like to eat whc i Sunday evening rolls ’round! To be sure, they like food that’s somewhat lighter, and food that’s out of the ordinary. So it’s a grand time to leave the beaten path and serve something a little different. If you serve left-overs, be sure to serve them in a new way or with an unusual ac companiment like the jellied chili sauce I’ve sug gested in menu No. III. If you plan a meal espe cially for Sunday night, ' plan one which can be served “ h e 1 p - yourself” style and arrange foods, dishes and silver on the table so that guests may serve themselves. Appetites will be quickened by the eye-appealing ar rangement of the table, and the air of informality makes Sunday night supper a sociable affair. These menus are suited, too, to serving larger numbers — lodge groups, church organizations or clubs. Recipes for the main dish and salad in every menu are easily increased. Unless you have special recipes and equipment, cakes and pastries are likely to be better if the single recipe is used. Sunday Night Supper Menus Clam Chowder Wafers Assorted Relishes Lettuce and Tomatoes with Roque fort Cheese Dressing Pineapple Cream Tarts Beverage Tuna Casserole Orange-Cherry Salad Hot Rolls Beverage Thin Slices of Cold Roast Beef Jellied Chili Sauce Mixed Vegetable Salad Toasted Loaf Cocoa Marshmallow Cake Coffee Lettuce and Tomatoes With Roquefort Cheese Dressing. (Serves 6) 1 head lettuce 2 tomatoes % pound Roquefort cheese (crum bled) French dressing Remove coaise outer leaves from head of lettuce. Cut into wedges. Peel tomatoes, remove stem end, and cut into eighths. Place in salad bowl with the lettuce. Add crumbled Roque fort cheese and French dressing. Toss lightly until well mixed. Cocoa Marshmallow Cake. 2 tablespoons cocoa % cup sweet milk 2 cups brown sugar 3 eggs (separated) % cup butter 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cups cake flour 1 teaspoon baking powder Vz teaspoon soda Vi teaspoon salt V4 cup sour milk Place cocoa, sweet milk, 1 cup brown sugar, and 1 egg yolk (beat en) in top of double boiler. Cook over hot water, until mixture is well blended. Cool. Cream butter, and add remaining cup of brown sugar while beating constantly. Add the two remaining egg yolks, together with the vaii.lla extract and mix thoroughly. Then mix and sift all dry ingredients and add alternately with the sour milk. Beat egg whites stiff but not dry, and fold into the cake mixture. Place in 2 well greased layer cake pans and bake in a moderately hot oven (375 degrees) approximately 30 minutes. Ice with boiled icing to which 8 marshmallows (cut in quarters) have been added. Jellied Chili Sauce. 1 tablespoon gelatin 2 tablespoons cold water 1 cup chili sauce (or catsup) Soak gelatin in cold water for 5 minutes. Add to chili sauce, which has been heated to the boiling point, and stir until dissolved. Pour into tiny paper cups, individual molds, or small pan from which the chili sauce may be sliced or cut in attractive shapes when firm. Chill thoroughly before serving. Tuna Casserole. 1 7-ounce can tuna 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 cup cooked peas 1 can button mushrooms 2 cups cooked noodles (medium width) Salt, pepper and butter 1 cup milk Butter individual baking dishes. Sprinkle tuna with lemon juice. (This brings out the tuna flavor). Arrange alternate layers of tuna, peas, mushrooms and noodles, put ting noodles on top. Season each layer with salt and pepper. Dot top generously with butter. Pour milk into dish and top with buttered bread crumbs. Bake in moderate oven (350 degrees) 30 minutes. (Serves 4-6.) Toasted Loaf. Trim top and side crusts from a loaf of unsliced white bread. Cut through the cen ter of the loaf, lengthwise, cut ting just to the lower crust, but not through it. Then cut cross wise, spacing the cuts about 2 inches apart. Brush top and sides generously with melted butter. Toast in a moderately hot oven (400 degrees) until the loaf is golden brown. Serve hot. There are so many points to be considered in planning meals. One which is all too likely to be overlooked is this—that the des sert is more than something to satisfy the family’s “sweet tooth”; it really plays an impor tant part in the menu. Next week in this column Elea nor Howe will tell you why—and will give you, too—some of her favorite recipes for “Desserts That Are Different.” Clam Chowder. (Serves 6.) V4 cup carrot (chopped) 2 tablespoons onion (chopped) 1V4 cups potato (chopped) % cup celery (chopped fine) 1 pint clams 2 cups water and clam liquor Salt and pepper to taste 1 pint milk 3 tablespoons flour 3 tablespoons butter 1% tablespoons parsley % teaspoon paprika Chop the vegetables in small pieces and place in large kettle. Chop the clams and add together with the clam liquor, water, salt, and pepper. Cover and cook about Vz hour, or until vegetables are ten der. Scald milk. Make a smooth paste of the flour and water. Add half of this flour paste to the clam mixture and half to the scalded milk. Cook each, stirring constant ly, until the mixture thickens. Com bine and add butter, parsley and paprika. Serve very hot. Send for Copy of ‘Easy Entertaining.’ Serving “Sunday Night Supper” is a simple and charming way of en tertaining; but there are lots of oth ers—tea parties, bridge parties, hol iday parties, and parties for a bride. Why not let Eleanor Howe’s cook book, “Easy Entertaining,” help solve your party problems? Send 10 cents in coin to “Easy Entertain ing,” care of Eleanor Howe, 919 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, for your copy. (Released by Western Newspaper Union.) Make Quaint Doll for A Toy or Decoration She’s bound to be the belle of the bazaar—this charming old- fashioned doll! She does equally well as decoration or toy and is so easy to make. Pattern 6433 con tains a pattern and instructions for making doll; illustration of it; materials required. To obtain this pattern send 15 cents in coins to The Sewing Circle, Household Arts Dept., 259 W. 14th St., New York City. By bai-Mtag 25% slower than the average of the IS ether of the largest-selling brands test ed— slower than any of them— CAMELS give a saieking plus equal to 5 EXTRA SMOKES PER PACK 'Which cigarette gives the most actual smoking for your money? Here are the facts recently con firmed through impartial labo ratory tests of 16 of the largest- selling brands: 1 CAMELS were found to con tain MORE TOBACCO BY WEIGHT than the average for the 15 other of the largest-sell ing brands. 2 CAMELS BURNED SLOW ER THAN ANY OTHER BRAND TESTED - 25% SLOWER THAN THE AVER AGE TIME OF THE 15 OTHER OF THE LARGEST-SELLING BRANDS! By burning 25% slower, on the average. Camels give smokers the equivalent of 5 EXTRA SMOKES PER PACK! 3 In the same tests, CAMELS HELD THEIR ASH FAR LONGER than the average time for all the other brands. Boy shrewdly. Get extra smoking sad also enjoy the cooler, milder, tastier smoking of Camel's loog-barning costlier tobaccos. Camel is the quality cigarette tv try smoker can afford. Camels LONG-BURNING COSTLIER TOBACCOS