admission must be between 17 and 22 years, unmarried, free from
physical infirmity and capable of passing a somewhat rigorous
examination in high school or preparatory school subjects. The
course of instruction, which requires three years, is largely
mathematical and professional. From about the middle of June to
the end of August the cadets live in camp, engaged only in
military duties and receiving military instruction. In general the
education and discipline are so excellent that the business world
is always ready with its high pecuniary rewards to tempt men away
from their military vocation. The result is that graduates
frequently resign their commissions, and the army loses what is
gained by the world of affairs.]

The academy occupies a commanding position on a plateau 150 ft. above
the river. As we approach, the power house is in the foreground, with
the riding school, a massive building just beyond, while the square
tower of the Administration Building dominates the scene on the level of
the parade ground above. West Point was first occupied as a military
post during the Revolutionary War. In Jan. 1778, a huge chain, part of
which is still preserved on the parade ground, was stretched across the
river in the hope of blocking the progress of the British men-of-war,
and a series of fortifications, planned by the great Polish soldier,
Kosciusko, were erected on the site of the present academy.

Thaddeus Kosciusko (1746-1817) had a romantic and picturesque career.

An intended elopement with Ludwika, daughter of the Grand Hetman,
Sosnowski of Sosnowica, was discovered by the Hetman's retainers.
In the fight that followed, Kosciusko was badly wounded and flung
from the house. Shortly afterwards he left for America, where, as
he had been well grounded in military science, Washington soon
promoted him to the rank of colonel of artillery and made him his
adjutant. Kosciusko especially distinguished himself in the
operations about N.Y.C. and at Yorktown, and Congress conferred
upon him a number of substantial rewards. He returned to his
native land to participate in the gallant but unsuccessful effort
to free Poland (1794), and is now celebrated among the Poles as
one of their greatest heroes.

At West Point were the fortifications that Benedict Arnold, their
commander in 1780, agreed to betray into British hands.

Bened