U. S. Naval Academy.
The faces of the graduates of 1866, and the view below of part of the Naval Academy grounds at
Annapolis, taken in 1866, are the evidence of the peace-footing to which the institution has been restored within a year.
The cadets and instructors have returned from
Newport in 1865 and resumed their old quarters, from which they had been precipitately driven by the first Confederate move on
Washington.
The grand veteran “Constitution,” the “Old Ironsides” of the navy, had given her pet name to her more powerful descendant, and lying near the center of the picture is now relegated to the position of receiving-ship.
At the end of the wharf is tied up the “
Santee,” on whose deck many a midshipman has paced out the sentry duty with which he was punished for the infringement of regulations.
Between the two lies the “
Saratoga,” now a supply-ship.
New students had come to take the places of those who learned the theories and practice of naval warfare with the current exploits of the navy ringing in their ears day by day. Some of the officers who had fought through the great struggle were adding their practical experience, so lately gained, to the curriculum.
However, the traditions of the old navy were still predominant; the training of the seaman was still considered essential for the cadets and was enforced as in the old sailing days as the foundation of their education.
It was nevertheless the Naval Academy which kept alive for a future generation the valuable experience that had been gained at such a cost in the four years of Civil War.
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Learning new lessons — the naval academy class of 1866 |
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