After Thayer Until The War With Mexico
After the tenure of Thayer, the Academy faced challenges to its relevance as many new Western State congressmen saw it as a breeding ground for an elitist aristocratic Officer Corps. The War with Mexico, 1846–1848, changed the nation's perception of the Academy. Because of the Army's slow promotion system of the time, no graduate of the Academy had made General Officer rank at the start of the war. However, many junior and mid-level officer graduates proved themselves invaluable in battle. Generals Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee first distinguished themselves in battle in Mexico. In all 452 of 523 West Point graduates who served in the war received battlefield promotions or awards for bravery.
Read more about this topic: History Of United States Military Academy
Famous quotes containing the words thayer, war and/or mexico:
“It looked extremely rocky for the Mudville nine that day;
The score stood two to four, with but one inning left to play.”
—Ernest Lawrence Thayer (1863–1940)
“Combativeness was, I suppose, the dominant trait in my grandmother’s nature. An aggressive churchgoer, she was quite without Christian feeling; the mercy of the Lord Jesus had never entered her heart. Her piety was an act of war against Protestant ascendancy. ...The teachings of the Church did not interest her, except as they were a rebuke to others ...”
—Mary McCarthy (1912–1989)
“I think New Mexico was the greatest experience from the outside world that I have ever had.”
—D.H. (David Herbert)