Part 2

We now know the happy result, and that, under the providence of God, much of it was due to the promptitude and foresight of Washington. We now see the momentous consequences which would have followed the consummation of Arnold's baseness; how, and by what a singular change of events, Washington's visit was delayed, and Arnold's escape effected, while even now, we recoil as we learn how a single expression dropped by Andre, prevented the springing of a mine which would have inevitably insured a failure to achieve our independence, and have left us colonial dependents upon the British Government. Andre was conveyed to the Robinson House, and thence to West Point, from which place he was removed to the village of Tappan, opposite Irvington, on the Hudson River Railroad, where a Board of General Officers, presided over by Major General Greene, was assembled to inquire into the facts of his case, and report their opinion. The Board found him acting in the character of a spy, and were of the opinion that, agreeably to the laws and usages of war, he ought to suffer death. In spite of every possible exertion of Sir Henry Clinton, the universal sympathy of the American officers, and the grief of Washington, whose heart was wrung with anguish when he gave the death-warrant, Andre was executed at Tappan, on the 2d of October, 1780, and died, in truth, "lamented even by his foes."

The miserable and unhappy career of Arnold need not be pursued. Rewarded by the British Government with a Brigadier-General's commission and a grant of £10,000, he died in London in 1801.[B]

To the visitor at West Point, the objective spot of the stirring scenes described, each wooded height and rocky bluff recalls the times when our fathers, regardless of personal hardship, suffering and death, labored to secure the priceless boon of freedom.

"There's not a verdant blade, nor mountain hoary, But treasures up the memories of freedom's story."

One hundred and fifty-seven feet above the river, on a plateau, embracing about fifty acres of level ground, stands the UNITED STATES MILITARY ACADEMY, established by an Act of Congress in 1802. The approach to this plateau from the steam-ferry landing, is up a carriage road, excavated in the almost perpendicular rocky bank, conveying the visitor past the Riding-hall, the Cavalry stables, and the Library building, to the crest of the plain, where the natural beauty of the latter, and its wonderful adaptation for locating a great military educational institution, first excites admiration. The plateau, which affords ample space for all military evolutions appertaining to artillery, infantry, and cavalry, is bounded on the west by lofty and rugged hills, at the base of which are situated the various Academic buildings, the Cadet Barracks, and the residences of the officers and professors.

Proceeding on to the West Point Hotel, an old fort is seen on the north-east angle of the plain, known as FORT ARNOLD, until the treason of the apostate became exposed, when the name, thenceforth unknown in American history, was changed to FORT CLINTON. From the Hotel, situated on the north side of the plain, the lake-like river view is unobstructed for nearly ten miles, and presents in its constantly varying aspect of sunlight and shadow on the rugged mountain sides, in its periods of storm and repose on the water, and in its ever changing variety of steamers and river craft, a scene which for boldness and beauty stands unrivalled even in America, and is elsewhere unknown throughout the world. The pencil of the artist, the skill of the photographer, and the depths of language, have striven to portray the exceeding loveliness of the vista presented from this spot, while tourists fresh from the Alpine beauties of Switzerland and the Rhine, from Italy, Scotland and Wales, and from the overland wilds of the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada, alike render homage to the glorious landscape here spread before them.

Immediately to the north, and almost at the feet of the spectator, lies Constitution Island, with the exposed ruins of old Fort Constitution near the water's edge, and a little below which the end of the great chain was attached; while beyond may be seen the forge and furnace stacks of the Foundry, and the spires and dwellings in the village of Cold Spring. To the right, and farther up, Bull Hill and Breakneck Mountains, rise respectively 1,580 and 1,187 feet, the latter bearing Pollopel's Island, nearly opposite, while the city of Newburg, with the Shawangunk Mountain range for a background, fades away almost imperceptibly in the distance. On the left, the Crow Nest towers 1,428 feet above the water, with Washington's Valley nestling between it and the Cemetery. "Moore's House," from which the orders of Washington emanated in 1779, was situated in the valley bearing his name.

Leaving the Hotel by a pathway to the west, the visitor is conducted to the siege battery of rifled guns, exhibiting the form and structure of a field work, and from thence to a grove of elms, where a variety of trophy guns are to be seen, taken during the Revolution, in the war of 1812, in Mexico, and in the late rebellion. A portion of the great chain surrounds the beautiful gun "Le Monarque," presented by Congress to Lafayette, and one or two mortars captured by General Wayne at Stony Point. Beside the antique mortars and guns from Mexico, inscribed with the names of the places from which they came, there are two English rifled Blakely guns, from Fort Pulaski, two carronades, or ship's pivot guns, from Hilton Head, one 8-inch rifled Blakely, from Fort Morgan, all captured from the rebels; and the fragments of Gen. Gilmore's famous 30-pound Parrott gun, from Morris Island, which hurled 4,606 projectiles at Charleston before it assumed its present condition. These trophies, scarred and bruised by shot, and many other large guns made for experimental purposes, cannot fail to afford an interesting subject for contemplation. The large granite ball was brought by Gen. Delafield from the Crimea, where it is said such projectiles were thrown from mortars by the Russians, to crush the decks of the blockading fleet. The spot is further interesting from its having been dedicated as the site of the proposed Battle Monument, designed to be erected by subscription among the surviving officers and soldiers, to the memory of the officers of the regular army who fell during the rebellion.

A little to the westward, a walled enclosure, embracing the Ordnance Laboratory, is situated, and there may be seen a great variety of trophy guns from Cedar Creek and from Vicksburg, among which is the famous "Whistling Dick," an English rifled breech-loading Whitworth gun, captured on Morris Island, and the formidable Armstrong gun, captured at Fort Fisher, off Wilmington. Here, also, may be seen the gun from Elder's Battery, which fired the last shot previous to the surrender of Lee's Army. These, and a great variety of torpedoes, shot, shells and other Rebel implements of warfare, will well repay the visitor by the variety of design they exhibit. Pursuing the road down the hill, to the North wharf, the Sea-coast battery, with its armament of rifled monsters, consisting of 30-pound, 100, 200, and 300-pound Parrots, the 15-inch gun, and the 13-inch mortar, all capable of hurling projectiles as far as Pollopel's Island, or beyond, arrests the attention of the observer, and furnishes tangible evidences of the triumphant progress of manufacturing skill in weapons of war.

Returning by the road to the crest of the Plain, and proceeding west, a road to the left leads up the hill to Fort Putnam. The old fort, long neglected, and subject to the assaults of wintry blasts and beating storms, rises high above the Plain, and there, in grim majesty, it patiently awaits the silent march of disintegration and general decay. Approached in the mellow light of an evening sunset, when a single pencil of rays lingers and illuminates the crests of the mountains in the east, and a few scattered clouds, tinged with scarlet, gold and silver tints, fading and blending in perfect harmony with the deep blue of the firmament, indicate the close of the day; a single drum breaks upon the solemn stillness around, and directly after, a full chorus of music from the Band on the Plain below, proclaims the arrival of the hour for evening parade. Immediately echo takes up the strain, and repeats them in tones softer and sweeter, and fainter, until mountain, river and plain, all resound with notes of exquisite melody. Then the pulse quickens even in those habitually insensible to the beautiful spectacle here unfolded, and the visitor seems to breathe a new existence in an ideal world, until the reverberations of the evening gun announce the passage of another day, and the nearer approach of that period when the mighty Angel shall proclaim that "time was, but time shall be no more."

Were the same scene to be presented daily from this spot for all time, it would never cease to be a delight to make a pilgrimage to the glorious old Fort, while the vivid memories of its former patriot occupants, and their labors are treasured up and remembered. But a constant change is going on, and the same object presents itself to the eye in many different aspects. The beautiful river, from small beginnings, flowing down shelving rocks and flowering banks, is swollen in mighty grandeur until it bursts asunder the mountain barriers, and sweeps along, bearing on its broad bosom the wealth of two hemispheres, to lose itself in the limitless ocean, and become a part of the eternity of waters. The never-ceasing progress of the seasons, beginning with the first born bud of Spring, and so proceeding through each varying phase, to the period when the snow-capped mountains and the ice-bound river are ready to expose anew their surfaces to the reviving and gladdening warmth of showery April. The very rising and setting of the sun; the clear, blue sky, speckled with snowy fleece; the hurry and rush of the mountain storm through the gorge, unite to keep up an ever-changing panorama of all that is lovely and grand in nature.

Prominent among the many objects of interest which claim the attention of the observer from this point, may be seen Redoubt No. 4, on Rocky Hill, immediately in rear of the fort; the ruined parapets of Forts Wyllis and Webb lying southward, each enveloped in a cluster of cedars; and to the east, on the opposite side of the river, the North and South redoubts on the hill, in rear of Garrisons, environed by similar groups of the same beautiful vine-clad evergreen. The entire vicinity, rising as it does abruptly from the river to the terrace above, with wooded uplands, and bright green slopes beyond, is adorned with sumptuous country seats, gleaming through the tufts of foliage that surround them, and the lordly Hudson, with its furrowing keels and snowy sails, all unite to present a landscape, the beauty of which the pencil of the artist has vainly striven to portray.

The buildings appropriated to the occupation and education of the Cadets, are not without attractive interest to the visitor. The CADETS' BARRACK, from its magnitude, symmetrical proportions, durability, and castellated structure, seldom fails to elicit commendation from all lovers of architecture who are drawn to its vicinity. The building contains eight divisions, of which two are assigned to each of the four companies of Cadets. Two occupants only are found in a room, each uniformly furnished with an iron bedstead, an iron table, chair, books, and wearing apparel; all other furniture being carefully excluded as unnecessary or unworthy of the student soldier. Warmed by furnaces, lighted by gas, with daily access to bath-rooms, and invigorated by their military exercises, the Cadets present an appearance of health and contentment seldom seen in other collegiate institutions.

THE ACADEMIC BUILDING contains, on the first floor, a gymnasium, with bowling-alleys, an apartment for fencing and sword exercise, and the Chemical laboratory. The second floor contains recitation rooms, and the models and collections pertaining to the departments of Engineering and Mineralogy and Geology. Besides the models of bridges, buildings, engines, and arches, illustrative of the progress of civil engineering, others relating to field works, fortifications, their system of attack and defense, and the models of Fort Wagner, before Charleston, and San Juan d'Ulloa, off Vera Cruz, will claim attention. The third floor is occupied by recitation and lecture rooms, the Picture gallery, Drawing Academy, and the Museum of ordnance and trophies. The Picture gallery contains specimens selected from the productions of the most proficient Cadets in the classes which have gone forth since 1838, and among them the names of many prominent army officers will be recognized. Regarded as an evidence of skill and cultivated taste, on the part of those who were first made aware of their power to acquire the art of sketching and coloring after entering the Military Academy, and as the result of a few months' instruction, no one can view this collection without experiencing the liveliest feelings of satisfaction and pleasure.

The MUSEUM OF ORDNANCE AND TROPHIES exhibits all the various progressive stages in the manufacture of swords, muskets, cartridges, powder, and shot; models of field and siege guns, and the anatomical structure of horses for instruction in the department of cavalry. The collection of ancient and experimental weapons; of Rebel torpedoes, and Rebel shot from many battle-fields; of flag-staffs and flags from Mexico; Indian trophies and curious projectiles, and the numerous flags borne by the regular army in the last war with England, in the Florida war, in Mexico, and in the Rebellion, with their inscriptions, excites a degree of interest which cannot be overcome by a momentary glance.

The colors of the FOURTH REGIMENT OF U.S. INFANTRY bear the following historical inscriptions:

The first Flag Carried 1794. Retained at Reorganization 1808. Tippecanoe 1811.

IN THE FLORIDA WAR.

Gaines's Pen 1836. Thlonalosassa 1836. Okeechobee 1837.

IN THE MEXICAN WAR.

Palo Alto 1846. Resaca de la Palma 1846. Monterey 1816. Vera Cruz 1847. Churubusco 1847. Molino del Rey 1847. Chapultepec 1847. City of Mexico 1847.

IN THE REBELLION.

Yorktown 1862. Gaines's Mill 1862. Malvern Hill 1862. Bull Run No. 2 1862. Antietam 1862. Fredericksburg 1862. Chancellorsville 1863. Gettysburg 1863. Wapping Heights 1863. Wilderness 1864. Spottsylvania 1864. North Anna River 1864. Po-Potmail Creek 1864. Coal Harbor 1864. Petersburg 1864. Lee's Surrender 1865.

The colors of some other regiments and batteries bear even a greater number of inscriptions, but none date as far back in the past.

A pedestal and shell, brought from South Carolina, is inscribed on its four sides by Rebel and Union hands, as follows:

FIRST FACE.

Fifteen Inch Hollow Shot, fired by the Abolition Fleet of Iron Clads, at Fort Sumter, April 7, 1863.

SECOND FACE.

Presented to the Citadel Academy, By General G.T. Beauregard, Charleston, S.C., April 27, 1863.

THIRD FACE.

Taken at Columbia, S.C., Feb. 17, 1865, By the troops of the United States, under Major-General W.T. Sherman.

FOURTH FACE.

Presented to the U.S. Military Academy, By Major-General Wm. B. Hazen, April 1, 1865.

The centre of the room is occupied by a model of the Silver Mine of Valenciana, in Mexico, purchased in the City of Mexico in 1847, by subscription among the officers of the army, whose names are affixed. The upper surface represents the operatives, made of silver amalgam, practising their several divisions of labor, while the sides exhibit the galleries of the mine, with the miners at work. The case contains, besides, many mineral specimens, and models of Aztec idols. The whole is surmounted by an eagle and a portion of drapery taken from over the Vice-President's Chair in the Mexican Senate Chamber.

In the CHAPEL, east of the Academic building, may be seen a fine picture over the chancel, by Professor Weir, typical of Mars and Minerva. On the west side, the walls present memorial tablets of the general officers of the Revolution, and the guns presented by Congress to Major-General Greene, implanted beside a niche of trophy colors taken from English and Hessian regiments. On the east side are memorial tablets of all the officers of our army who fell in the Mexican War, and trophy guns and colors taken by Generals Scott and Taylor, during their campaigns in the same war.

The LIBRARY BUILDING contains temporarily the offices of the Superintendent, Adjutant, Quartermaster, and Treasurer. On the second floor, which is not usually open to visitors, is situated the Lecture-room and apparatus of the department of Philosophy and Astronomy. The dome contains an equatorial telescope, and the flank towers a transit instrument and mural circle. The Library occupies the east end of the building. It contains about 20,000 volumes, chiefly on professional and scientific subjects, and several fine portraits of former Superintendents and Chiefs of the Engineer Department.

The capacious RIDING HALL stands on the bank of the river, a little below the Library; and from the interesting exercises therein, it is deservedly regarded as one of the most attractive points at the Military Academy. The hours for riding are from 11 A.M. to 1 P.M., except during the period of the Cadets' encampment, with occasional interruptions, when the evolutions of a squadron are practised on the Plain. The course of instruction embodies running at the heads, running at the ring with poised sabre, exercises with pistols, leaping bars and hurdles, and many other feats which afford little room for monotony or wearisome interest, even among those accustomed to witnessing equestrian displays.

Northward from the Library a path leads down the bank to KOSCIUSZKO'S GARDEN--a shelving terrace overhung with shrubbery, and rendered inviting by a cool spring of water, and a tradition that the patriot Pole, whose name the spot bears, here sought retirement and seclusion. The Monument to "Dade and his Command" tells its own story, and American history has yet to furnish an example of devotion to duty similar to that exhibited by those whose names are here inscribed. A little beyond is seen Battery Knox, whose armament proclaims the tidings on all occasions of national joy or sadness. From this point, the lower pathway, called the "Chain Battery Walk," conducts the visitor through a delightful ramble to Gee's Point and the North Wharf, or by a branch, to the Hotel above. The upper path returns to the road along the crest of the bank, and a few steps brings the tourist to FORT CLINTON.

Within the latter, on the extreme angle nearest the river, stands a marble column, sacred to military virtue in the person of Kosciuszko, and forming in itself by reason of the ideas it evokes, a striking contrast to the dark halo of despite and shame that hovers around the name of Arnold, whose apostasy is inseparably connected with the very name of West Point. THADDEUS KOSCIUSZKO was a native of Poland, whose education began at Warsaw and was completed at Paris. Having determined to cast his lot with the Americans, then struggling for liberty, he was furnished by Franklin with letters to Washington, and came to America. He was appointed Aide-de-Camp to Washington, and subsequently commissioned as Colonel of Engineers. Highly distinguished for his courage and skill in the campaign against Burgoyne, and as the directing Engineer at West Point, he returned to Poland at the close of the Revolution, rewarded by the thanks of Congress and the commission of Brevet Brigadier-General, to serve as a General of Division under Poniatowski. In the Polish Insurrection of 1793 he was chosen Generalissimo, with the powers of a Roman Dictator. He immediately issued a decree, authorizing the insurrection, and at once proceeded to unite the Polish divisions, and in a few days the Russians were driven from the Palatinate. Meantime, the Prussians having joined Russia, the rest of the struggle was a continuous resistance against superior forces, until at last, at Maciejowice, on the 10th of October, 1794, he was completely defeated and overwhelmed by the Russians. He fell wounded from his horse, with the bitter wail on his lips, "Finis Polonie." Taken prisoner, and conveyed to a fortress near St. Petersburg, he underwent a long confinement until the accession of Paul I., who, feeling an admiration for his character, restored him to freedom, and presented him with his sword.

"I have no longer occasion for a sword," sadly replied Kosciuszko, "since I have no longer a country." He visited America in 1797, and was triumphantly and warmly welcomed by the grateful people. He returned to Switzerland and resided at Solothurn, where he died on October 15, 1817. His body was interred at Cracow with great pomp in the funeral vaults of the Kings of Poland, between the coffins of Poniatowski and Sobieski. The Senate decreed in his honor the erection of an enormous mound on the Heights of Bronislawad. The gratuitous labor of all classes succeeded in raising this "Mound of Kosciuszko" to the height of 300 feet in three years, and it will remain for ages a noble monument of his country's gratitude. Kosciuszko was never married, and the simple column at West Point, in full view of thousands of travelers, will long serve as a memorial of gratitude from the American nation, and an enduring protest against the destruction of Poland, and the ruin and death of many freedom lovers as noble and virtuous as Kosciuszko himself.

The "DRIVES" at West Point and its vicinity, although limited in extent by the rugged character of the region, are possessed of infinite variety and beauty, from the constantly changing aspect of river, mountain, and valley. Besides the routes on the Post itself, the road South, along the riverbank to Fort Montgomery, about four miles distant, from its smoothness, easy grades, and the numerous attractive residences by the wayside, affords many present and pleasing after reminiscences of a sojourn at this delightful retreat.

Prominent among these attractions, and scarcely a mile distant from West Point, on the very brink of a precipice towering over the Hudson, stands COZZENS' HOTEL, the name of which is inseparably associated with the name of its founder, whose benevolence, geniality, and hospitality is so intimately connected with West Point and the traveling public.