Considerations on the Education of the United States Army Officers in the 19th Century

Abstract

Abstract Our paper presents in broad lines the beginnings of the formal education for the army officers in the United States of America, focusing on the information, the skills and the competencies the future American army officers had to achieve as well as on the training they had to undergo in order to receive a commission. We also analyze the methods of teaching and learning, some of these being still utilized today with great effectiveness. The objective of our article is to show how the Military Academy of West Point managed to adapt from the very beginning to the requirements of the changing nature of warfare and to the requirements of the society in order to provide the United States Army with effective leaders that are capable of confronting the challenges of the present as well as those of the future. Despite its humble beginnings and the harsh historical conditions, the military education in the United State has aspired for excellence and has succeeded into becoming the comprehensive educational system of today. The foundation of the intellectual architecture that will enable the military leaders to achieve victory on the battlefield is prepared in military institutions like the West Point Military Academy.