The Virginia Military Institute (VMI) is the first state-supported military college and is located in Lexington, Virginia, USA. It has been referred to as the "West Point of the South". VMI began admitting women in the fall of 1997, after a court order requiring it to do so. Unlike The Citadel, however, the Institute requires that female cadets adhere to the same strict physical regimen as male cadets.
Early History
The Virginia Military Institute, or VMI, was founded on the site of a Virginia State Arsenal in Lexington. On November 11, 1839, the first Cadet sentinel, Private John B. Strange, relieved the militia guard on duty, and this date is regarded by the VMI community as its birthdate. The Institute's founder and first Superindentent was Major Francis Henney Smith, who was a West Point graduate, Class of 1833. Colonel Claudius Crozet became the Institute's first President of the Board of Visitors . The Class of 1842 graduated 16 Cadets, and they formed the VMI Alumni Association in 1842.
Living conditions were poor, and hardship was the keynote of cadet existence until, in 1850, the cornerstone of the new barracks was laid. In 1851 "Stonewall" Jackson became a member of the faculty and Professor of Natural and Experimental Philosophy. Under Major Jackson and Major William Gilham, VMI infantry and artillery units were present at the execution by hanging of John Brown at Charles Town, Virginia (now West Virginia) in 1859.
Civil War
During the American Civil War, the Institute played a valuable part in the training of the Southern armies and in actual participation in battle. Many cadets, under Jackson, were sent to Camp Lee , at Richmond, to train recruits for battle. VMI cadets ranked among the best officers of the South, and several distinguished themselves in the Federalist Forces.
The Battle of New Market
"We remember the New Market cadets because they represent both a challenge and a support. I believe that the VMI Spirit was born on that May day in 1864, and I believe that the New Market Corps stands as a bond among all who have worn the cadet gray. Every cadet, every alumnus, is forever able to draw upon one stirring and reassuring thought, the thought that if they could do it, so, God willing, can I" - Chester B. Coolrick, Jr., VMI class of 1937
In the spring of 1864, Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant set in motion a grand strategy designed to press the Confederate nation into submission. "My primary mission," reasoned Grant, "is to...bring pressure to bear on the Confederacy so no longer could it take advantage of interior lines." Control of the strategically important and agriculturally rich Shenandoah Valley was a key element in General Grant's plans. While he confronted General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia in the eastern portion of the state, Grant ordered Major General Franz Sigel's army of 10,000 to secure the valley and threaten Lee's flank.
Receiving word that the Union Army had entered the valley, Confederate General John C. Breckinridge pulled together all available forces to repulse the latest threat. The Cadet Corps, over half of whom were first year "Rats", were called to join Breckinridge and his army of 4,500 veterans. The cadets marched 80 miles in four days to meet up with General Breckinridge's Confederate force. The cadets were intended to be a reserve and employed in battle only under the most dire circumstances. The two armies met at New Market on May 15, 1864. "I shall advance on him", the aggressive Breckinridge declared. "We can attack and whip them here and I'll do it." As the general rode by the cadets he shouted, "gentlemen from VMI, I trust I will not need your services today; but if I do, I know you will do your duty."
In the drenching rain, union artillery located in town fired upon the Confederate line as it began its advance from the south. After brushing aside union skirmishers located west of town, the rebel infantry line came within rifle range of Federals positioned along a ridge north of the farm owned by Jacob and Sara Bushong.
Cadet John Howard saw a badly wounded Confederate officer lying on his side waving his sword to inspire the grey line forward. "Another shell exploded and he was cut down for a second time...What effect that waving sword had on anyone else, I do not know, but I know there was no giving back as we passed forward through the storm."
"The bursting of shells about us was incessant," recalled cadet Gideon Davenport, "One of these passing directly through our colors...about thus time we passed a group of wounded soldiers who cheered us, but a shell, intended for us, burst in their midst, and they fell silent. Suddenly there was a crack in our front - a gap appeared in our ranks, and First Sergeant Cabell, Privates Wheelwright, Crockett and Jones fell dead, and others were wounded. The opening was immediately closed, and the line went forward in the best of order. Nothing could have been finer done." Still in the reserve line, the cadets had to part as the marched around the Bushong farmhouse; companies A and B to the right, companies C and D to the left.
The front rank of the Confederate line paused at the split rail fence separating Jacob Bushong's orchard and wheat field. receiving massed fire from the federal muskets and artillery, the right flank of the 51st Virginia Regiment , the 30th Virginia battalion , and the left flank of the 62nd Virginia Regiment melted away. Noting the confusion in the Confederate line, Sigel ordered an attack. Breckenridge knew he must quickly fill the 350 foot gap in the center of his line or abandon the field. One of his staff suggested sending in the untried cadets. "I will not do it," Breckinridge replied. "General you have no choice," responded the desperate officer. "Send the cadets in," Breckinridge ordered, "and may God forgive me..."
The 257 VMI cadets stepped into the gap along the fence just as the 34th Massachusetts started its attack. Along the orchard fence line, cadet John Howard recalled,"It was an ordinary rail fence, about four feet high but as I surmounted to topmost rail it felt at least ten feet up in the air and the subject of hostile aim. But in clearing this obstruction i was leaving all thought of individuality behind," The cadets met the Union charge and turned it back. Now the entire Confederate line swept forward over the rain soaked and recently plowed wheat field. This field would later be dubbed the "Field of Lost Shoes" by the cadets because of the many pieces of footwear that were pulled off the cadet's feet by the suction of the mud as the Corps charged forward.
Meanwhile Sigel's infantry lurched forward awkwardly and ineffectively. They fell back across the blood drenched mud. Anticipating the results of his failed charge , Sigel began to withdraw his artillery. Into the federal fire marched grey soldiers. Only a few yards separated the armies when the blue line broke. The Confederates swept over the federal position capturing a cannon. Cadet O. P. Evans climbed atop the gun and victoriously waved the Institute Flag. General Breckinridge rode by, doffed his hat, and shouted "Well done!"
General Sigel staged a rapid retreat northward to Strasburg, leaving the field and the valley to General Breckinridge's army and the exuberant VMI cadets. Never before or since has an American Cadet Corp participated as a unit in pitched battle.
The battle was not without its cost to the Cadet Corps. Ten cadets were killed outright or died later of wounds. Forty Five cadets were also wounded in the fight. Sergeant Cabell, Corporal Atwill, and Privates Haynes, Jefferson, McDowell, Stanard, Wheelwright, Crockett, Hartsfield and Jones all Died on the field of Honor. These cadet names are memorized by every cadet. No class goes though VMI without thanking these cadets for giving their lives.
College
The Virginia Military Institute is a unique military and educational experience. The freshmen student is known as a rat, and walks a prescribed line in barracks while in an exaggerated form of attention known as straining. The "Rat" experience is a life changing system that instills great pride, discipline, brotherhood, and most importantly, honor.
The Honor System at VMI is second to none, as are all military colleges. This means that there is one, and only one, punishment for an honor offense: Immediate Expulsion. It is taken with the utmost sincerity and severity. Cadets take the matter of their honor to heart.
The Virginia Military Institute supports ROTC divisions off all military branches. Cadets may choose whether to commission in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard. Commissioning is purely optional, cadets may choose to graduate into the workforce.
The Ratline and the Dyke System
Every a new group of students arrive at VMI. Called "rats" and not a class they are the lowest of the low at VMI. After having their heads shaved bald (in the case of females not bald but shorter than would be socially acceptable) the rats undergo a week of intense military and physical training. Called "Hell Week" this is a crash course in everything VMI. How to wear every uniform, how to march, how to clean a rifle, everything is taught in these eight days. At the end of Hell Week the Rats are paired with a first classman.
This pairing is integral to cadet life at VMI. The first classman is called a "Dyke". Dyke is a souther corruption of the phrase "to deck out", as in to get into a uniform. This first arose from the pair helping each other get into the full parade dress that cadets wear which consists of several large web belts that are impossible to put on alone. The Dyke is the rats only friend in the corp out side the "Rat Mass". They are like a big brother, a father and a best friend rolled into one. Each person's experience with his/her dyke is unique and most have a rewarding experience.
The Rat Mass will continue to undergo training from the most highly skilled cadets at VMI, The Cadre . The Cadre will teach the rats everything they need to know. They will enforce all rules and keep the rats in line. Unlike normal college freshman the rat lead lives that are harsh and at time brutal. However, the treatment that the rats get from The Cadre is only preparing them for the real world, the world outside barracks walls, which will be much harsher on them than The Cadre.
The rats must prove that all can work together as a mass before the can be "Broken Out" of the Ratline by the first class. When the rats have shown that they are ready and the first class feels they are ready, they will be broken out. One week before Break Out is Resurrection Week. Normally after Hell Week the Institute gears up for the academic mission and the Ratline tends to be more bearable. Resurrection Week is the final push to weed out all those who do not belong, the final push to make you quite right before the finish line. This week is often harder than Hell Week was because the rats now have to attend class as well. At the end of the week Break Out will happen. The Rats will undergo the most grueling and demanding experience of their lives. Beginning before dawn and lasting well into the evening breakout will test everything that the rats have learned. By the end of the day every muscle in the body will be sore, eventually weary and weak the rats will be done. They will have become the next class to pass into VMI.
Many versions of the Break Out Ceremony have been conducted. In the 1950s rats from each company would be packed into a corner room in barracks, because of its hallway like feature, and brawl their way out through the upperclassmen. When they reached the outside, they were considered "broken out." Later in the early 1980s the rat mass had to fight its way up to the fourth stoop. Through three other classes of cadets determined not to let them get to the top. The stoops would be slick with motor oil and grease and the upperclassmen would be armed with bats and sticks. Only as one group, one mass, one class, could the rats reach the top of barracks and break out. Another version has the rats climbing a muddy hill on their stomachs while the upper classes drag them back down. This "rebirth" from the mud, the primordial ooze that spawned the rats, was a highly effective method of breakout.
Ring Figure
The VMI Class Ring is a symbol of brotherhood. The first VMI ring contained only the word "Mizpah", which is Hebrew for brotherhood. The ring is awarded to cadets during their second class (junior) year. The celebration of Ring Figure has evolved into a celebration not only of the class but of being a cadet as well. At the Ringfigure Ball each second classman is given their ring by their date. A kiss from the date is customary as she slips the ring on the cadet's finger. Every second classman wears a special uniform that has become another symbol of Ringfigure, the Old Corps White Blouse. This uniform is worn only at Ringfigure and is purchased at the cadet's own expense. It is the most elegant and formal looking of any cadet uniform at any military academy. No rank is worn on this uniform to highlight the fact that everyone is one member of the class, each one just as important as any other.
The ring itself is the largest of any class ring in the world. The ring's design features a side for the class and a side for the institute. Each side is designed by the individual class and each one is unique. The ring design begins early in the third class year (sophomore year). The third class bands together and plans the celebration of their class. After what seems like an eternity of planning a class will receive their ring right before Thanksgiving Furlough . The second classmen are free to go home after ringfigure and do not have to return to the Institute until after thanksgiving furlough.
Females
The Virginia Military Institute was compelled to open its doors to females beginning in 1997. The first females were met with hostility; it seemed that no one wanted them there. While this is not necessarily true today, a large portion of the VMI community still feels that females should never have been allowed into the school.
VMI, unlike other military colleges, has only one physical fitness standard. All cadets regardless of gender, race, or creed are held to the same standard. Like their male colleagues, current female cadets must retain crew cuts or shave their heads as rats, but are allowed to grow their hair as long as they wish as upperclassmen , as long as it is pulled back in a knot or bun during the duty day, and are forbidden to wear makeup or jewellery as rats (also allowed to wear them as upperclasmen), and must go through the same strict physical courses and technical training. The cadets at VMI believe firmly in "One Corps, One Standard". They expect the same from every cadet.
Notable graduates
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William Mahone, Class of 1847; Confederate Army Major General; member Virginia General Assembly, Senator in U.S. Congress (1881-1887), railroad executive
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Walter H. Taylor, Class of 1857; Confederate Army Lt. Colonel and Chief Aide-de-Camp to General Robert E. Lee (1861-1865), lawyer, banker, author, railroad executive based in Norfolk, VA, Senator in the Virginia General Assembly
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George Marshall, Class of 1901; U.S. Army Chief of Staff, World War II; U.S. Secretary of State (1947-1949)
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Richard Marshall, Class of 1915; U.S. Army general, World War II
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Li-Jen Sun
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Last updated: 05-13-2005 07:56:04
