Show enS h I I I I I i I I I I I I 1 I I II II II I I I 1 II ar I tar x t 1 a 1 c I g T kb 4 w wt t w Benny Haven Havena i iBy By ELMO SCOTT WATSON From Nevada Nevadas hoary ridges from stormy tormy coasts or of o Ml l Mauler e From Lava Lavt Beds Ged and Yellow stone the Story never waned Whenever duty called they went their lr steps were never slow With Alma Mater rater on their lips and Benny Oh When this lifes life's troubled d sea a le Is oer o'er o r and our last lat battles battle's battle through It If God permits us mortals there bit hie blest domain to view Then we w shall ce see In glory crowned In proud celestial row The friends weve we've w ve known and loved so eo well at Benny Hav Hav- Havens hay hay- hayens Havens ens Oh HAT officer of UI the lie United States army from tI the e mer- mer merest merest f est shave tall up to a general with four stars on his shoulders has not heard that verse erse and for a n brief I moment been carried led back to Alma Mater the Unit Unit y ed cd States Military Acad Acad Academy emy at West Point N Y Till For one of the most plc- plc picturesque pic and beloved tra tra- W of that famous mil military mil mil- school where trade tradition lion tion Is so stron strong centers around the name of Benny Havens Who was Benny Havens Ha One of Americas America's famous generals a graduate of whom West Point Is proud A be be- beloved beloved loved 10 teacher at the academy Well Veil bar hardly ly I 1 Sometime prior to 2 Benny Havens canoe came to West Point and oe- oe oc a story one cotta cottage e a short hort dis dis- distance distance distance tance west of where the old cadet hos hospital pital now the nurses quarters stands What his ancestry was or where he came from no OD one seems to know But after all those things are relatively unimportant for the beginnings of ot a tradition are frequently wrapped napped In a mist of obscurity but a tradition Is Istone tone none the le less s dear on that account account In In the lie early arly da days s 's of ot Bennys Benny's residency residence re at t the post he sold to the cadets ale cakes and nad cider elder and In the winter buckwheat cakes and elder flip Inter on the cider flip became he ale flip and aDd later something a bit stronger was added to his bill bl of ot fare It was this something which led to Lennys BenDY's undoing for he was exp expelled lIed from Crom tine the reservation reser By this time Benn Benny had Iad become so attached to the corps of ot cadets and the cadets had become so attached to Benny that neither could oud think of allowing this expulsion to lo meun hi his retirement to the obscurity from froni which he be had come So he set up his little Shop just off the post In what later became known as The House by bv the ner a Mecca to which so many of WeH Points Point's f famous sons made fre Ire frequent quent even If forbidden es For slipping lipping out of bounds to the hos hos fireside of ot Benny havens Hanns where food and drink could be Illegal illegal- illegally Illegally al ly 11 obtained contrary to the lie rules and andre re regulations which have ha II ah nl always s 's char char- characterized characterized the dignity and order r of this Mils Severe ere academy was one of the ot of- of offenses 1 for tor which a cadet could he be h skinned today they call It I 1 I e reported for one of the th lie many rn breaches of ot re regulations For Instance take the case e of or C Cadet Armstrong Custer of Ohio along alone about the year ear 1801 1501 Ouster fuster himself has re- re record re- re recorded recorded cord corded d my offenses e against law laty In and order were not Dot great grent In enormity but s R y Ha nJ Tn what they lacked In magnitude the they made up In number The forbidden locality of or Benny Havens U possessed stron stronger er attractions than the thc Sl study ud and demonstration of a problem In Euclid If you go to West Point to today to- to today today day you can cnn find In an nn old sheepskin bound volume the record of ot Cu Custers Custer's ter's skin sheet bearing the list of oC of- of offenses offenses of for which Cadet Callet Custer was reported In all there are 43 separate skins with nith a total of demerits and many of theta them are for partaking ot of Bennys Benny's hO hospitality Since a cadet cadetis cadetIs Is allowed demerits before he Is dismissed sed Custer hal had only 23 more to togo togo go o when lie be was graduated So he came very ery nearly being denied his chance for fame and America came very nearly losing one of her most brilliant cavalry officers But If Benny Havens lIa had a n part In this It was WitS by byDO byno byno no DO means a unique case Many Inny an- an another an another other officer who later became ramous famous could testify to a number of skins because the they simply could nol not resist Bennys Bennye Benny Pitcher the charm of Benny Benay Havens Ha hospi hospi- hospitality hospitality Benny Havens character was ninny sided kind to children Invariably In courteous to 10 women so reads rends a sketch In Bugle Notes otes the handbook of the United States Corps of Cadets orthe or the plebes plebe Bible BiLle as It Is called at West Res Point He lie was posses possessed ed of a terrible and ungovernable ungo temper There was an about his Ills personality that thaI bound his friends to him hill by Inseparable ties tics Virtues and qualities were his which helped lo to shape the lives of and give ghe guidance to as they ruse rose to lifes life's pinnacles man many who e names are now nowen en engraved on tile the lie pa pages N of hI history lory For For Instance In tane there was a 8 certain cadet named Edgar Allan Ioe Poe During Dur DurIng Ing the short stay SillY ol of that en erratic In inv Individual at III thE lie academy he lie was dis missed sed after afler being there about siz sl months Poe roe frequently visited Gen Ben Benny's Bennys Benny's nys ny's place of business while It was still on the reservation and became beame de de- de- de devoted devoted voted to him The future poet often remarked that Benny was the sole I con soul In the entire God for Godforsaken Godforsaken SIllen place Benny lived d to the ripe old age ot of eight eighty eight ht years Taps raps were sound soundS sounded ed for him on M May 29 18 1877 and now v lie he sleeps In the tile Highland Union cerna- cerna come tary tary on tIe the lie banks of or the river he loved so well But West Point Is rich richin richin richin in memories of Benny BenD Havens It you go there today they they will show you the pitcher from which he served his famous elder cider flip But most moH of all his fame Is preserved In the song which has been heen carried literally around the I world by West Pointers That song I was composed early In his Ills career Jt It was written about 1838 when Lucius OBrien O'Brien of or Maryland a n lieutenant to In Inthe the EI Eighth Infantry was I visiting a 8 friend Riley Hiley A Arnold then n first classman Together they spent silent many manya man mana a congenial evening even In at nEnn Bennys Benny's s place II ace and so the lie story goes OBrien O'Brien and his friends composed a poem about Benny and set It ft to the tune of The Th Wearing ring of ot the Green It ly Iy became popular at nt Wet West Poin and for tor the next nest quarter of a n century one of the first filst things a n plebe did was to learn to 10 sing Benny Havens Ua Oh Oli I 1 During the summer r days of 18 when d clay after atter day the steamers bearing horne home the veterans of the Civil war passed Bennys Benny's little cottage E on the banks of the Hudson the bands hands would strike up one tune and Benny would hear hundreds of voices Joining In the singing ln of Come nil all your yur ellowe an and stand up UD In a row To sentimentally were we're ere going for to BO ItO In the army theres there's ther a sobriety promo promo- lions lion's very plow Ilow So well we'll sinic aing our or of o Benn Benny B Us en Ohl Oh CHonus I Ohi Ohl Oh Benny B Havens Oh Oh Ohl Benny Denni I Havens Oh Yell Well sing our of Benny Benni I Havens ObI Oh To T our rockbound kind old Alma Mater our rock rock- I bound highland Home Well We'll cast many a fond regret as all oer o'er oe lifes life's sea Ilea w we roam I Until oil on our last battle batlle field neK the light I of heaven shall hall Glow clow Well We'll ll er ne tall fail to drink to her and an nn Benny Renny Havener HaH Oh May Clay the Army be b augmented may pro Dro pro pro- promotion motion n b lie Je less Blow May uny our country In th hour of or need nee be read odd dodd odda ready for the tue lie foe fo a May we d a soldiers soldier's 1 J resting place R oldie With room rn u uv for Cor our v graves Oh Ob |