OCR Text |
Show ORIGIN OF THE CADET GRAY, i "Cadet gray,", the uniform worn by .the cadets of the I'nited States Military academy acad-emy at West Point, was suggeuted by the act of Gen. Wlnfleld Scott in adopting it for a body of troops under his command. While stationed at Buffalo, In the summer sum-mer of 1814, Gen. ScotOwrote to the quartermaster quar-termaster for a new supply of clothing for the regulars. Word soon came back that blue cloth, such as used In the army, could not be obtained, owing to the stringency strin-gency of the blockade and the lack of manufacturers In the country, but that there was sufficient gray cloth now known as "cadet gray" in Philadelphia. Scott ordered it made up for the soldiers and In these new gray suits they marched down the Niagara river on the Canada side, in the direction of Chippewa. It was just before the battle known by that name which occurred early In July. Gen. Ralll, the British commander, looked upon them with contempt when prepared for battle on the morning of the 6th. for the Marquis of Tweedale, who. with the British advance, had skirmished with them all the day before, had reported report-ed that they were only a "Buffalo militia" mili-tia" and accounted for their fighting so well and driving him to his lntrenchments north of the Chippewa river by the fact that it was the anniversary of American independence that stimulated them. On account of the victory won at Chip- fewa that day. chiefly by these soldiers n gray, and In honor of Scott and his troops, that style of cloth was adopted at the military academy at West Point as the uniform of the cadets. |