Product Description

This 1991 reprint of an 1893 book by John P. Thomas covers the first 50 years of the South Carolina Military Academy (the predecessor of The Citadel). Contains biographies and registers of graduates.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2863882 in Books
• Published on: 1991-01-01
• Binding: Hardcover
• 600 pages

About the Author
John P. Thomas (1833-1912) was an 1851 graduate of the South Carolina Military Academy. He was a professor during the Civil War. He later served as an educator in North Carolina, Superintendent of the Citadel, state legislator, and state historian of South Carolina.

Customer Reviews

The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina
As a 1991 graduate of the Citadel I was unaware of most of the history of the school until only a few years ago. With the printing of this book combined Gary Bakers, Cadets in Gray: Colonel Oliver Bonds, The Story of the Citadel; and A History of the Citadel by Colonel Dennis Nicholson our historytakes more meaning and shape.
All alumni and cadets should know the history of both the school and the men that have come from this institution. From it's beginnings in 1842 until now it has played important and pivital parts in both South Carolina's and the United States' history.
One should know the background of both the old Citadel on Marion Square and of the new along the Ashley river. The Corp of Cadets has weathered good and bad and will continue to choose the path least taken.
The History of the Citadel by John P. Thomas goes all the way back to the early years of South Carolina and the formation of an arsenal and military school to the time of the War Between the States and the Citadel's sacrifices and struggles to survive both during and after war. The formation of the Cadet Rangers in the service of the Confederate States of America and the Battalion of State Cadets consisting of both cadets from both The Arsenal, in Columbia, and The Citadel, in Charleston.
The rebuilding of the Citadel after the War and the foundation of what we now know as the greater Citadel on the banks of the Ashley River is the culmination of this work.

A History of The Citadel
The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, established in 1842, has a long and distinguished heritage. This book was written by Col John Peyre Thomas a graduate from the class of 1851. Upon graduation, Thomas served as a professor at the Citadel's preparatory school, The Arsenal, in Columbia, SC. He also served as a professor at The Citadel and fought in multiple engagements with the Citadel Corps of Cadets during the Civil War. The Citadel earned nine battle streamers during the Civil War, more than any college, academy, or institute in the United States. Cadets fired the first shots of the war and the last shots east of the Mississippi River. Thomas served as Superintendent of the Military College from 1882 to 1885.

This book, originally published in 1893, covers the first 50 years of The Citadel's history. It includes much of The Citadel in the Civil War and includes brief biographical sketches of several early graduates of the college. For more detail on Citadel Cadets during The Civil War, Cadets in Gray by Gary Baker is highly recommended.

Overall, this book is excellent for anyone interested in The Citadel during the 1842-1892 time period. The book has a complete index and multiple appendices for reference.