[Illustration: Colonel Jonathan Williams, Corps of Engineers
First Superintendent of the Military Academy
From the Painting by Thomas Sully, Library U.S.M.A.]
In the courtyard the names that are carved in the granite were selected for the following reasons:
WILLIAMS Colonel Jonathan Williams, first Superintendent of the Military Academy.
SWIFT Colonel Joseph G. Swift, first graduate of the Military Academy.
TOTTEN General Joseph G. Totten, the tenth graduate and _ex-officio_ the first inspector of the Military Academy while serving as Chief of Engineers from 1838-1864.
THAYER Major Sylvanus Thayer, Father of the Military Academy.
DELAFIELD Colonel Richard Delafield, Superintendent from 1856 to 1861, under whose administration much construction was completed.
JEFFERSON Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United States, during whose administration, 1801 to 1809, the Military Academy was founded.
MONROE James Monroe, fifth President of the United States, 1817 to 1825, under whose administration the Military Academy developed and was encouraged.
Upon the second floor is the Academic Board room, a Gothic hall illuminated with stained glass windows containing emblems of the various arts and sciences. The most striking feature of the room is the massive stone mantel, modeled by Laurie and ornamented with statuettes of the world’s greatest warriors.
The description of the statuettes and the reasons for selecting the subject are given in a letter to Dr. Holden, late librarian, dated November 23, 1906. An Advisory Board of officers recommended:
That the character of the figures on the mantlepiece be of a general military type--historical or legendary--best suited to harmonize with the architectural treatment and selected by the architects themselves from the three lists in this letter of November 23, 1906.
The heads appearing at the top of the mantel--in the crenelations--have no relation to the statuettes underneath. The small shields immediately below the statuettes are, however, indicative of the subjects as follows:
JOSHUA. Sun and Moon--taken from the Biblical legend describing the distinctly miraculous standing still of the Sun on the occasion of a certain battle.
HECTOR OF TROY. Mycenæan Scroll--a sort of triangular fylfot, which stands for Mycenæan civilization. This device would apply equally to that of Troy of which Hector was the greatest figure.