History of Randolph-Macon College, Virginia Part 20

GEORGE W. ARMISTEAD, Va.

WILLIAM A. SHEPARD, Va.

JOHN L. GILLESPIE, Va.

COLLEGE YEAR 1860-'61.

This College year reached into the first year of the civil war. The matriculation at the opening was fairly good, but during the second term many of the young men left to enter the military service. The Commencement exercises were dispensed with, and the Board conferred only a few degrees. Those receiving them were--

A. M.

B. L. ARNOLD, Va.

B. J. HAWTHORNE, Va.

RICHARD B. HOLSTEAD, Va.

RICHARD O. WYATT, Va.

A. B.

JOHN THOMPSON BROWN, Va.

D. D

REV. JOHN C. BLACKWELL, A. M., Pres. Buckingham Female Inst.

Under the discouraging circ.u.mstances the Board determined to suspend the exercises of the College--a very wise move, but unfortunately it was countermanded at a subsequent meeting.

COLLEGE YEAR 1861-'62.

At a called meeting of the Board held August 29, 1861, the previous action of the Board was rescinded, and it was resolved, "That the College be opened at the usual time under a complete system of military government, and Rev. Major William H. Wheelwright Was elected Professor of Military Tactics."

At a subsequent meeting of the Board, Professor Lewis Turner was elected to the Chair of Mathematics, vacated by the resignation of Professor Ma.s.sie, who had entered the military service; Professor W. A. Shepard had also entered the service, but his place was not filled.

At a meeting held in Norfolk, Va., November 22, 1861, a committee was appointed to secure a change in the charter, authorizing the military feature proposed for the College.

At a meeting of the Board held January 20, 1862, J. E. Blankenship was elected Professor in place of Major Wheelwright, who declined to accept the position offered him. On the 20th February the military organization was completed by the action of the Executive Committee. It was as follows, viz.:

REV. WM. A. SMITH, D. D., _Col. Commanding Corps Cadets_.

J. E. BLANKENSHIP, Major, _Professor Mathematics and Military Science_.

BENNETT PURYEAR, Captain. _Professor Chemistry_. WILLIAM B. CARR, Captain, _Professor Ancient Languages_.

G. STAUBLY, Captain, _Professor Modern Languages_.

A long schedule of military rules was adopted--too long for their insertion here, and much longer than their existence would have justified.

Those who reversed the deliberate action of the Board at the annual meeting, carried away with the excitement of the times, thought they were doing the best, but, as we look at it now, it appears a solemn farce. It was also an expensive one.

At the close of the year, June, 1862, the following received degrees:

A. M.

WILLIAM A. ARCHER, Va.

J. E. BUTLER, Ark.

R. A. COMPTON, Va.

WILLIAM S. WILLIAMS. Mo.

GRADUATES OF FORMER YEARS.

WILLIAM G. STARR, ROBERT S. ISBELL, JOHN D. BLACKWELL.

A. B.

WILLIAM E. EDWARDS.

B. L. ARNOLD, Va.

[Ill.u.s.tration: WILLIAM E. EDWARDS, D. D., _A. B., 1862._]

At the annual meeting, June, 1862, of the Trustees, the following resolution was adopted:

"This Board, having the utmost confidence in the ability of the Confederate States to maintain their independence, and that it is safe to make investment in their stocks (bonds), is of the opinion that it would be judicious to sell out our stocks which do not pay an interest of more than six per cent., and to invest the same in Confederate States bonds, bearing an interest of eight per cent. And that the President of the College be requested to confer with our Investing Agent on the subject, and that if the investing Agent concur with the Board in the propriety of the exchance of stocks, that he proceed to make it."

Under the military _regime_ the session opened as usual in September, 1862. The number of students in attendance was small, as might have been expected.

The board of students was fixed at $25 per month, with the following bill of fare at the Mess Hall:

"_For breakfast_--Sugar, coffee (_or subst.i.tute_) or milk (_those using the one will not be ent.i.tled to the other_), flour-bread, viz., loaf bread and biscuit, and either batter-bread, waffles or m.u.f.fins, b.u.t.ter, cold or fried bacon, or hash.

"_For dinner_--Boiled bacon and cabbage, or other greens, and one of the following kinds of meats, viz., beef, mutton, shoat or fowls, with the vegetables of the season, and corn-bread.

"_For supper_--Sugar, coffee (_or a subst.i.tute_) or milk, as at breakfast, flour-bread, viz., loaf-bread and biscuit, and either batter-bread, waflles, m.u.f.fins, or toast-bread and b.u.t.ter."

What soldier could not fight on such fare as this!

In October, 1862, Professor Staubly resigned, and soon afterwards went to Petersburg, along with Professor W. B. Carr, to teach in the Petersburg Female College. They were thus engaged till the 9th of June, 1864, when General Kautz attacked the Home Guards, under the command of Major F. H. Archer. In this engagement Professors Carr and Staubly were partic.i.p.ants, and the latter was killed, along with Geo. B. Jones, a Randolph-Macon alumnus.

At a called meeting of the Trustees held December 18, 1862, the President presented to the consideration of the Board the condition of the College, with an exhibit of receipts and disburs.e.m.e.nts.

After much deliberation, it was ordered that the operations of the College be suspended from and after the 5th of February, 1863, to the opening of the fall term, in September following.

"Dr. W. A. Smith was placed in charge of the property. At a meeting of the Trustees held July 24, 1863, the President in his report in regard to the closing term said:

"The College opened September, 1862, with about twenty students, which number gradually increased to forty-four. The Conscript Act then went into operation, and took nearly half that number.

Then, on motion, it was ordered that the exercises of the College be suspended until otherwise ordered. The Virginia Conference of the M. E.

Church, South, held its annual session at Broad-street Methodist Church November, 1863. At this Conference the following resolution was adopted:

"_Resolved_, That we recommend the Trustees of Randolph-Macon College to remove it from its present site to some more eligible locality, and we call their attention specially to the advantages presented by Lynchburg as the place to which it should be transferred."

A meeting of the Trustees was called to consider the resolution of the Conference, and the Trustees a.s.sembled at Broad-street Church November 26, 1863.

As there were only nine members in attendance, the Trustees adjourned to meet in the city of Petersburg on the 20th of January, to consider the recommendation of the Conference, and an order was made that notice of the adjourned meeting be given in the newspapers of Richmond and Petersburg.