Preview
  • The West Point Class of 1846

  • The Cadets and History of the Academy's Most Famous Class
  • By: Charles River Editors
  • Narrated by: T. David Rutherford
  • Length: 1 hr and 29 mins
  • 4.0 out of 5 stars (18 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The West Point Class of 1846

By: Charles River Editors
Narrated by: T. David Rutherford
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $6.95

Buy for $6.95

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

  • Profiles the class of 1846's most famous cadets, including George McClellan, Stonewall Jackson, George Pickett, A. P. Hill, and others.
  • Discusses the relationships between the cadets and their lives during and after West Point.

"Toiling uphill is not what it is cracked up to be!" (Cadet George B. McClellan)

West Point has long been America's most famous military academy, but in the early 19th century it was a highly unimpressive school consisting of a few ugly buildings facing a desolate, barren parade ground. Established with just five officers and 10 cadets of the Corps of Engineers on March 16, 1802, the academy was built on a spot just 50 miles north of New York City, which had been a key Hudson River military fortress during the Revolutionary War. Cadets attending during the Point's first several decades were obliged to maintain their daily regimen knowing the school might shut down at any moment, as the US government frequently questioned why it should provide free education.

As it turned out, West Point would become the foremost military academy in the nation, and it would churn out the cadets who became the most important generals in the Civil War.

The future generals' years at West Point became a source of both camaraderie and colorful stories. A clerical error by West Point administrators ensured that Hiram Ulysses Grant forever became known as Ulysses S. Grant; and years after Robert E. Lee met Albert Sidney Johnston and Jefferson Davis at West Point, George H. Thomas and William Tecumseh Sherman met each other - and Richard S. Ewell. During the 1850s classes included men like John Bell Hood, Union general Phil Sheridan, and James Birdseye McPherson, who would become the only commanding general of a Union army to die in a Civil War battle.

©2012 Charles River Editors (P)2015 Charles River Editors
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

What listeners say about The West Point Class of 1846

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    9
  • 4 Stars
    4
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    2
Performance
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    8
  • 4 Stars
    5
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    2
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    8
  • 4 Stars
    4
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    2

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Horrible

Do not waste the money or the time. Book/audio contradicts most other accounts when it actually gets into details.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!