Office of the Superintendent/Administrative Records: Monthly Reports of Relative Class Standing, Marks, and Demerits, 1855-1907: Finding Aid

History of the Office of the Superintendent

The plan of the Naval School at Fort Severn, Annapolis, Maryland, approved by the Navy Department August 28, 1846, provided that a Superintendent of the school be appointed by the Secretary of the Navy from a list of officers of a rank not higher than commander. The Superintendent was to have responsibility for the general management of the institution, including overseeing the course of study, professors, and other personnel connected with the Academy. He could appoint and remove all persons employed at the Academy except those for whose appointment or discharge special provision was made by the laws or regulations of the Navy or the Academy. He had general charge of the buildings, grounds, and ships belonging to the Academy. The Superintendent also formulated the code of rules and regulations for the internal government of the school to be submitted to the Secretary of the Navy for approval. After 1867, officers were assigned by the Navy Department to the Academy to serve as assistants or aides to the Superintendent. The Office of the Superintendent as described in the 1846 plan remained relatively unchanged throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Officers of ranks higher than commander, however, have served in the position.

Description of Contents

This entry contains monthly reports of midshipman relative class standing, marks and monthly and annual demerits incurred and removed. The volumes record the numerical class standing of each midshipman in each academic subject studied, and the number of demerits received for each month, half-year, or year. Prior to academic year 1874-1875, the volumes do not contain monthly class averages (or marks), annual reports of class standing, or class averages. Some of the volumes include summer term reports.

The volumes for 1880 to 1907 include annual reports of examinations containing midshipmen's examination scores, averages, and class standing. The volumes also document semiannual reports of class standing and averages beginning in academic year 1882-1883. Between October 1884 and June 1890, and January 1896 and February 1907, the volumes record monthly averages in either “conduct” or “efficiency” under a column entitled “discipline” rather than monthly and annual demerits. The volumes record both conduct grades and monthly and annual demerits from October 1890 through December 1895.

The volumes record monthly reports for cadet-engineers together with those of cadet-midshipmen between December 1871 and June 1879. Separate volumes record the monthly reports of cadet-engineers and cadet-midshipmen between October 1879 and June 1882. Monthly reports of the second, third, and fourth classes for December 1863 are recorded in volumes 421 and 422, and monthly reports of all classes for February to April and October to December 1864 are copied in volumes 422 and 423. Volume 422 also contains an academic merit roll for the class admitted in 1859, deficiency reports, class reports of the summer practice cruise of 1864, a copy of a letter of instruction from the superintendent to the commandant of midshipmen relative to the cruise, and reports submitted at the end of the cruise. Volume 446 also contains a list entitled “arrangement of midshipmen by company,” dated October 1904.

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by academic year and month, thereunder by class rank, 1-4, or class rank division, and thereunder alphabetically by initial letter of surname.

Access and Use

Access

Access is unrestricted.

Copyright and Permission

Use of materials is unrestricted.

Other Finding Aid(s)

National Archives Catalog entry available electronically at: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/3039649.

Acquisition and Appraisal

Custodial History

RG 405 Records of the United States Naval Academy is the property of the National Archives and Records Administration. The materials are housed at the United States Naval Academy, William W. Jeffries Memorial Archives, an affiliated archive, as per a Memorandum of Agreement between the National Archives and Records Administration and the United States Naval Academy.

Related Materials

Related Archival Material

Volumes documenting the complete conduct and academic histories for some of the midshipmen mentioned in this entry are found in entry 85: “Volume of Delinquencies, 1846-1850, 1854-1882” (NAID: 3033255); and entry 86: “Academic and Conduct Records of Cadets, 1881-1908” (NAID: 3033293). Similar academic and conduct reports for midshipmen immediately proceeding this entry are found in entry 97: “Copies of Monthly and Term Reports of Relative Class Standing, Marks, and Demerits, 1907-1924,” (NAID: 3039656). The monthly reports of relative class standing and conduct for the academic year 1866-1867 are copied in entry 95: “Reports of Relative Standing and Deficiencies and Merit Rolls, 1866-1867,” (NAID: 3039645).

Related conduct and academic records are found in entry 99: “Class Reports of Annual Examinations, 1901, 1903, 1909,” (NAID: 3039660); entry 98: “Reports of Examination Grades of Midshipmen, 1872-1879” (NAID: 3039658); entry 94: “Monthly Class Reports for the Subjects French and Spanish and for Great Gun Target Practice, 1904, 1911, 1917-1925” (NAID: 3039643); entry 93: “Monthly Class Reports, 1865-1904” (NAID: 3033523); entry 92: “Weekly Reports of Class Grades of Midshipmen Aboard the Schoolships Constitution and Santee, 1864-1866” (NAID: 3033397); entry 91: “Monthly Report of the Academic Record of Acting Midshipmen, 1850-1860” (NAID: 3033353); entry 89: “Descriptions of General Conduct and Academic Standing of Midshipmen, 1865-1868” (NAID: 3033329); and entry 87: “Monthly Reports of Demerits, 1862-1873” (NAID: 3033302).

Copies of letters written by the superintendent and the secretary of the navy formally warning and reprimanding midshipmen for academic deficiencies are found in entry 3: “Press Copies of Letters Sent by the Superintendent, 1865-1911” (NAID: 2980540). Reports of relative academic standing, deficiency lists and merit rolls pertaining to midshipman grades are found in entry 204: “Journals of the Academic Board, 1854-1942” (NAID: 3179980). Other reports and correspondence of the superintendent, the secretary of the navy, and midshipmen and their parents pertaining to academic deficiencies and resultant dismissals and reappointments are located at the National Archives’ Record Group 45 series: “Letters Received from the Superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy, 1847-1884” (NAID: 1801239); and the Record Group 24 series: “Records Concerning Naval Cadets, 1862-1910” (NAID: 2524308).

Materials Cataloged Separately

No materials have been removed from this collection and cataloged separately.

Processing and Other Information

Preferred Citation

Office of the Superintendent/Administrative Records: Monthly Reports of Relative Class Standing, Marks, and Demerits, 1855-1907, RG 405.2.3 Entry 96

Special Collections & Archives Department

Nimitz Library

United States Naval Academy

Selected Bibliography

The following sources were consulted during preparation of the historical note:

Sweetman, Jack. The U.S. Naval Academy: An Illustrated History. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute Press, 1979.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Samuel Limneos in June 2022. Finding aid written by Samuel Limneos in June 2022. Historical Sketch and Scope and Content Note adapted in part from Inventory of Records Group 405 by Geraldine N. Phillips and Aloha South, 1975.

Subject Headings

Name and Subject Terms

• Midshipmen -- United States
• Naval education -- United States
• United States Naval Academy - Students
• • United States Naval Academy -- History – 19th century
• • United States Naval Academy -- History – 20th century

Genre Terms

• Registers (lists)
• Reports