Office of the Commandant/General Records: Orders and Notices Issued to the Brigade of Midshipmen and Memoranda Sent and Received, 1905-1911: Finding Aid

History of the Office of the Commandant of Midshipmen

Although not specifically provided for in the original plan for the Naval School at Fort Severn, the Office of the Commandant actually dates from the opening days of the school when Lieutenant James H. Ward served as executive officer and instructor in gunnery and steam. Under the provisions of the reorganization plan of 1850, an experienced lieutenant or commander, known as the commandant of midshipmen, served as executive officer to the Superintendent and instructor in naval tactics and practical seamanship. Between 1882 and 1902, regulations referred to the executive officer as the commandant of cadets. The office of the commandant also included responsibility for insuring the "preservation of discipline" and "general security" at the Academy. The Navy Department detailed line officer assistants to the commandant as the responsibilities of the office increased with the growth of the school. The commandant also typically commanded the annual summer practice cruises and maintained the trip’s records under the instruction of the superintendent. For most years from 1851 to 1909, the commandant served as commander of the cruise.

Description of Contents

This entry contains orders and notices issued by the commandant to the brigade of midshipmen and memoranda sent and received from the superintendent and other academy officers. The orders, notices and memoranda relate to various subjects, including discipline and courts of inquiry; professional training, academic curricula and textbooks; extra-curricular activities; uniforms, and other supplies from the midshipman store; summer training and practice cruises; the Naval Academy Band; graduation exercises; and routines, schedules, holidays, entertainments and special occasions.

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically. The volumes documenting the period 1905 to 1908 overlap. Subject indices exist for the period October 1905 to June 1911.

Access and Use

Access

Access is unrestricted.

Copyright and Permission

Generally, materials produced by Federal agencies are in the public domain and may be reproduced without permission. Any non-government publications held herein may still be subject to copyright. For further information, consult the Head, Special Collections & Archives.

Other Finding Aid(s)

National Archives Catalog entry available electronically at: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/3129065.

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

Location of Related Materials

Contemporary orders issued by the commandant of midshipmen may be found in entry 155: “Orders, Letters Received and Memoranda Granting Midshipmen Leave, Special Privileges and Liberty, 1906-1908” (NAID: 3128972); entry 156: “Orders, Memoranda, and Notices Relating to Athletics at the Academy, 1905-1908” (NAID: 3128981); entry 157: “Orders, Memoranda, and Notices Relating to the Course of Instruction and Examination for Midshipman Classes, 1905-1914” (NAID: 3129063); and entry 159: “Orders and Notices Issued to the Brigade of Midshipmen, 1906-1909” (NAID: 3129088).

Orders issued by the commandant immediately preceding this entry may be found in entry 153: “Press Copies of Orders, 1876-1905” (NAID: 3128945); and entry 152: “Orders, 1875-1876, 1881” (NAID: 3123922); Letters, memoranda, and other correspondence sent by the commandant immediately preceding this entry are found in entry 147: “Press Copies of Letters Sent, 1861-1863, 1884-1887, 1888-1890, 1902-1905” (NAID: 3108978); Later letters sent by the superintendent may be found in entry 148: “Letters Sent, Endorsements, and Memoranda, 1906-1911” (NAID: 3117465); entry 149: “Letters Sent to the Superintendent Relating to Midshipmen’s Deficiencies in Conduct, 1905-1906” (NAID: 3118891); entry 150: “Memoranda Sent to Academy Officers and Heads of Departments, 1911-1912” (NAID: 3121144); entry 151: “Memoranda Sent to the Officer in Charge Relating to Midshipmen Deprived of Privileges, 1912-1914” (NAID: 3123921).

Materials Cataloged Separately

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

Processing and Other Information

Preferred Citation

Office of the Commandant/General Records: Orders and Notices Issued to the Brigade of Midshipmen and Memoranda Sent and Received, 1905-1911, RG 405.3.1 Entry 158

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 April 2023. Finding aid written by Samuel Limneos in May 2023. 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

• Naval education -- United States.
• United States Naval Academy -- History – 20th century
• United States Naval Academy. Commandant of Midshipmen

Genre Terms

• Memorandums
• Notices
• Orders (military records)