Alden Partridge

Alden Partridge was born and raised on a family farm in Norwich, Vermont, the son of Elizabeth (Wright) Partridge and soldier Samuel Partridge Jr.,[1] who had fought in the American Revolutionary War, including the Battles of Saratoga.[2] Tall and hardy, the younger Partridge hiked the Green and White Mountains,[3] worked on his father's farm, and matriculated in local district schools. He attended Dartmouth College from 1802 to 1805.

Upon his graduation from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York in 1806, Partridge received the rank of lieutenant of engineers and an appointment at the academy as an assistant professor of mathematics.[4] In its early days, the post served both as the academy for training prospective officers and the headquarters of the United States Army Corps of Engineers, and the superintendent was also chief of engineers. In 1808 chief engineer Jonathan Williams promoted Partridge to professor of mathematics and delegated to him the responsibilities of acting superintendent.[5] Partridge set an example for physical fitness during his administration, frequently leading the cadet corps on extended marches in New York and neighboring states. Never profane or intemperate, superintendent Partridge required cadets to attend church services, occasionally preparing and delivering the sermon on Sundays.[6] Named professor of engineers in 1813,[7] and officially appointed as superintendent in 1814,[5] "Old Pewt" developed a reputation among academy faculty as a martinet, often micromanaging subordinates, and occasionally demonstrating preference toward favorite cadets.[8]

The "Long Gray Line" tradition at West Point originated during Partridge's tenure when he had gray uniforms made in New York City in 1814 because of a shortage of blue cloth. In 1816, when the War Department decided to select a new Cadet uniform, gray was chosen because "it better suits the finance of the Cadets than one of blue." In other words, gray uniforms were cheaper.[9][10]

Partridge refused to relinquish his command when former student (but superior officer) Sylvanus Thayer was appointed to replace him as superintendent. Partridge refused to relinquish his post to a former subordinate, and was court-martialed for insubordination and neglect of duty. Though acquitted of serious wrongdoing, he chose to resign his commission in 1818, after having served his entire Army career at the academy.[4] He received a pension for his service at West Point during the War of 1812, and after his death his wife received a pension as the widow of an 1812 veteran.

In the summer of 1818 Partridge was engaged in New York City to drill and instruct a volunteer infantry company, and he gave a series of lectures on the subjects of military science, fortifications, and military education.[5] In these lectures, Partridge advocated a new program of regional military instruction and began a lifelong campaign in opposition to the existing national military academy system which would shape the rest of his life.[5] Partridge argued that the national academies produced a professional officer class, and was creating a new military elite, which was at odds with examples of the country's great generals, such as George Washington and Andrew Jackson. Partridge proposed the nation be divided into state-based military departments, local citizen soldiers organized into militias and officers appointed by department, and units mustered on a regular basis for instruction and drill, much like the Minutemen of the well-remembered American Revolution. Further, he suggested military colleges for officer instruction be established in each department.[11]

Partridge was appointed chief of the surveying expedition to establish boundaries between the U.S. and Canada as required under the Treaty of Ghent. He mapped the natural watersheds of the Saint Lawrence River and Hudson River. Still consumed with plans for a military college based on his program, he decided to resign from the expedition in 1820, and retired to Norwich.[12]

Interested in revitalizing and reforming the state militias, which had become increasingly dormant during the long period of peace following the War of 1812, Partridge and Norwich University faculty members Truman B. Ransom and Alonzo Jackman, both of whom served in the militia, worked with Franklin Pierce of New Hampshire, also a militia officer, and Frederic Williams Hopkins of the Vermont militia on efforts to increase recruiting and improve training and readiness.[18][19]

An avid hiker, Partridge is described as "a noted pedestrian" in A History of Norwich.[20] He had reportedly already ascended Mount Monadnock and Mount Moosilauke in New Hampshire when in 1818 he walked 76 miles from Norwich to climb both Camel's Hump and Mount Mansfield in two days. It rained the entire journey, according to his journal, and while one friend joined him climbing Mansfield, he hiked the balance of the expedition accompanied only by his "inseparable companions," his knapsack and barometer.[21] He was an early traveler on a path to the summit of Mount Washington, New Hampshire that had been constructed in 1821 by the pioneering Ethan Crawford.[22]

A Democrat, Partridge served as Vermont's Surveyor General from 1822 to 1823.[23] He also served four terms in the Vermont House of Representatives, (1833, 1834, 1837 and 1839).[24][25] In addition, he ran unsuccessfully for the United States House of Representatives on five occasions between 1834 and 1840, losing each time to Anti-Masonic and Whig party candidate Horace Everett.[26]

In 1837, Partridge married Ann Swasey (1810-1902), with whom he had two sons, George M. C. Partridge (1838-1855) and Henry V. Partridge (1839-1920). His widow did not remarry, and survived him by 48 years.[27]

In 1823 Partridge adopted a young Greek boy, George Colvocoresses, whom he raised and educated at Norwich University. Colvocoresses, NU Class of 1831, was appointed to the United States Navy in 1832; from 1838-1842 he served in the United States Exploring Expedition, better known as the Wilkes Expedition of the Pacific Ocean. Three separate geographical features, two on the west coast of the U.S. and another in Antarctica, were named for Colvocoresses.[28]

Partridge died in Norwich on January 17, 1854.[29] He was buried at Fairview Cemetery in Norwich.[30]

Partridge wrote widely, mostly in local newspapers and in books, about his many travels, several mathematical and scientific subjects, and his constant, vocal opposition to the academy at West Point. The following is an incomplete list of his writings.

• "Observations Relative to the Calculation of the Altitude of Mountains, etc, by the Use of the Barometer" (1812)
• "Method of Determining the Initial Velocity of Projectiles" (1812)
• "Account of Some Experiments on Fire of Artillery and Infantry at the Military Academy in 1810 and 1814"
• "Newton's Binomial Theorem" (1814)
• "Meteorological Tables" (1810–1814)
• "A General Plan for the Establishment of Military Academies" (1815)
• "Reports of the National Academy" (1814–1817)
• "Lectures on National Defense" (1821–1827)
• "Discourse on education" 1826. The art of epistolary composition, or Models of letters, billets, bills of exchange ... with preliminary instructions and notes : to which are added, a collection of fables ... for pupils learning the French language; a series of letters between a cadet and his father, describing the system pursued at the American, literary, scientific and military academy at Middletown, Conn.: E. & H. Clark, 1826. PE1481 .P4
• The Military Academy, at West Point, unmasked: or, corruption and military despotism exposed. By Americanus [pseud.], Washington [D.C.], Sold at the bookstore of J. Elliot, 1830, [3], 4-28 p. 22 cm. Attributed to Alden Partridge by Sidney Forman in his West Point. A History of the United States Military Academy (New York, 1950), p. 62. USMA: U410.F7 P258 .

• Guidotti, John A., The Legacy of Alden Partridge, December 5, 1991, pdf available at USMA digital collection.
• Lord, Gary Thomas, History of Norwich University: Images of Its Past at Norwich University website
• Stier, Maggie and McAdow, Ron, Into the Mountains: Stories of New England's Most Celebrated Peaks, 1995, ISBN 1-878239-30-9