LESSONS FROM THE PAST

At the present time it is well to recall the part played by Harvard in the three great wars of our history--the Revolution, Civil and Spanish wars. The courage and loyalty shown by Harvard men in three great conflicts are an inspiration in these days of uncertainty.

In the Revolutionary period there were only about one hundred and fifty students enrolled in Harvard College, most of whom were very much younger than the average college man of today, but no less ardent in their love of liberty. General Washington first took command of the assembled troops of New England before the walls of Harvard College, and later the soldiers were quartered in the dormitories. During this period Harvard was moved to Concord for fourteen months. The Faculty did all they could to help the officers, and so appreciated General Washington's work that after the evacuation of Boston by the British they made him a Doctor of Laws, the first from the University.

Likewise in the Civil War the sons of Harvard faithfully supported the cause in which they believed. Altogether 1,311 men took part in the war, 404 serving as enlisted men and noncommissioned officers, 776 as commissioned officers, 120 as commissioned officers in the navy, and 11 as seamen and warrant officers. Of this number 559 were promoted, which demonstrates that Harvard men had done their duty with courage and fidelity.

Four hundred and one men enlisted in the Spanish war, the largest number of whom were in the First Volunteer Cavalry, the "Rough Riders." The men were in the fiercest fighting, and bore the most desperate hardship in the Santiago campaign. Two prominent graduates of Harvard, Leonard Wood and Theodore Roosevelt, won their promotions in this campaign.

Such is Harvard's record in the past, a record full of courage and bravery. The students and alumni have well borne their part and done what they could to uphold the honor of their country. And now in this present crisis, as always, the men of Harvard will do what they can to defend their flag upon the battlefield or on the seas.