H Irving Hancock

Dick Prescotts's Fourth Year at West Point H Irving Hancock

Publisher Marketing: DICK REPORTS A BROTHER CADET "Detachment halt!" commanded the engineer officer in charge. Out on the North Dock at West Point the column of cadets had marched, and now, at the word, came to an abrupt stop. This detachment, made up of members of the first and third classes in the United States Military Academy, was out on this August forenoon for instruction in actual military engineering. The task, which must be accomplished in a scant two hours, was to lay a pontoon bridge across an indentation of the Hudson River, this indentation being a few hundred feet across, and representing, in theory, an unfordable river. "Mr. Prescott!" Cadet Richard Prescott, now a first classman, and captain of one of the six cadet companies, stepped forward, saluting. "You will build the bridge today, Mr. Prescott, continued the instructor, Lieutenant Armstrong, Corps of Engineers, United States Army. "Very good, sir," replied Dick. With a second salute, which was returned, Prescott turned to divide his command rapidly into smaller detachments. It was work over which not a moment of time could be lost. All must be done with the greatest possible despatch, and a real bridge was called for--not a toy affair or a half-way experiment.