Last In Their Class: Custer, Pickett and the Goats of West Point. By James S. Robbins, New York: Encounter Books, 2006. Hard cover, 479 pp., $26.95. Reviewed by MAJ Joe Scrocca, Department of Social Sciences, United States Military Academy, in Assembly, Magazine of the USMA Association of Graduates, Sep/Oct 2006. There have been countless books written about West Point and its graduates, but few can match Last in Their Class in terms of both in-depth research and superb story telling. Based on the thesis that “Graduating last at West Point is not a badge of shame but a mark of achievement,” James Robbins masterfully weaves together the story of West Point with the story of its Goats and Immortals, which is in itself the story of the nation, and the Army in which they served. More than just a historical report of the goats of West Point however, Last in Their Class is the personal story of the men who served, it is a story of achievement, personal courage and fortitude. Also a chronicle of the seldom seen, mischievous side of West Point; it is a “behind-the-scenes” account of the formative years of West Point as experienced by the men who, perhaps more than those at the top of their class, got the most out of their West Point experience. It is the story of Benny Havens, Thayer and Cullum, Chapultepec, Henry Heth and Jefferson Davis, Flirtation Walk, Poe and Whistler, The Indians Wars, summer encampments on The Plain, and of course, Custer and Pickett. It is a brilliant story. The research conducted for this work is overwhelming. Utilizing a plethora of primary sources, such as personal letters, biographies, the Register of Graduates, delinquency reports, staff records, and post and special orders, Robbins illustrates that “While intellect alone did not determine class rank, neither did academic achievement determine career success.” Robbins reveals how luck, courage and circumstance contributed as much, if not more, to the legacy of the Goats of West Point as  intellect did for “star men” such as Lee and McClellan. What is more, Last in Their Class tells the personal tales of the goats and Immortals as men. In elegant fashion, Robbins seamlessly weaves the tales of the Goats with the history of West Point, the Army and the nation in such a way that the reader cannot tell where one story ends and the next begins; to tell one story without telling the other would be a discredit to each. Robbins effortlessly accomplishes this feat while keeping the reader captivated throughout. A must read. Highly recommended to not just those with a love for the Army, West Point and its history, but those fascinated by the personal stories of the men who built this country into what it is today. Last in Their Class is a magnificent tribute to West Point and the Goats that made their mark on the Academy, the Army and, ultimately, the nation.

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... And the Last First:  Last in Their Class: Custer, Pickett and the Goats of West Point, by James S. Robbins (Encounter, 500 pp., $26.95)

 Mackubin Thomas Owens, National Review, June 19, 2006

As any regular reader of National Review Online can tell you, James Robbins is a very talented and prolific writer. His skill is very much in evidence in this fascinating new book--part thumbnail biography, part social history of the U.S. Army in the 19th century and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point during its formative years, and part treatise on the nature of military leadership.

At the very beginning, Robbins points out a seeming paradox. On one hand, West Point is an institution committed to excellence; its purpose is to imbue young officers with the qualities they will need to lead soldiers in combat and achieve victory. On the other hand, the graduate with the lowest class standing—the Goat—is held in the highest esteem by his classmates: “Graduating last at West Point is not a badge of shame but a mark of achievement.”

Experience has provided a solution to the paradox, by showing that character traits many Goats have displayed—audacity, individualism, imagination, and the willingness to take risks—are frequently the ones necessary for success on the battlefield. “Nothing in one’s academic record can predict heroism,” Robbins points out. “Class rank is not a certain predictor of achievement.” Sixteen members of the Class of 1847 became generals, but none of the class’s “Star Men”—the top five cadets—made the cut. On the other hand, George Armstrong Custer, the Goat of 1861, became—at age 23, in 1863--the youngest general in U.S. history.

Robbins observes that at West Point “the term ‘Goat’ connotes many things—stubbornness, persistence, but also mischievousness and playfulness. The Goats were by and large charismatic, adventuresome, with a youthful bonhomie that generally made them very popular with their classmates.” Accordingly, Robbins identifies two types of Goat. The first is in over his head intellectually and struggles with his studies, but perseveres to graduate. The second is the intelligent and talented cadet who prefers socializing and pranks to the vulgar practice of “boning” for exams. The latter sort prefers Benny Havens Tavern (“In the Army there’s sobriety, promotion’s very slow / So we’ll sing our reminiscences of Benny Havens, oh!”) to studying and spends much of his time in pursuit of alcohol, tobacco, and other forbidden goods.

West Point’s Goats have a long history, and Robbins skillfully weaves the stories of his cast of characters from West Point to Mexico to the battlefields of the Civil War and the Indian wars of the American West. Consider the case of George Pickett, Goat of the Class of 1846. Pickett first distinguished himself during the battle of Churubusco on the outskirts of Mexico City. He was one of 18 officers who led the assault parties that stormed the citadel of Chapultepec; it was Pickett who planted the Stars and Stripes atop the fortress. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Pickett remained in the Army after the Mexican War, but he went with Virginia when she seceded. He became a division commander in Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia, and led the storied Confederate attack against the Union center on Cemetery Ridge on the last day of the battle of Gettysburg. After a tour overseeing the coastal defenses of southeastern Virginia and North Carolina, he returned to the Army of Northern Virginia in time to take part in the defense of Petersburg and the attempted breakout to Appomattox. Pickett was no Lee; but Lee would not have been as successful as he was without subordinates like Pickett.

Last in Their Class is full of things most readers won’t know. For instance, Edgar Allan Poe was admitted to West Point Class of 1834. He did well in academics but, like many another cadet, preferred Benny Havens. “Old Ben,” he said, is “the sole congenial soul in this God-forsaken place.” In January 1831, Poe “placed 17th out of 87 Cadets in mathematics, and third in his class in French. . . . Poe might have looked forward to a successful stay at the Academy. Yet one month later, he was brought up on multiple charges of ‘gross neglect of all duty’ and ‘disobedience of orders.’ Poe pled guilty to most of them, and was dismissed. He left West Point on February 19 and headed for New York with a terrible cold, no overcoat, and twelve cents in his pocket.” The painter James Whistler was also a cadet. “Like Poe, Whistler developed a reputation as a prankster, an after-hours cook, and a daring soul who was always willing to ‘run it’ to Benny Havens.” He failed chemistry. “If silicon had been a gas,” he remarked later in life, “I would have been a Major General.”

And who would have guessed that the cold and distant Jefferson Davis was a regular at Benny Havens, and was court-martialed as a cadet? “Davis, who was then 18 years old and had just completed his plebe year, defended himself with the skill of a natural legal mind.” Nonetheless, his defense did not impress the court. “He was found guilty of all charges and specifications, and sentenced to be dismissed.” The court added, however, that “in consideration of his former good conduct” his sentence should be remitted. Of the five cadets accused in this particular Benny Havens case, only Jefferson Davis graduated.

There are books one needs to read and there are books one wants to read. Last in Their Class is both. Robbins entertains us with humorous anecdotes and the riveting retelling of epic battles such as Gettysburg and Little Big Horn, but his book is edifying as well. Ultimately, “the stories of the Goats are not tales of failure but of redemption. . . . These were men who were last in their class academically but who persevered to live extraordinary lives of service and sacrifice.” Robbins reminds us that leadership comes in many shapes and forms, and that attempts to establish a cookie-cutter approach to leadership are self-defeating. “When West Point gave up the Goats [in 1978], it surrendered a part of its soul and turned its back on its history. The drive to standardize, to seek an ideal form of predefined excellence, unvarying across large and diverse groups of people, is both harmful and wasteful.”

So thank God for the cadets--who still know who the Goat is, and who lustily cheer him when his name is read; and thank God for the country that made the Goats, and still has a place for them.

~

FAMOUS GOATS OF WEST POINT
Last in Their Class: Custer, Pickett and the Goats of West Point. James S. Robbins. Encounter Books. 503 pages; photographs; notes; index; $29.95.

Reviewed by Col. Cole C. Kingseed, U.S. Army retired, in Army Magazine, June 1, 2006

Does class ranking at the U.S. Military Academy determine future career success?

In Last in Their Class, author James S. Robbins brings a refreshingly new perspective to the question by concentrating not on the cadets who ranked highest in class standing, but rather on those who graduated at or near the bottom of their respective classes. Robbins sees some remarkable similarities between the class “goat,” the cadet who graduated last in his class, and “the Immortals section,” the academic section that one future commandant of cadets noted “contains those who are hanging on at the ragged edge of deficiency.” Included in the ranks of the Immortals were some of West Point’s most colorful personalities: future Confederate president Jefferson Davis, Edgar Allan Poe and James McNeill Whistler, Henry Heth, James Longstreet, George Pickett and George Armstrong Custer to name but a few.

Telling the story of the Goats is necessarily telling the story of West Point’s formative years. In examining the first century of West Point’s existence, Robbins presents a glimpse of the less-known side of West Point—”of the mischief, the fraternization and other unofficial activities at which the Goats excelled. Notorious in their day, many of these events are now revered as folklore exemplifying West Point’s gilded age.” Robbins also explores the origins of many of West Point’s most cherished traditions, including the reforms of Col. Sylvanus Thayer, the presentation of class rings, the tossing of the hats following graduation and Gen. Winfield Scott’s fixed opinion of the value of West Point graduates in the Mexican War.

Separate chapters concentrate on the legendary Benny Havens, who owned a tavern just outside the gates of West Point, and Flirtation Walk, the Revolutionary War sentry path along the Hudson River that became a favorite haunt of cadets escorting their ladies after hours. Robbins also examines the academic curriculum and the efforts of the cadets to seek what he terms temporary refuge from the Academy’s rules and regulations.

The centerpiece of Robbins’ story revolves around Cadets Custer and Pickett, both of whom graduated last in their respective classes. Custer remains the most notorious of West Point’s Goats. Over the course of his four years at West Point, Custer accrued 726 demerits, but during the Civil War, he became the Army’s youngest division commander and one of the Union army’s most dynamic cavalry commanders. Robbins dedicates several chapters to Custer’s postwar career, culminating in his death at the Little Bighorn in June 1876.

Pickett, too, receives his share of the author’s attention. Pickett’s name will be forever immortalized by the futile attack on the third day at Gettysburg, but the future Confederate commander came within five demerits of expulsion from West Point in his final year. Robbins discusses Pickett’s heroism at Chapultepec in the Mexican War and Pickett’s role in the Pig War of 1859, when a dispute on San Juan Island in the Pacific Northwest created an international confrontation with the British governor of Vancouver Island. Robbins also disproves many of the myths surrounding Pickett’s antebellum relationship with Illinois lawyer Abraham Lincoln.

The Civil War became West Point’s central defining event, and the war validated the Academy’s value to the nation. Warfare had become far too sophisticated to be left to amateurs. West Pointers commanded armies on both sides in 55 of the war’s 60 largest engagements. None of the Union’s most successful commanders—Ulysses S. Grant, William T. Sherman and Philip Sheridan—were scholars of the first magnitude, but each contributed mightily to the ultimate Northern victory.

In addition to the return of West Point’s most distinguished graduates to the Military Academy, the postwar decade also witnessed what Robbins calls “The Passing of the Greats.” First to go was Gen. Joseph G. Swift, the first West Point graduate, who died on July 23, 1865. Gen. Winfield Scott, who played such an instrumental role in nurturing graduates Robert E. Lee, George McClellan and P.G.T. Beauregard, was next, dying quietly on May 29, 1866. Sylvanus Thayer, the father of the Academy, followed on September 7, 1872. Dennis Hart Mahan, West Point’s most distinguished professor, committed suicide in 1871. And venerable Benny Havens passed away on May 29, 1877.

Robbins’ final two chapters pay tribute to the Immortals and the Goats. In captivating detail, Robbins traces the post-Civil War legacy of the men who continued the tradition of the Goat. Here is the story of Clarence Ransom Edwards, the Goat of 1883, who received three Silver Stars in the Philippine Insurrection and later commanded the 26th (Yankee) Division in World War I. Powhatan Henry Clarke, the Goat of 1884, is the only Last Man to receive the Medal of Honor. And Charles Young, the Goat of 1889, was the third African American to graduate from West Point and the first African American to achieve the rank of colonel.

In 1978, West Point discontinued the General Order of Merit and announced “The Last of the Last Man.” The official rationale for the change according to a West Point study group was “the Military Academy’s intensification of the pursuit of excellence in academics … to stress competition against a high standard of learning rather than to have the students compete against one another for class standing.” Today’s graduates are listed in the register in alphabetical order, except for the honor graduates, even though unpublished class rankings exist.

Robbins obviously rues the demise of the Goat tradition, emphatically stating that the institution “surrendered a part of its soul and turned its back on its history.” Unlike the reformers who viewed the “Goat syndrome” as “a synthesis of all the negative attitudes on academic excellence,” Robbins views the drive toward standardization and the quest for conformity and political correctness as both harmful and wasteful. According to Robbins, a less than stellar academic record does not reflect a lack of honor, sense of duty, or physical and moral courage. In telling the history of the Goats, Robbins concludes that “some virtues are not learned in the classroom.” He may have a point.

In the final analysis, Robbins provides a provocative insight into the early history of West Point. The tradition of the Goat and the Immortals clearly demonstrates that academic performance is not a prerequisite for military success. The crucible of West Point has produced men and women “of many and varied abilities, which were then tested in the arena of life, always at the whim of luck and circumstance”—which brings us back to Robbins’ original question concerning whether class standing is an accurate determinant for future military success. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, who graduated in the middle of his class and who ranked near the bottom of his class in discipline, gets the last word: “If anybody recognized greatness in me at West Point,” stated the future 34th President, “he surely kept it to himself.”

COL. COLE C. KINGSEED, USA Ret., Ph.D., a former professor of history at the U.S. Military Academy, is a writer and consultant.

~

Civil War News, September, 2006 Last in their Class: Custer, Pickett and the Goats of West Point Reviewed by Blake A. Magner George Custer, George Pickett, Henry Heth, Laurence Simmons Baker and William Logan Crittenden all have one thing in common; they were the Goats of their class at West Point. Goat? Yes, Goat, or the guy who graduated last in his class. You can add to that list John Taylor Pratt who had the unique distinction of being the first goat, graduating last in the class of 1818. Then you have the likes of Joseph Wheeler, Benjamin “Benny” Hodgson and Cadmus Wilcox, all of whom were members of the Immortals — the bottom portion of their class. Of course there was Fitz Lee, an Immortal who looked at things differently by saying that he graduated fifth in his class, “if you counted from the bottom.” Last but not least there are Edgar Allen Poe and James McNeill Whistler, neither of whom managed to graduate from the military academy. Poe, who at one point served as an enlisted man, left because he really didn’t care and Whistler because he couldn’t manage the curriculum. Whistler’s downfall was a chemistry examination where he was asked to discuss silicon. He began his answer, “Silicon is a gas...,” and thus ending his military career. He later mused, “If silicon had been a gas, I would have been a Major General.” Last in their Class follows the careers of many of the military notables of the 19th century, that is those graduated near or at the bottom of their class. The smart cadets, McClellan, Lee, Meade, those who graduated further up in their class, are not important, at least for this story. It is interesting to note how many of the Goats, Immortals and non-graduates became successful or famous. Pickett’s and Custer’s stories are well known, as are those of Poe and Whistler, but here the author covers others such as Fitz Lee who became a general not only during the Civil War but again during the Spanish-American War. There is also Albert Gallatin Edwards, the Goat of 1832, who later founded the investment firm of A.G. Edwards & Sons. Robbins also relates tales of the academy, faculty and traditions. There is Benny Havens, the proprietor of the tavern where many a cadet spent an evening. Havens was even immortalized in song with the cadets singing, “Benny Havens, OH!,” a tune that eventually had dozens of verses. Dennis Hart Mahan was the long-lasting professor who met his maker by jumping off a ship in the Hudson River on his way to New York to see a doctor. And, of course, there is Flirtation Walk where many a kiss was stolen or surrendered, the demerits and the story of Custer’s monument. The officers’ participation in various wars focuses mainly on the Seminole, Mexican, Civil and Indian Wars, with various skirmishes and uprisings sprinkled in. Stories of Longstreet and Pickett storming Chapultepec, Pickett leading his brave Virginians toward the Union line on Cemetery Ridge and, of course, George Custer and the 7th Cavalry attacking the Indian village at the Little Bighorn are skillfully told. The volume winds down after Custer’s death. The Goat tradition itself pretty much died out toward the end of the 20th century and today diplomas are handed out in alphabetical order attempting to cover up who is last in the class. However, like any secret, it is not very well kept and each year when the name is called during graduation, the Goat of the class is cheered. And really, if you think about it, being the Goat wasn’t easy. You had to know exactly what your rank was, what you had to pass and how hard you had to study for your next exam to make sure you scored just enough to stay at the bottom and not so low that you were dismissed. It would probably have been easier simply to stay out of Benny Havens and study. Last in their Class is well-written and fast-paced. The research is thorough though there are a few misspellings that are spelling mistakes and not typos. Factual mistakes are few. I would recommend the volume for a good read and don’t be surprised if you learn quite a bit too. Blake A. Magner is the Book Review Editor of Civil War News. He makes his living as an editor, writer, cartographer and photographer of Civil War history. He is author of At Peace With Honor: The Civil War Burials of Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

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Civil War Times, February 2007
Last in Their Class: Custer, Pickett and the Goats of West Point
by James S. Robbins
Encounter Books, 2006, 503 pages, $26.95.
Reviewed by Jerry W. Holsworth

TRADITION IS AT THE HEART of the military. The concept of participating in something larger than oneself is the spirit that drives men to perform feats of valor in unbelievably stressful circumstances. As Napoleon Bonaparte said, "All that needs be said is, 'I was at Austerlitz' to receive the reply, 'There is a brave man.'"

Elite forces are particularly driven by pride in the traditions of the unit. From the "Immortals" of the Medes-Persian empire to American Civil War units like the Stonewall Brigade and the Iron Brigade to their modern counterparts, like the Green Berets of Vietnam and the Delta Team of today's war on terrorism, the history and reputation of a unit are forged in its traditions. This is particularly true at American universities that send officers to our armed forces in large numbers.

Every member of the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets is familiar with President Ronald Reagan's famous speech at Normandy about the "men who took the cliffs" and the fact that those cliffs (Pointe du Hoc) were captured by a unit commanded by one of their own. At the Virginia Military Institute the graves of several of the dead cadets who charged through the "Field of Lost Shoes" at New Market are prominently located near the center of the campus. Nicknames abound at these institutions, such as "Fish" and "Rat," to remind the new cadets of their place in the pecking order and that they too are just beginning a long, sometimes painful journey that will hopefully end with their admission to a rare and storied elite.

Nowhere is tradition more pronounced than at the three service academies, where gravestones, statues and tales of days gone by remind the new cadets of the magnitude of what they are doing. One of the most storied of these traditions at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point also involves a nick-name, which is the subject of James S. Robbins' latest book, Last in Their Class: Custer, Pickett and the Goats of West Point. Robbins, who teaches international relations at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C., brings us the story of the West Point "goat," the cadet who graduates last in his class. It is a story that takes the reader through over 100 years of West Point history and features some of the most colorful and memorable characters to pass through the halls of the Academy. But Robbins also covers many other traditions of the school — from the infamous bartender Benny Havens to Flirtation Walk.

The nickname was strictly an unofficial title until 1886, but it has been a tradition at West Point almost from its beginnings. Robbins relays the surprising information that ranking last in one's class was not always viewed as something negative. It was seen by most cadets as a badge of honor, and it was a position many cadets competed for. Cadets believed the goat symbolized a survivor, something any combat veteran could appreciate, and they noticed that he always received the loudest cheers from his classmates at graduation. The goat was chosen from a group known as "The Immortals," who represented the cadets in danger of washing out. The ranks of The Immortals included some of the most celebrated cadets in the history of the academy, including such legendary generals as James Longstreet, Ulysses S. Grant, Winfield Scott Hancock and Philip Sheridan.

The famous friendship between Hancock and Lewis Armistead, so movingly portrayed in the novel The Killer Angels, probably began while they were members of this infamous group. Armistead was not quite the survivor Hancock was, however, and was eventually expelled from West Point. Other famous washouts include author Edgar Alien Poe as well as artist James Whistler.

The most renowned of the West Point goats were George Armstrong Custer and George Pickett, both of whom became famous in two of America's most celebrated military engagements. Custer, who rose from class goat in 186) to become a successful cavalry commander in the Civil War, met his end in the most famous Indian battle in American history. His death at the Little Bighorn might have prevented him from becoming the only goat to be elected president of the United Stares. Pickett, of course, has his name attached to one of the world's most famous charges.

But the stories do not end there. Second Lieutenant Charles Warner, goat of the class of 1862, won accolades for his valor in command of an artillery battery at the Battle of Antietam less than six months after his graduation. Powhatan Clarke, last in the class of 1884 and the son of a Confederate officer, ironically became the only goat to receive the Medal of Honor after he rescued a wounded soldier during the Geronimo campaign. He was an officer in the 10th U.S. Cavalry, known as the "Buffalo Soldiers."

The goat designation was discontinued in the 1960s, along with many other West Point traditions. But the cadets at the Military Academy still honor the title unofficially when they let out a wild cheer for no apparent reason for a graduate whose grades are anything but outstanding.

~

Last in Their Class: Custer, Pickett, and the Goats of West Point, by James S. Robbins. New York: Encounter Books, 2006. 503 pp., $26.95.

Reviewed by Roger D. Cunningham, USMA 1972, in The Journal of America’s Military Past,  Fall  2006, pp. 110-112

Since 1802, almost 64,000 men and women have graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, most of them going on to serve as Regular Army officers for varying periods of time. Beginning in 1818, cadets graduated according to their general order of merit, and those ranked highest in each class traditionally earned commissions in the Corps of Engineers, while the lowest — nicknamed “Goats” — became subalterns in less intellectually-demanding branches. Class rank, however, was often unrelated to how graduates fared in their military careers. In Last in Their Class, James S. Robbins, a professor of international relations at the National Defense University, in Washington, D.C., examines the careers of goats and the other “Immortals” who graduated near the bottom of West Point classes up to the Civil War.

The author does a fine job of describing cadet life during the antebellum era, as young men from across the growing nation arrived at the isolated Academy on the Hudson River and were forced to endure its Spartan regimen for four years. Cadets complained about virtually every aspect of the institution, especially its mess hall fare, joking that their roast beef was tougher than boiled India rubber and their bread was cold except when a cat had slept on a loaf. In their spare time, many of the young men delighted in breaking as many regulations as possible, and they accumulated scores of demerits. Their many transgressions included visiting a nearby tavern owned by Benny Havens, whom Edgar Allen Poe (ex-Class of 1834) called “the sole congenial soul in this God-forsaken place.” (p. 21) Many cadets were dismissed for their academic or disciplinary deficiencies or were “turned back” to repeat a year or two. Graduating classes were small, and less than 2,000 cadets had graduated by the time of the Civil War. As the nation split apart, so did West Pointers, and about 300 of them decided to serve the Confederacy, including its president, Jefferson Davis (bottom third of the Class of 1828), and all eight of its four-star generals. Most of the Union Army’s senior leaders were also graduates, including Ulysses S. Grant (1843), William T. Sherman (1840), and Philip H. Sheridan (1853). Later generations of cadets would learn that graduates commanded on both sides in 55 of the war’s 60 major battles and on one side in the other five battles.

Counting both sides, about 450 West Pointers became general officers during the Civil War. The author focuses on two of them, George Edward Pickett (1846) and George Armstrong Custer (June 1861), both of whom graduated last in their respective classes. Pickett was among the many West Pointers who distinguished themselves in the War with Mexico, earning two brevet promotions for his courage during the fighting for Mexico City. In 1861, he decided to serve the South and resigned his captain’s commission the day after Custer graduated. The latter enjoyed breaking Academy regulations, and one cadet noted that his later battlefield bravery did not surprise anyone who had seen him “face the instructors with the confession that he knew nothing of his lesson.” (p. 192) Custer noted that his cadet career “had but little to commend it to the study of those who came after me, unless as an example to be carefully avoided.” (p. ix) Both men rose to become major generals in their respective armies. The tragic charge of Pickett’s division at the Battle of Gettysburg came to symbolize the South’s “Lost Cause.” Pickett’s post-war career was unremarkable, but after he died in 1875, his widow did everything in her power to ensure that he was remembered as a great Confederate hero. Custer was a superb cavalry commander during the war, but he is primarily known for his “Last Stand” at the Battle of the Little Bighorn — one of the most famous blunders in American military history. For the rest of her long life, Custer’s widow also successfully strived to burnish her husband’s heroic image.

Last in Their Class is a very enjoyable tale of West Pointers and the Army during the first three-quarters of the nineteenth century. Academy graduates will find its many personal accounts especially interesting, and modern-day “Immortals” may even find them inspiring. The latter also should take heart from the New York Times long-ago observation that the bottom half of a West Point class is sent to the Army “with culture far superior to that afforded ninety-nine men out of every hundred in civil life.” (p. 313)

 ~

Last in Their Class: Custer, Pickett and the Goats of West Point, General Orders; newsletter of the Civil War Roundtable of Milwaukee, October, 2006. Review by David Coverdale

In this excellent book, author James S. Robbins follows the careers of the West Point “Goats,” those cadets who graduated last in their Class. He also looks at many of the “Immortals,” those who were candidates for Goat, and graduated near the bottom of their Class.

As the title reveals, a large portion of the book is devoted to George Custer and George Pickett, whom he believes to be the Goats who achieved the most fame after graduation. His recounting of Custer’s life is outstanding, up to and including a detailed analysis of the Battle of the Little Big Horn. Attention to Pickett is also very good, but not as detailed. This may be due to a lack of primary sources, which the author uses liberally, or to the fact that Picket achieved little after the War Between the States.

Many other Goats achieved limited fame up until 1978, when the Academy stopped using class rankings at graduation. Except for honor students, the graduating classes are now listed alphabetically. Nonetheless, the cadets know who the “Goat” is, and he or she is roundly cheered when called at the graduation ceremony.

Robbins summarizes Custer somewhat differently than other modern authors; he credits the “Boy General” as having been very intelligent, bold to rash in battle, inspiring, brave, but perpetually seeking glory. Picket is described as an excellent soldier who was emotionally or mentally broken at the devastation of his division at Gettysburg. Robbins denies that Pickett and Lee had a falling out, and points out that Pickett remained a division general to the end.

But this book is not just about Pickett and Custer. Extensive coverage is given to others, many of whom attained note during the American Civil War. Some of these include: Henry Heth, James McNeil Whistler, William Crittenden, Edgar Allen Poe, James McIntosh, and many others. I highly recommend this book for anyone who pursues an understanding of the many personalities made prominent in that War.

~

The Journal of Military History 70.3 (2006), pp.  841-842. Review by Claude Berube, United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD.

A "goat" at the United States Military Academy is a cadet who, by academic standing or by way of total demerits, graduates at the bottom of the class. The "goats" are a marked contrast to generals William T. Sherman, George Meade, and Robert E. Lee, all of whom who graduated at or near the top of their classes. Surprisingly, West Point cadets themselves have never considered the term or position of "goat" to have a pejorative meaning. Goats were of two types: those who truly barely graduated because of poor academic performance, or those who were capable, yet did only the minimum necessary to pass. They were generally the bons vivants of the class, popular among their classmates. As "goat" Henry Heth wrote of his more cerebral and well-behaved roommate: "He was good, but he was not happy; I was not good, but I was happy."

While readers may not know about the notable exploits of such goats as Heth, they may be more familiar with those of Confederate General George Pickett and Union General George Armstrong Custer, the youngest general of the Civil War, or those who failed out of West Point like poet Edgar Allen Poe or artist James Whistler.

Last in Their Class: Custer, Pickett, and the Goats of West Point covers the period of military history from the unfortunately little-read or written-about Seminole War through the battle of the Little Big Horn. The Seminole War had the highest death rate of any U.S. Indian war. In this seemingly endless guerrilla-type war, morale plummeted and frustration mounted as troops proved unable to find or engage the enemy. Public support for the war evaporated and Congress increasingly scrutinized war expenditures. With the author's depiction of the service of the "goats" in the Seminole, Mexican-American, and Civil Wars, readers will find more than expected, and welcomed, references to current affairs.

There are few weaknesses in this book. There are instances where the author seems to leave the reader short, such as when he notes that in battle George Pickett used his "small, inadequately supplied force in inspired ways" (p. 276), but fails to explain how. Examples like this are likely less due to the author's carelessness and more to concerns for space—the narrative itself is over 400 pages.

Robbins, a professor at National Defense University, tells a strong story. The research is original and comprehensive with an appropriate emphasis on "goat" correspondence. Based on his review of all the "goats" in the early- to mid-nineteenth century, he concludes that any organization benefits from a certain degree of nonconformity; "a poor academic record does not reflect a lack of honor, sense of duty, or physical courage. It does not mean one cannot be a good or inspirational leader" (p. 411).

This book would appeal to military historians as well as to social historians for its enlightening references to off-base activities at West Point in the early nineteenth century, including those at the legendary Benny Havens Tavern where some adventurous cadets congregated, or more aptly, found refuge when they escaped the confines of West Point. But these were Goats. And they were happy.

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Club review for the Military Book Club:

As a West Point graduate once said, “I’d rather be last man on a first-rate team than first man on any other.” He was talking about the celebrated “Goat”—the graduate with the most abysmal grades in his class. Attend a West Point graduation ceremony and listen for the loudest applause. Invariably, it will be for the goat, who’s not just seen as a tenacious loafer (it’s said that Goat status is earned), but as the ultimate survivor, as well. After all, it’s a lot easier to flunk out of West Point than graduate at the bottom of the class.

Last in Their Class is an extraordinarily entertaining and informative read on the Goats of West Point who, after graduation, have achieved various levels of success in their careers and on the battlefields. The two most famous goats discussed are George Pickett (Goat of 1846) and Custer (Goat of 1861). Also included are:

• Powhatan Clarke (1884)—the only Goat to earn the Congressional Medal of Honor
• Ephraim Kirby Smith (1826)—one of the Mexican-American War’s greatest heroes
• James McIntosh (1849)—the Confederate general who led the fearless cavalry charge at Pea Ridge

Last in Their Class is the ultimate inside look at the nation’s top military academy and its peerless partiers, unrivaled underachievers and, in many cases, most honorable men ever to set foot on a battlefield.

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Brad Miner, American Compass Book Club

I love West Point. My older son is there and doing very well, which means he won't end up the “Goat,” the cadet who is last in his (or now her) class upon graduation from the Academy. Some famous—and infamous—Americans have had this dubious honor, including George Armstrong Custer.

Author James Robbins tells their stories and some tales of other cadets who just couldn't cut it: Edgar Allen Poe, who quit before becoming a Goat, and George Pickett (of Pickett's Charge fame), who was a Goat. Professor Robbins, of the National Defense University, relates the stirring, often hilarious, and frequently embarrassing biographies of men who may have been last at West Point but were sometimes first in battle later on. Then as now, the Goat will tell you: It's better to be last at the United States Military Academy than first anywhere else.

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 Victor Davis Hanson, Senior Fellow, the Hoover Institution, author A War Like No Other.

James Robbins' Last in Their Class provides a fascinating look at Generals George Armstrong Custer, George Pickett, and other West Point under achievers who outside the academy found both successful and notorious careers. While Robbins laments the modern demise of the meritocratic system of stigmatizing students for low achievement, he also explores why and how the same audacity, individualism, and even occasional insubordination that earned a cadet low marks at school often later proved indispensable for officers in the real world on the battlefield. A much needed and timely investigation about the nature of military leadership.