Military Department Records
This collection houses morning reports, absence reports, accounts of military offences and delinquency reports, notes, grade books, and other materials documenting the University of Tennessee's Military Department between 1871 and 1918. Materials in Series IX: Addendum were previosly processed as AR.0028 and have been merged into the collection. This addendum consists of twenty bound bolumes that document the activities of the University of Tennessee's Military Department between 1871 and 1903
Dates
- 1871-1918
Conditions Governing Access
Collections are stored offsite and must be requested in advance. See www.special.lib.utk.edu for detailed information. Collections must be requested through a registered Special Collections research account.
Conditions Governing Use
The UT Libraries claims only physical ownership of most material in the collections. Persons wishing to broadcast or publish this material must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants on www.special.lib.utk.edu for detailed information. Collections must be requested through a registered Special Collections research account.
Extent
6.25 Linear Feet (7 boxes total: 5 full size, 1 quarter, 1 oversize) ; 1 oversize (17 3/4 x 11 3/4 x 1 1/2)
Abstract
This collection houses morning reports, absence reports, accounts of military offences, notes, grade books, and other materials documenting the University of Tennessee's Military Department between 1871 and 1918.
Biographical/Historical Note
The University of Tennessee's Military Department was established in 1870 under the provisions of the Morrill Act (1862). Students (properly called cadets) were taught by Army officers and required to wear uniforms, abide by military regulations, and endure military forms of punishment when they broke the rules. Charles W. Dabney began reorganizing the University when he assumed the Presidency in 1887 and the military regime was significantly relaxed. The military department remained strong, however, and students engaged in competitive drills, staged battles (including the Campaign of 1892, in which one group of cadets attacked the Hill while another defended it), and artillery instruction. The Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) was organized in 1916, and UT's cadet corps became a senior unit in the new organization. The program was compulsory until 1967, when voluntary 2- and 4-year programs replaced the freshman-sophomore requirement.
Arrangement
This collection consists of three boxes divided into nine series:
- Series I: Military Offenses, 1894-1900, 1906
- Series II: Explanations and Reports of Absences, 1890, 1895-1916
- Series III: Morning Return and Reports, 1889-1890, 1906-1909, 1914-1917
- Series IV: Extra Duty, Officer of the Day, 1896-1899, 1904-1907, 1917
- Series V: Inspection and Annual Reports, 1893-1915
- Series VI: General Orders, 1889-1890, 1894-1901
- Series VII: Correspondence, 1887-1908, 1913-1917
- Series VIII: Military Class Materials, 1889-1900, 1912-1918, undated
- Series IX: Addendum, 1871-1903, 1907-1908, undated
Acquisition Note
This collection is property of the University of Tennessee Archives.
Repository Details
Part of the Betsey B. Creekmore Special Collections and University Archives, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Repository