1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:04,280 Speaker 1: Folks, Welcome to our classic episode of ridiculous History. Shout 2 00:00:04,320 --> 00:00:08,119 Speaker 1: out to everybody who has ever attended West Point. It 3 00:00:08,240 --> 00:00:11,920 Speaker 1: is one of the top notch training institutions in the 4 00:00:12,039 --> 00:00:16,440 Speaker 1: United States and in the world. They're very buttoned up people. 5 00:00:16,840 --> 00:00:19,680 Speaker 1: I almost had to go, and I'm with great respect 6 00:00:19,720 --> 00:00:22,760 Speaker 1: to people who did go to West Point. I don't know, man, 7 00:00:22,800 --> 00:00:25,040 Speaker 1: they got a lot of rules exactly. 8 00:00:25,120 --> 00:00:27,640 Speaker 2: And when you got a lot of rules, that means 9 00:00:27,680 --> 00:00:32,239 Speaker 2: sometimes you gotta unwind. And sometimes that unwinding can get 10 00:00:32,280 --> 00:00:34,960 Speaker 2: out of hand, especially around the holidays. You know what 11 00:00:34,960 --> 00:00:37,920 Speaker 2: do they call it? R and r ben which can 12 00:00:38,120 --> 00:00:42,839 Speaker 2: very quickly once you introduce spirits, not the ghosty kinds 13 00:00:43,120 --> 00:00:43,760 Speaker 2: into the mix. 14 00:00:44,280 --> 00:00:49,680 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, eggnog, right, this is the proverbial feather on 15 00:00:49,720 --> 00:00:53,599 Speaker 1: the camel's back. We've talked at great length about George 16 00:00:53,640 --> 00:00:58,920 Speaker 1: Washington's famous agnog recipe growing up kind of a square kid, 17 00:00:59,320 --> 00:01:05,800 Speaker 1: I did not realized that agnog historically contains alcohol. I 18 00:01:05,959 --> 00:01:07,480 Speaker 1: was not aware of that. 19 00:01:07,680 --> 00:01:09,880 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, I grew up as just being a 20 00:01:09,920 --> 00:01:13,320 Speaker 2: tasty treat, you know, for kids. But as we also 21 00:01:13,480 --> 00:01:16,920 Speaker 2: friend of the show and our crack producer, Alex Williams 22 00:01:17,319 --> 00:01:20,000 Speaker 2: hip us all too. George Washington has a very famous 23 00:01:20,040 --> 00:01:24,280 Speaker 2: eggnog recipe that is like ninety percent the boozes, and 24 00:01:24,319 --> 00:01:27,720 Speaker 2: this would have been very close to what these these 25 00:01:27,760 --> 00:01:29,280 Speaker 2: cadets were consuming. 26 00:01:29,760 --> 00:01:36,080 Speaker 1: Yeah, so join us as we retrace the absolutely drunken, 27 00:01:36,480 --> 00:01:40,920 Speaker 1: crazed escalation of these cooped up cadets who decided to 28 00:01:41,040 --> 00:01:48,120 Speaker 1: fight the power. One Christmas Ridiculous History is a production 29 00:01:48,240 --> 00:02:17,720 Speaker 1: of iHeartRadio. One quart cream, one quart milk, one dozen 30 00:02:17,800 --> 00:02:23,079 Speaker 1: tablespoons sugar, one pint brandy, one half pint rye whiskey, 31 00:02:23,480 --> 00:02:27,880 Speaker 1: one half pint Jamaica rum, one fourth pint sherry. Mix 32 00:02:27,960 --> 00:02:32,120 Speaker 1: liquor first, then separate yolks and whites of eggs. Add 33 00:02:32,200 --> 00:02:36,280 Speaker 1: sugar to beaten yolks. Mix well. Add milk and cream 34 00:02:36,520 --> 00:02:40,560 Speaker 1: slowly beating. Beat whites of eggs until stiff, and fold 35 00:02:40,680 --> 00:02:45,440 Speaker 1: slowly into mixture. Let's set in cool place for several days. 36 00:02:45,840 --> 00:02:51,600 Speaker 1: Taste frequently. That is a recipe for eggnow by none 37 00:02:51,720 --> 00:02:53,959 Speaker 1: other than George Washington. 38 00:02:54,240 --> 00:02:57,120 Speaker 2: I only assumed that it was a James Bond villain's 39 00:02:57,160 --> 00:02:59,079 Speaker 2: egnog recipe from the voice. 40 00:02:59,240 --> 00:03:03,040 Speaker 1: Yeah, funny, funny story. All James Bond villains are based 41 00:03:03,080 --> 00:03:07,960 Speaker 1: on George Washington accent wise. Hey, everybody, welcome to the show. 42 00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:08,440 Speaker 1: I'm Ben. 43 00:03:08,560 --> 00:03:11,280 Speaker 2: That's that famous Mount Vernon accent I've heard so much about, right, 44 00:03:11,320 --> 00:03:14,400 Speaker 2: I'm knowl Yeah, this is ridiculous history. And we started 45 00:03:14,400 --> 00:03:16,920 Speaker 2: off with a really functional little nugget there that was nice. 46 00:03:17,000 --> 00:03:21,600 Speaker 1: Yeah, that's a recipe that is genuinely believed to be 47 00:03:21,680 --> 00:03:27,040 Speaker 1: George Washington's eggnog recipe. But there's one very important missing 48 00:03:27,120 --> 00:03:30,120 Speaker 1: part of this recipe. Did you catch it? No, he 49 00:03:30,200 --> 00:03:34,360 Speaker 1: doesn't say how many eggs should be in there. And 50 00:03:34,400 --> 00:03:37,440 Speaker 1: you'll see a lot of versions of this recipe wherein 51 00:03:37,880 --> 00:03:41,720 Speaker 1: someone has assumed, like based on the ratio of other ingredients, 52 00:03:42,280 --> 00:03:44,600 Speaker 1: that it would be about a dozen eggs, But he 53 00:03:44,680 --> 00:03:45,720 Speaker 1: didn't actually say that. 54 00:03:45,840 --> 00:03:49,200 Speaker 3: What's the batch? Which what's the yield on this recipe? 55 00:03:49,560 --> 00:03:52,040 Speaker 1: Well, I guess that's up to how much you like eggnog? Man? 56 00:03:52,360 --> 00:03:54,840 Speaker 2: I guess. So? Doesn't the recipe typically. 57 00:03:55,080 --> 00:03:58,240 Speaker 1: Include number of surveyans? Yeah, it was a very different time. 58 00:03:58,360 --> 00:04:01,640 Speaker 2: This wasn't from Tasty, right, This one wasn't Taste Made 59 00:04:01,720 --> 00:04:05,640 Speaker 2: Epicurious Now or Good Eats or anything. Yeah, what's funny 60 00:04:05,800 --> 00:04:10,480 Speaker 2: you should mention Washington's nog because our coworker and pal 61 00:04:10,640 --> 00:04:13,840 Speaker 2: Alex Williams, who composed our theme Around the holidays, he 62 00:04:13,880 --> 00:04:17,560 Speaker 2: made a big old batch of Washington's nog and distributed 63 00:04:17,600 --> 00:04:20,800 Speaker 2: around the office in these delightful little Mason jars. I 64 00:04:20,839 --> 00:04:23,120 Speaker 2: was lucky enough to get my hands on one, and 65 00:04:23,160 --> 00:04:25,680 Speaker 2: it packed quite a wall up because a big thing 66 00:04:25,760 --> 00:04:28,000 Speaker 2: leading up to doing this episode is how could you 67 00:04:28,040 --> 00:04:32,040 Speaker 2: possibly get off your tits drunk on eggnog? Right? 68 00:04:32,200 --> 00:04:38,160 Speaker 1: Right? Because nowadays we typically associate eggnog ays this very 69 00:04:38,200 --> 00:04:43,040 Speaker 1: seasonally based cozy drink like you sip it by a fire. 70 00:04:43,320 --> 00:04:45,680 Speaker 1: It's a comfort drink. It's a comfort drink, a gug 71 00:04:45,800 --> 00:04:48,360 Speaker 1: in drink form. Yeah, Yeah, it's a it's a it's 72 00:04:48,360 --> 00:04:52,800 Speaker 1: a slightly boozy atta boy for you around the holidays. 73 00:04:53,360 --> 00:04:56,400 Speaker 1: But if you, as you could tell from the recipe, 74 00:04:56,440 --> 00:04:59,760 Speaker 1: we started the show with eggnog back in the day 75 00:05:00,200 --> 00:05:04,479 Speaker 1: used to pack quite a punch. This was after it 76 00:05:04,600 --> 00:05:07,680 Speaker 1: evolved from a much older drink known as posset. 77 00:05:07,760 --> 00:05:10,679 Speaker 2: Yeah, which was also known as a milk punch, which 78 00:05:10,720 --> 00:05:12,320 Speaker 2: sounds disgusting so. 79 00:05:13,040 --> 00:05:18,440 Speaker 1: Bad, it's there's something in and please listeners, friends and neighbors, 80 00:05:18,920 --> 00:05:23,880 Speaker 1: say hello to our super producer Casey pegram. There's something 81 00:05:24,480 --> 00:05:27,800 Speaker 1: that I heard of before. I've never tried, but I 82 00:05:27,800 --> 00:05:31,039 Speaker 1: want to learn about. It was called milk salad. Does 83 00:05:31,080 --> 00:05:32,120 Speaker 1: that not sound disgusting? 84 00:05:32,880 --> 00:05:33,400 Speaker 2: Really bad? 85 00:05:33,400 --> 00:05:36,159 Speaker 3: It makes me think of our jello episode. 86 00:05:36,120 --> 00:05:39,160 Speaker 1: Right, We got some great emails about that today. And 87 00:05:39,279 --> 00:05:44,520 Speaker 1: this beginning, folks may make you think that my co 88 00:05:44,640 --> 00:05:48,440 Speaker 1: host and I are delving into the history of agnog, 89 00:05:48,560 --> 00:05:51,599 Speaker 1: and we do just a little bit, but it's to 90 00:05:51,680 --> 00:05:56,479 Speaker 1: set the scene for a ridiculous event, and we thought 91 00:05:56,560 --> 00:05:59,680 Speaker 1: this would be the yummiest, weirdest place to start. 92 00:06:00,040 --> 00:06:00,240 Speaker 2: Yeah. 93 00:06:00,240 --> 00:06:02,200 Speaker 3: Well, first I just want to describe what passet is. 94 00:06:02,279 --> 00:06:05,480 Speaker 2: We talked about milk punch and the precursor or the 95 00:06:06,600 --> 00:06:12,120 Speaker 2: spiritual cousin that predates eggnog called posset. That was a 96 00:06:12,200 --> 00:06:17,040 Speaker 2: hot milk punch using curdled milk, and it was curdled 97 00:06:17,080 --> 00:06:19,640 Speaker 2: with wine or beer or I guess you get curdles 98 00:06:19,640 --> 00:06:22,400 Speaker 2: when you heat it, and then eventually it was thickened 99 00:06:22,440 --> 00:06:24,919 Speaker 2: with eggs and kind of became more what we know 100 00:06:25,040 --> 00:06:29,760 Speaker 2: today as traditional eggnog. But our story is really about 101 00:06:30,040 --> 00:06:33,719 Speaker 2: a riot involving drunken cadets. 102 00:06:34,160 --> 00:06:37,120 Speaker 1: I'm going to go with a quote unquote riot on 103 00:06:37,200 --> 00:06:43,440 Speaker 1: this would know. Really, Okay, at what threshold does fracas 104 00:06:43,520 --> 00:06:46,720 Speaker 1: or brew haha become a full on riot. 105 00:06:46,760 --> 00:06:48,440 Speaker 2: It's true. I was going to open the show with 106 00:06:48,480 --> 00:06:53,719 Speaker 2: the joke about how many eighteen hundred's West Point Cadets 107 00:06:53,839 --> 00:06:58,080 Speaker 2: does it take to assault to officers and break all 108 00:06:58,120 --> 00:07:01,680 Speaker 2: of the china And when we know the answer, we'll 109 00:07:01,680 --> 00:07:02,120 Speaker 2: get to that. 110 00:07:02,600 --> 00:07:05,520 Speaker 1: We'll get to that. So let's talk a little bit 111 00:07:05,640 --> 00:07:10,480 Speaker 1: about west Point in general. West Point remains famous today. 112 00:07:10,520 --> 00:07:14,360 Speaker 1: It is a storied institution here in the United States. 113 00:07:14,440 --> 00:07:17,960 Speaker 1: It is named west Point because, in a stunning plot twist, 114 00:07:18,200 --> 00:07:20,160 Speaker 1: it is located in West Point, New York. 115 00:07:20,400 --> 00:07:23,600 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's about fifty miles outside of New York City, 116 00:07:23,640 --> 00:07:27,480 Speaker 2: and storied it was. However, it didn't used to be 117 00:07:28,000 --> 00:07:34,520 Speaker 2: the model of discipline and steadfastness fastidiousness that it is 118 00:07:34,560 --> 00:07:38,840 Speaker 2: today because in the early days of the school, it 119 00:07:38,960 --> 00:07:42,640 Speaker 2: was ridiculously easy to get in in that they let 120 00:07:42,720 --> 00:07:46,720 Speaker 2: anyone in and you could get join any time during 121 00:07:47,000 --> 00:07:49,120 Speaker 2: the year, and it was just kind of a loose 122 00:07:49,680 --> 00:07:54,320 Speaker 2: grouping of ramshackled little huts. And I think there's about 123 00:07:54,360 --> 00:07:58,840 Speaker 2: ten cadets that were taught by I think only three teachers. 124 00:07:59,400 --> 00:08:01,640 Speaker 2: You know, a little thing called the War of eighteen 125 00:08:01,760 --> 00:08:05,600 Speaker 2: twelve happened, which was you know, against Britain, because the 126 00:08:05,640 --> 00:08:10,320 Speaker 2: Brits were attempting to restrict trade and they kept arresting 127 00:08:10,440 --> 00:08:13,880 Speaker 2: American seamen, which is not cool, as we know, and 128 00:08:13,960 --> 00:08:17,520 Speaker 2: also inciting Indian attacks on the US frontier. So that 129 00:08:17,560 --> 00:08:20,360 Speaker 2: aggression would not stand, my friend, So we decided to 130 00:08:20,480 --> 00:08:24,200 Speaker 2: go to war with the Brits. And that also led 131 00:08:24,240 --> 00:08:26,560 Speaker 2: to a need for disciplined. 132 00:08:26,120 --> 00:08:32,800 Speaker 1: Soldiers, right, disciplined, professional, competent soldiers. And there's a character 133 00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:37,320 Speaker 1: here in the evolution of West Point that we must 134 00:08:37,480 --> 00:08:41,040 Speaker 1: absolutely mention, if only because he has an awesome name. 135 00:08:41,280 --> 00:08:43,360 Speaker 3: It's like a dumbledorean awesome name. 136 00:08:43,760 --> 00:08:49,600 Speaker 1: Sylvanis Thayer, Ladies and gentlemen. In eighteen seventeen, then President 137 00:08:49,720 --> 00:08:55,120 Speaker 1: James Monroe ordered Fayre to become the superintendent of the 138 00:08:55,160 --> 00:09:00,520 Speaker 1: Military Academy after the resignation of the former superintendent, Alden 139 00:09:00,679 --> 00:09:05,760 Speaker 1: Partridge and a pretty cool name also yeah by zone right, 140 00:09:05,800 --> 00:09:10,560 Speaker 1: not Harry Potter esque, but cool nonetheless and accidentally Ryan. 141 00:09:10,920 --> 00:09:17,600 Speaker 1: Under Thayer's leadership, the Academy began to make incredibly impressive 142 00:09:17,720 --> 00:09:21,480 Speaker 1: leaps and bounds in terms of discipline, in terms of 143 00:09:21,600 --> 00:09:26,040 Speaker 1: quality of education. It became the nation's first college of engineering. 144 00:09:26,160 --> 00:09:28,360 Speaker 3: Well, Thayer didn't take no guph, my friend. 145 00:09:29,280 --> 00:09:34,240 Speaker 2: He didn't put up with any horseplay, shenanigans, or buffoonery, 146 00:09:35,320 --> 00:09:41,679 Speaker 2: especially when it pertained to consuming or even possessing alcohol 147 00:09:41,880 --> 00:09:43,000 Speaker 2: of any kind. 148 00:09:43,559 --> 00:09:48,720 Speaker 1: Right, alcohol could not be possessed, sold, or brought into 149 00:09:49,360 --> 00:09:53,120 Speaker 1: West Point at all. And this was just another part 150 00:09:53,320 --> 00:09:58,800 Speaker 1: of his overall very strict regime. For instance, he kept 151 00:09:58,920 --> 00:10:03,400 Speaker 1: the students on a diet of beef, bread, and water 152 00:10:03,600 --> 00:10:08,160 Speaker 1: to accustom them to military rations. Their days were strictly 153 00:10:08,200 --> 00:10:11,120 Speaker 1: controlled as far as the way their time was organized, 154 00:10:11,679 --> 00:10:15,679 Speaker 1: and they had a lot of pressure on them. So 155 00:10:15,760 --> 00:10:20,800 Speaker 1: imagine these students like springs that are increasingly compressed, storing 156 00:10:20,880 --> 00:10:22,880 Speaker 1: up more energy and tension. 157 00:10:23,320 --> 00:10:25,080 Speaker 2: Yeah, they weren't even allowed these some of these rules 158 00:10:25,120 --> 00:10:27,480 Speaker 2: are I don't understand. They weren't allowed to leave campus. 159 00:10:27,520 --> 00:10:28,880 Speaker 2: I guess I can get that, because if you leave 160 00:10:28,920 --> 00:10:32,200 Speaker 2: campus you can get booze. I guess that's n's that 161 00:10:32,240 --> 00:10:35,160 Speaker 2: in the bud. Also, they couldn't cook in their dorms 162 00:10:35,280 --> 00:10:38,560 Speaker 2: or duel right right, this team related. I made a 163 00:10:38,559 --> 00:10:40,920 Speaker 2: note in the margins here in this uh this article 164 00:10:41,040 --> 00:10:43,560 Speaker 2: from the Smithsonian eggnog. It's all fun and games until 165 00:10:43,600 --> 00:10:46,280 Speaker 2: someone starts a holiday riot. It said before they are 166 00:10:46,360 --> 00:10:49,079 Speaker 2: West Point sucked or was awesome whatever. 167 00:10:49,760 --> 00:10:54,160 Speaker 1: Yeah, that's uh, that's by Natasha Gealing. And yeah, this 168 00:10:54,320 --> 00:10:57,440 Speaker 1: article is very well written. And I noticed some of 169 00:10:57,440 --> 00:10:59,880 Speaker 1: the same rules you're talking about here, And to me, 170 00:11:00,840 --> 00:11:04,920 Speaker 1: the dueling one makes a lot of sense because you imagine, 171 00:11:05,200 --> 00:11:09,000 Speaker 1: you know, they're in a homogeneous population, right, this was 172 00:11:09,679 --> 00:11:14,600 Speaker 1: strictly segregated, but for the time it started to become 173 00:11:14,640 --> 00:11:18,760 Speaker 1: relatively progressive because it was important for kids from a 174 00:11:19,160 --> 00:11:24,120 Speaker 1: lower income level, right, or a lower socioeconomic bracket to 175 00:11:24,160 --> 00:11:27,000 Speaker 1: receive the same caliber of education if they were qualified 176 00:11:27,040 --> 00:11:32,240 Speaker 1: for it. But with all the discipline in the harsh environment, 177 00:11:32,440 --> 00:11:36,680 Speaker 1: I can easily imagine that if duels were allowed, these 178 00:11:36,800 --> 00:11:40,080 Speaker 1: kids would be punching each other up and pulling cards 179 00:11:40,160 --> 00:11:40,800 Speaker 1: left and right. 180 00:11:41,040 --> 00:11:47,160 Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah, fisticuffs and gun battles galore. It's interesting because 181 00:11:47,880 --> 00:11:51,640 Speaker 2: even though alcohol was forbidden at West Point, it was 182 00:11:51,679 --> 00:11:55,320 Speaker 2: surrounded by normal things that you have in towns, like pubs. 183 00:11:55,640 --> 00:11:57,680 Speaker 2: And there were a couple there was one called Benny 184 00:11:57,760 --> 00:12:00,800 Speaker 2: Haven and then another one called North Town, And those 185 00:12:00,800 --> 00:12:02,920 Speaker 2: will come into play in a little bit but Benny 186 00:12:03,000 --> 00:12:07,720 Speaker 2: Haven is also known for being the main hangout for 187 00:12:08,000 --> 00:12:12,400 Speaker 2: Edgar Allan Poe when he attended West Point. Admittedly not 188 00:12:12,760 --> 00:12:16,040 Speaker 2: for a very long time, because he mainly just hung 189 00:12:16,080 --> 00:12:18,240 Speaker 2: out and got sloshed the whole time. 190 00:12:18,400 --> 00:12:19,240 Speaker 1: That's the story. 191 00:12:19,400 --> 00:12:22,160 Speaker 2: But there was a history of getting sloshed at West 192 00:12:22,160 --> 00:12:25,960 Speaker 2: Point before our pal Fayer came in the days before 193 00:12:26,160 --> 00:12:30,760 Speaker 2: his iron fisted grip tightened around these cadets and tried 194 00:12:30,800 --> 00:12:34,000 Speaker 2: to whip those boys into shape. They had a yearly 195 00:12:34,240 --> 00:12:37,240 Speaker 2: kind of revelry kind of thing going on around the holidays, 196 00:12:37,240 --> 00:12:37,720 Speaker 2: didn't they. 197 00:12:37,920 --> 00:12:40,640 Speaker 1: Right, this is important. It may seem strange to day, 198 00:12:40,800 --> 00:12:44,880 Speaker 1: but in the past, in those days, heavy drinking was 199 00:12:45,000 --> 00:12:48,040 Speaker 1: or drinking in general was more common. It was something 200 00:12:48,080 --> 00:12:51,280 Speaker 1: that was normal for people to do. You'll also hear 201 00:12:51,559 --> 00:12:57,959 Speaker 1: some stories about early founding fathers and influential historical figures 202 00:12:58,440 --> 00:13:03,360 Speaker 1: being several mattress factory amounts of sheets to the wind. 203 00:13:03,960 --> 00:13:08,480 Speaker 1: And we're establishing this because when Thayer came in, he 204 00:13:08,760 --> 00:13:13,360 Speaker 1: wasn't creating out of whole cloth this strict set of rules. 205 00:13:13,559 --> 00:13:17,240 Speaker 1: He was reacting to what he saws laxity in the past, 206 00:13:17,480 --> 00:13:21,160 Speaker 1: and people, students, officers alike were well aware of the 207 00:13:21,200 --> 00:13:22,199 Speaker 1: previous traditions. 208 00:13:22,240 --> 00:13:26,600 Speaker 2: Oh and you mentioned historical figures and founding fathers. One. 209 00:13:26,800 --> 00:13:29,240 Speaker 2: A couple that are part of the story are boy 210 00:13:29,360 --> 00:13:33,960 Speaker 2: Jeff Davis Jefferson for long and Robert E. 211 00:13:34,040 --> 00:13:34,319 Speaker 1: Lee. 212 00:13:34,600 --> 00:13:39,679 Speaker 2: We're both involved in this tale of debauchery and chastisement. 213 00:13:40,160 --> 00:13:44,920 Speaker 1: Yes, okay, So here's how it happens. Up until eighteen 214 00:13:45,160 --> 00:13:49,520 Speaker 1: twenty five, Cadets alcohol was still banned, but there were 215 00:13:49,559 --> 00:13:52,960 Speaker 1: two days a year that they could drink. That was 216 00:13:53,400 --> 00:13:57,720 Speaker 1: the fourth of July. Makes sense, yep, go us right, 217 00:13:58,360 --> 00:14:01,640 Speaker 1: live it up, and then of course Christmas. And then 218 00:14:02,000 --> 00:14:06,200 Speaker 1: this changed because on the fourth of July eighteen twenty five, 219 00:14:08,440 --> 00:14:13,120 Speaker 1: a bunch of Cadets drinking led to a snake dance, 220 00:14:13,679 --> 00:14:17,280 Speaker 1: which led to the hoisting of the school's commandant onto 221 00:14:17,320 --> 00:14:19,720 Speaker 1: the student's shoulders. And Thayer said, you. 222 00:14:19,680 --> 00:14:22,680 Speaker 2: Know what, this is too much a snake dance. Snake 223 00:14:22,760 --> 00:14:26,000 Speaker 2: dance like, is that some kind of is it a 224 00:14:26,080 --> 00:14:27,560 Speaker 2: conga line? Yeah? 225 00:14:27,760 --> 00:14:29,080 Speaker 1: Or is it a bunch of people just sort of 226 00:14:29,120 --> 00:14:30,320 Speaker 1: slithering up and down. 227 00:14:30,960 --> 00:14:34,440 Speaker 2: They didn't like it because it just wasn't dignified. 228 00:14:34,720 --> 00:14:37,760 Speaker 1: You know, it makes me think of remember when we 229 00:14:37,800 --> 00:14:43,000 Speaker 1: did the episode about the poison squad when Wiley got 230 00:14:43,360 --> 00:14:47,400 Speaker 1: booted from his professorship for riding a bike. So maybe 231 00:14:47,400 --> 00:14:49,760 Speaker 1: it was just the idea that this was such a 232 00:14:49,840 --> 00:14:52,560 Speaker 1: lack of discipline for them to put someone on their 233 00:14:52,560 --> 00:14:55,640 Speaker 1: shoulders that he said no alcohol. 234 00:14:55,960 --> 00:14:59,040 Speaker 2: Ever, Well, yeah, I did say he was not fond 235 00:14:59,080 --> 00:15:01,800 Speaker 2: of horsing around. That sounds like the very definition of 236 00:15:01,800 --> 00:15:04,560 Speaker 2: horsing around, making around. There we go, So Ben just 237 00:15:04,600 --> 00:15:06,720 Speaker 2: want to get this straight. So yeah, he still allowed 238 00:15:06,760 --> 00:15:10,000 Speaker 2: this revelry at first and then shut it down after 239 00:15:10,120 --> 00:15:12,040 Speaker 2: one of these went awry by his standards. 240 00:15:12,120 --> 00:15:17,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, eighteen twenty six onward. No alcohol, not once, never, 241 00:15:17,200 --> 00:15:17,800 Speaker 1: not a drop? 242 00:15:18,240 --> 00:15:19,680 Speaker 2: Was he a teetotaler? Do you think or do you 243 00:15:19,720 --> 00:15:22,920 Speaker 2: think he would get in his cups? Privately? He seems 244 00:15:22,920 --> 00:15:25,760 Speaker 2: like a pretty straight shooter. He seems like a straight shooter. 245 00:15:26,360 --> 00:15:28,440 Speaker 2: But you know, you have to wonder if he applied 246 00:15:28,480 --> 00:15:30,000 Speaker 2: those same rules to himself. 247 00:15:30,200 --> 00:15:33,280 Speaker 3: Do as I say, not as I get hammered. 248 00:15:33,200 --> 00:15:36,840 Speaker 1: Right right right, Drink as I say, not as I drink. 249 00:15:37,280 --> 00:15:40,680 Speaker 1: And you know, I love that you mentioned these taverns 250 00:15:40,680 --> 00:15:44,400 Speaker 1: because they didn't magically disappear. Oh no, after eighteen twenty 251 00:15:44,400 --> 00:15:48,240 Speaker 1: six and Benny Haven is the really interesting one there 252 00:15:48,320 --> 00:15:51,520 Speaker 1: because of those two taverns we mentioned earlier, Benny Haven 253 00:15:51,640 --> 00:15:55,280 Speaker 1: was the only one that allowed a barter system. 254 00:15:54,920 --> 00:15:57,200 Speaker 2: For the students. Oh, I know, this is really interesting. 255 00:15:57,320 --> 00:16:01,800 Speaker 2: So they could like trade shoes and taloons and you know, 256 00:16:02,480 --> 00:16:05,440 Speaker 2: maybe potatoes, who know anything. I guess that was on 257 00:16:05,480 --> 00:16:09,000 Speaker 2: the table, except if it came from the school. Right, 258 00:16:09,080 --> 00:16:11,680 Speaker 2: no uniform, No, because that would be that would be stealing. 259 00:16:11,720 --> 00:16:13,000 Speaker 2: And they do not want to get on the bad 260 00:16:13,040 --> 00:16:17,000 Speaker 2: side of Colonel Fayer. No, certainly do not, right, right, 261 00:16:17,240 --> 00:16:19,640 Speaker 2: and sounds like a tough customer that Colonel Fair. 262 00:16:20,040 --> 00:16:22,960 Speaker 1: Yeah, people took him seriously. But you also have to 263 00:16:23,000 --> 00:16:26,560 Speaker 1: wonder would you barter stuff for booze? 264 00:16:26,640 --> 00:16:29,840 Speaker 3: Yes, you would if I didn't have any pocket money, if. 265 00:16:29,680 --> 00:16:32,000 Speaker 1: You didn't have thirty five cents on hand, which will 266 00:16:32,000 --> 00:16:32,720 Speaker 1: come into play later. 267 00:16:32,880 --> 00:16:34,800 Speaker 2: Oh cool, okay, yeah, no, I don't know. I mean, 268 00:16:34,800 --> 00:16:38,040 Speaker 2: I wouldn't barter away the clothes on my back, but 269 00:16:38,120 --> 00:16:40,160 Speaker 2: if I had something of value that I could part 270 00:16:40,200 --> 00:16:42,680 Speaker 2: with and I wanted a nice stiff drink, I'm not 271 00:16:42,680 --> 00:16:43,280 Speaker 2: opposed to that. 272 00:16:43,920 --> 00:16:45,560 Speaker 1: So when does judging me? 273 00:16:45,600 --> 00:16:46,760 Speaker 2: Are you silently judging me? Then? 274 00:16:47,000 --> 00:16:50,280 Speaker 1: No? No, no, no, I'm judging myself okay, fair enough, 275 00:16:50,320 --> 00:16:53,480 Speaker 1: me too. No, Ben, You're great, You're you know what. 276 00:16:53,600 --> 00:16:57,640 Speaker 1: We're together, we're solid eight out of ten. And you 277 00:16:57,640 --> 00:17:00,440 Speaker 1: know we can never compare to Casey Pegram, which is 278 00:17:00,480 --> 00:17:01,960 Speaker 1: not a bad thing. 279 00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:04,320 Speaker 2: Well, none can, few, can few, very few. Between the 280 00:17:04,359 --> 00:17:07,120 Speaker 2: two of us, we practically make a whole person. We're 281 00:17:07,160 --> 00:17:13,040 Speaker 2: getting there for sure. So, Noel, this situation is unsustainable 282 00:17:13,119 --> 00:17:14,680 Speaker 2: to the students, right to the cadets. 283 00:17:14,760 --> 00:17:18,080 Speaker 3: The afore mentioned winding spring ready to pop. 284 00:17:23,680 --> 00:17:28,560 Speaker 1: So this all comes to a head when Christmas Eve 285 00:17:29,160 --> 00:17:33,199 Speaker 1: of eighteen twenty six rules around again. That's one of 286 00:17:33,240 --> 00:17:36,280 Speaker 1: the two days the cadets are allowed to drink, to imbibe, 287 00:17:36,920 --> 00:17:40,240 Speaker 1: and this is the first time they can't and you. 288 00:17:40,200 --> 00:17:43,600 Speaker 2: Know, no one likes it when you tell them they 289 00:17:43,600 --> 00:17:46,880 Speaker 2: can't do something. Sure, tell me what I can't do, Ben. 290 00:17:46,800 --> 00:17:49,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, don't tell me what I can't do. I will 291 00:17:49,080 --> 00:17:53,560 Speaker 1: automatically go do it. Yeah. Reverse psychology is real, it's dangerous, 292 00:17:53,600 --> 00:17:54,800 Speaker 1: and people know it works. 293 00:17:54,840 --> 00:17:57,800 Speaker 2: It's clearly fair. That was not his style. He was 294 00:17:57,880 --> 00:18:02,840 Speaker 2: much more of a prohibitor than a than a mind manipulator. 295 00:18:02,359 --> 00:18:03,200 Speaker 1: A mind wrangler. 296 00:18:03,280 --> 00:18:04,000 Speaker 3: Yeah, exactly. 297 00:18:04,560 --> 00:18:08,000 Speaker 2: So you know these cadets on Christmas Eve of eighteen 298 00:18:08,040 --> 00:18:11,040 Speaker 2: twenty six, about seventy of them, as it turns out, 299 00:18:11,040 --> 00:18:13,000 Speaker 2: which I think was someone in the neighborhood. 300 00:18:12,520 --> 00:18:16,960 Speaker 3: Of a third of the student body of West Point. 301 00:18:17,600 --> 00:18:21,600 Speaker 2: Decided to hatch a little plot where they were going 302 00:18:21,640 --> 00:18:27,480 Speaker 2: to go against old Colonel payers wishes and get themselves 303 00:18:27,880 --> 00:18:28,920 Speaker 2: some boozy egnog. 304 00:18:29,760 --> 00:18:35,560 Speaker 1: Right, So they decided that they would go off campus 305 00:18:35,600 --> 00:18:38,840 Speaker 1: and go to the place they knew that was going 306 00:18:38,880 --> 00:18:41,600 Speaker 1: to be the friendliest tavern, which was, of course Benny 307 00:18:41,640 --> 00:18:42,440 Speaker 1: Haven Benny Haven. 308 00:18:42,480 --> 00:18:45,560 Speaker 3: Maybe they brought some extra pairs of socks with which 309 00:18:45,600 --> 00:18:45,960 Speaker 3: to barter. 310 00:18:46,480 --> 00:18:51,600 Speaker 1: However, Benny Haven proved without us remarking on the socks 311 00:18:51,920 --> 00:18:54,680 Speaker 1: or the pantaloons or whatever they brought with them, doesn't matter, right, 312 00:18:55,040 --> 00:18:59,400 Speaker 1: Benny Haven's was too expensive, too steep. Yeah, they could 313 00:18:59,400 --> 00:19:01,479 Speaker 1: buy a little little liquor, but not as much as 314 00:19:01,520 --> 00:19:03,840 Speaker 1: they wanted. So they had to go to Plan B. 315 00:19:04,119 --> 00:19:05,760 Speaker 3: They wanted to get rip and drunk. 316 00:19:05,880 --> 00:19:08,160 Speaker 1: Oh we should call it Plan H. I like it 317 00:19:08,520 --> 00:19:11,400 Speaker 1: because why because they crossed the Hudson River. Oh exactly, 318 00:19:11,400 --> 00:19:13,640 Speaker 1: that's the very very good foreshadow in their band. So yes, 319 00:19:13,680 --> 00:19:15,880 Speaker 1: they did in fact cross the Hudson River. I imagine 320 00:19:15,880 --> 00:19:18,320 Speaker 1: on some sort of sloop, perhaps a. 321 00:19:18,280 --> 00:19:22,520 Speaker 2: Barge, some sort of maybe surely they had vessels at 322 00:19:22,520 --> 00:19:24,960 Speaker 2: their disposal. Right, it's a military academy. What do you think, 323 00:19:25,000 --> 00:19:27,440 Speaker 2: what do you picture them crossing on? 324 00:19:27,440 --> 00:19:30,880 Speaker 1: One would imagine they wouldn't swim because of the weather. Yeah, 325 00:19:30,960 --> 00:19:33,679 Speaker 1: it'd be cold, So they were probably on you know, 326 00:19:33,720 --> 00:19:36,440 Speaker 1: a small boat or something. Maybe they just rowed across. 327 00:19:36,560 --> 00:19:37,640 Speaker 2: I like it. I like it. 328 00:19:37,920 --> 00:19:39,879 Speaker 3: I'm just trying to set the scene as all you know. 329 00:19:40,119 --> 00:19:42,280 Speaker 2: So this is under the cover of night, no doubt. 330 00:19:42,960 --> 00:19:45,919 Speaker 2: They go over to the pub we mentioned briefly earlier, 331 00:19:45,920 --> 00:19:49,119 Speaker 2: the tavern, I guess North's tavern where they made a 332 00:19:49,160 --> 00:19:54,240 Speaker 2: deal with the the bartender, the barkeep, and they procured 333 00:19:55,240 --> 00:19:59,000 Speaker 2: in the neighborhood of three or four gallons of whiskey. 334 00:19:59,359 --> 00:20:02,720 Speaker 1: Yeah, they they want to do it. Yeah, they've got 335 00:20:03,080 --> 00:20:07,359 Speaker 1: They got gallons of whiskey. And while they were there, 336 00:20:07,480 --> 00:20:13,600 Speaker 1: they had the historical quote, we found a few glasses themselves. Now, 337 00:20:13,720 --> 00:20:16,120 Speaker 1: this I think leads into this one for the chef. 338 00:20:16,760 --> 00:20:20,040 Speaker 1: It leads to the domino domino effect we'll see later. 339 00:20:20,480 --> 00:20:23,800 Speaker 1: Because the size of those glasses as we record this, 340 00:20:24,720 --> 00:20:27,159 Speaker 1: that size is lost to history, so we have no 341 00:20:27,359 --> 00:20:30,960 Speaker 1: idea how large these glasses were. But anyway, the death's 342 00:20:31,040 --> 00:20:33,760 Speaker 1: knocked back a few They went back to the dock 343 00:20:34,080 --> 00:20:37,119 Speaker 1: and they found a soldier who was standing guard. But 344 00:20:37,200 --> 00:20:40,119 Speaker 1: they said, you know what, man turn a blind eye, 345 00:20:40,160 --> 00:20:45,080 Speaker 1: which wasn't unusual, right, And he said, what price do 346 00:20:45,119 --> 00:20:49,560 Speaker 1: you expect me to put on my morals? This conversation 347 00:20:49,680 --> 00:20:52,440 Speaker 1: is inspired by a true story, I should say, And 348 00:20:52,560 --> 00:20:55,960 Speaker 1: they they named a price, and he accepted. And what 349 00:20:56,040 --> 00:20:56,520 Speaker 1: was that price? 350 00:20:56,680 --> 00:20:57,760 Speaker 2: It was thirty five cents? 351 00:20:57,840 --> 00:20:59,479 Speaker 1: It was thirty five cents. 352 00:20:59,640 --> 00:21:01,440 Speaker 2: Do you want to plug that into your handy dandy 353 00:21:01,480 --> 00:21:02,600 Speaker 2: inflation calculator? 354 00:21:02,640 --> 00:21:09,160 Speaker 1: Ben, you're going to find this hilarious, and listeners, I 355 00:21:09,200 --> 00:21:14,280 Speaker 1: hope you enjoy this too. In eighteen twenty six, thirty 356 00:21:14,359 --> 00:21:18,360 Speaker 1: five cents was the equivalent of Casey, can we get 357 00:21:18,359 --> 00:21:28,879 Speaker 1: a drum roll please? Eight dollars and nine cents? 358 00:21:28,960 --> 00:21:29,280 Speaker 2: Okay? 359 00:21:29,320 --> 00:21:35,840 Speaker 3: So yeah, his cheap, cheap, cheap morals. 360 00:21:36,160 --> 00:21:37,879 Speaker 1: Eight dollars and nine cents. 361 00:21:38,040 --> 00:21:39,600 Speaker 2: Wow, I mean. 362 00:21:40,880 --> 00:21:45,920 Speaker 1: That's bizarre. I can't imagine a bribe that would work 363 00:21:46,040 --> 00:21:47,119 Speaker 1: at that price level. 364 00:21:47,720 --> 00:21:51,000 Speaker 2: Yeah, no, I can't either. I would have at least 365 00:21:51,000 --> 00:21:53,800 Speaker 2: asked for some of that whiskey, right, Maybe he did. 366 00:21:53,920 --> 00:21:57,800 Speaker 2: Surely they plied him with booze. Let's editorialize here. I mean, 367 00:21:57,960 --> 00:22:00,920 Speaker 2: come on, no one's gonna take eight fit without a 368 00:22:00,920 --> 00:22:02,840 Speaker 2: little without a couple of shots first, right. 369 00:22:03,359 --> 00:22:07,560 Speaker 1: Yes, yeah, so we go back to we go back 370 00:22:07,600 --> 00:22:11,200 Speaker 1: to Colonel Fair and sure it was a bit draconian, 371 00:22:11,480 --> 00:22:14,159 Speaker 1: but that doesn't make him a dunderhead. It doesn't make 372 00:22:14,240 --> 00:22:14,880 Speaker 1: him stupid. 373 00:22:14,920 --> 00:22:17,600 Speaker 3: No, no, no, no. He was clearly a pretty savvy. 374 00:22:17,280 --> 00:22:21,320 Speaker 1: Fellow, and he knew that cadets had smuggled alcohol into 375 00:22:21,320 --> 00:22:24,960 Speaker 1: the academy before. In fact, one of our characters near 376 00:22:25,040 --> 00:22:26,960 Speaker 1: has a history that we'll get to in a bit. 377 00:22:27,760 --> 00:22:32,600 Speaker 1: But he had always and the staff and officer structure 378 00:22:32,640 --> 00:22:35,000 Speaker 1: of West Point had always dealt with these on a 379 00:22:35,080 --> 00:22:40,399 Speaker 1: case by case basis. So he assumed, reasonably so that 380 00:22:40,480 --> 00:22:42,960 Speaker 1: there would be at least one bad or should we say, 381 00:22:42,960 --> 00:22:46,760 Speaker 1: one drunk apple, one fermented apple out a bunch. So 382 00:22:47,200 --> 00:22:50,800 Speaker 1: he had talked about it with some of the staff 383 00:22:50,840 --> 00:22:56,400 Speaker 1: and the fellow officers, but he just took the regular precautions, 384 00:22:56,840 --> 00:23:02,040 Speaker 1: like two guards ye Captain Ethan Allen Hitchcock and Lieutenant 385 00:23:02,080 --> 00:23:06,119 Speaker 1: William A. Thornton. They were to monitor the North Barracks. 386 00:23:05,760 --> 00:23:09,879 Speaker 2: Old Hitchcock and Thornton. They have they're about to have 387 00:23:09,880 --> 00:23:10,520 Speaker 2: have some fun. 388 00:23:10,880 --> 00:23:13,960 Speaker 1: Yes, yeah, yeah, yeah, they go to bed, They knock 389 00:23:14,000 --> 00:23:15,520 Speaker 1: off around midnight, right. 390 00:23:15,480 --> 00:23:20,520 Speaker 2: Yep, that's right, at which point the boys who set off, 391 00:23:20,680 --> 00:23:25,240 Speaker 2: who salied forth for the north, huh, the tavern, are 392 00:23:25,280 --> 00:23:30,360 Speaker 2: now back in their respective dorms. I guess they they 393 00:23:30,400 --> 00:23:32,720 Speaker 2: snuck into the kitchen and made the nog. 394 00:23:33,680 --> 00:23:35,480 Speaker 3: Speaking of which, what what part of the egg is 395 00:23:35,520 --> 00:23:35,920 Speaker 3: the nog? 396 00:23:36,200 --> 00:23:36,440 Speaker 2: Ben? 397 00:23:36,560 --> 00:23:38,520 Speaker 3: That's that's the question. I think everyone wants to know. 398 00:23:38,760 --> 00:23:42,040 Speaker 1: What's a good question. Let's see is there an answer. 399 00:23:42,000 --> 00:23:44,520 Speaker 2: There is I was being a little koy, So no 400 00:23:44,560 --> 00:23:47,439 Speaker 2: one knows exactly. And it's certainly a bit of a 401 00:23:47,480 --> 00:23:50,000 Speaker 2: turn of phrase. There is no nog to the egg. 402 00:23:50,040 --> 00:23:51,760 Speaker 2: It's not it's not a part of the egg. I 403 00:23:51,760 --> 00:23:55,200 Speaker 2: think you will probably already knew that. But it turns 404 00:23:55,240 --> 00:23:59,800 Speaker 2: out that the word nog was an old English slang 405 00:23:59,800 --> 00:24:05,240 Speaker 2: for a very stiff beer. Oh okay, And you've also 406 00:24:05,280 --> 00:24:08,440 Speaker 2: heard like grog. Sure, and so I'm assuming that there's 407 00:24:08,720 --> 00:24:12,480 Speaker 2: there's some relation there. And then another one is that 408 00:24:12,840 --> 00:24:16,480 Speaker 2: the idea that these wooden mugs that you could find 409 00:24:16,520 --> 00:24:21,120 Speaker 2: in taverns all across the land were called noggins. Oh 410 00:24:21,160 --> 00:24:24,000 Speaker 2: and so apparently, and this is from an article on 411 00:24:24,040 --> 00:24:28,040 Speaker 2: a delightful blog called Sustainable Table about the history of eggnog, 412 00:24:28,520 --> 00:24:33,879 Speaker 2: and they conjecture that when you combine noggin with egg 413 00:24:34,840 --> 00:24:38,399 Speaker 2: you get eggnog. So I don't know. 414 00:24:38,600 --> 00:24:41,679 Speaker 1: Yeah, there's a little aside that's solid. Oh, but we 415 00:24:41,800 --> 00:24:46,440 Speaker 1: should also add that the three cadets who went across 416 00:24:46,480 --> 00:24:51,399 Speaker 1: the Hudson were not alone in their endeavor. This was 417 00:24:51,440 --> 00:24:56,680 Speaker 1: a group effort. According to the Eggnog Riot on Laugham's 418 00:24:56,760 --> 00:25:01,960 Speaker 1: Quarterly by Michelle Legro, they were joined with conspirators colluters. 419 00:25:02,240 --> 00:25:05,439 Speaker 1: You see, another group brought a gallon of brandy and 420 00:25:05,480 --> 00:25:10,000 Speaker 1: a gallon of wine, and another one, get this phrasal 421 00:25:10,440 --> 00:25:13,879 Speaker 1: organized a gallon of liquor on credit, and then someone 422 00:25:13,920 --> 00:25:17,040 Speaker 1: else bought the eggs, the milk, and the nutmeg. So 423 00:25:17,080 --> 00:25:22,159 Speaker 1: they had all the ingredients as symboled together and they 424 00:25:22,240 --> 00:25:26,840 Speaker 1: got wasted. They got so wasted that four hours after midnight, 425 00:25:27,119 --> 00:25:30,800 Speaker 1: the two officers we mentioned, Thornton and Hitchcock, woke up 426 00:25:30,880 --> 00:25:33,840 Speaker 1: with a very we're family show. So let's call it 427 00:25:34,119 --> 00:25:36,240 Speaker 1: a very OMG WTF reaction. 428 00:25:36,440 --> 00:25:39,800 Speaker 3: Yeah, it was a clamor a hubbub. 429 00:25:40,040 --> 00:25:41,640 Speaker 1: There arose such a clamor. 430 00:25:41,440 --> 00:25:45,000 Speaker 2: Yes, indeed, but it was not jolly old Saint Nick. No, 431 00:25:45,119 --> 00:25:50,280 Speaker 2: it was a bunch of unruly, drunken military school cadets. 432 00:25:49,880 --> 00:25:55,160 Speaker 1: Which has just gotta be the worst. They were, well, 433 00:25:55,600 --> 00:25:59,560 Speaker 1: let me correct here. So after the officers went to bed, 434 00:25:59,600 --> 00:26:03,000 Speaker 1: they start to drinking, the cadets, and then you'll hear, 435 00:26:03,200 --> 00:26:08,080 Speaker 1: either around two am or four am, the feather of 436 00:26:08,480 --> 00:26:12,240 Speaker 1: drunken noise broke the proverbial camel of silences back. 437 00:26:12,320 --> 00:26:14,280 Speaker 2: We all know the sound if you've lived next door 438 00:26:14,520 --> 00:26:17,120 Speaker 2: to a frat house or anything, if you've ever had 439 00:26:17,280 --> 00:26:19,400 Speaker 2: any kind of unruly neighbors that are having a party 440 00:26:19,400 --> 00:26:21,760 Speaker 2: when you're trying to sleep, it's a very specific sound. 441 00:26:21,880 --> 00:26:25,000 Speaker 2: Sounds totally different when you yourself are drunk, sounds delightful. Oh, 442 00:26:25,000 --> 00:26:26,600 Speaker 2: it sounds just like the sound of fun. 443 00:26:26,520 --> 00:26:27,800 Speaker 1: Sounds merry, you know. 444 00:26:27,920 --> 00:26:31,000 Speaker 2: But when you're when you're trying to sleep, sure, it's 445 00:26:31,040 --> 00:26:32,680 Speaker 2: an instant enrager. 446 00:26:32,960 --> 00:26:38,919 Speaker 1: So they were making mary. Around two am, Jefferson Davis 447 00:26:38,960 --> 00:26:43,720 Speaker 1: and eight other cadets started singing very loudly. Another student 448 00:26:44,080 --> 00:26:47,480 Speaker 1: tried to do the eighteen twenty six version of sh 449 00:26:47,600 --> 00:26:52,520 Speaker 1: you guys, come on specheese, and by four am this 450 00:26:52,600 --> 00:26:57,200 Speaker 1: sounds blasting through the floorboards, and that triggers the investigation. 451 00:26:57,359 --> 00:26:58,680 Speaker 2: Do we talk about Jeff Davis? 452 00:26:59,240 --> 00:27:01,800 Speaker 1: Jeffy, you're talking about Jeff Davis because we just mentioned 453 00:27:01,880 --> 00:27:04,199 Speaker 1: him as leading the singing. He was. 454 00:27:05,920 --> 00:27:08,480 Speaker 3: He was one of those kids with a past, absolutely 455 00:27:08,560 --> 00:27:09,119 Speaker 3: and the future. 456 00:27:09,119 --> 00:27:12,280 Speaker 2: He went on to become the president of the US Confederacy, 457 00:27:12,359 --> 00:27:15,720 Speaker 2: that's the one. But he was what you might describe 458 00:27:15,760 --> 00:27:17,679 Speaker 2: as an incorrigible drunk. 459 00:27:18,720 --> 00:27:24,119 Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah, he had a history of being censured for 460 00:27:24,320 --> 00:27:27,800 Speaker 1: leaving his post to drink at the bar. In fact, 461 00:27:28,200 --> 00:27:31,320 Speaker 1: he racked up an arrest. He did, He got arrested. 462 00:27:31,480 --> 00:27:33,960 Speaker 2: I think he was the first student to be arrested 463 00:27:34,000 --> 00:27:37,520 Speaker 2: for sneaking away to go to Benny Haven. And not 464 00:27:38,119 --> 00:27:41,919 Speaker 2: long before the the egnog riot that we're talking about, 465 00:27:42,280 --> 00:27:47,359 Speaker 2: he was with some pals sneaking and he fell into 466 00:27:47,440 --> 00:27:51,359 Speaker 2: a pit and his pals cried out, are you alive? 467 00:27:52,080 --> 00:27:54,639 Speaker 2: And thankfully he was. He was alive. 468 00:27:55,200 --> 00:27:58,320 Speaker 3: But he you know, you don't know, man Ravine, right, 469 00:27:58,560 --> 00:27:59,040 Speaker 3: good lord, he. 470 00:27:59,000 --> 00:28:01,720 Speaker 1: Could have hit his head on a that's sixty feet 471 00:28:01,800 --> 00:28:05,239 Speaker 1: so that's nothing to sneeze at. So this guy, when 472 00:28:05,280 --> 00:28:10,679 Speaker 1: they're when they're organizing this secret Christmas party. Jefferson Davis 473 00:28:10,800 --> 00:28:12,880 Speaker 1: is one of the top picks. He's like a veteran 474 00:28:12,960 --> 00:28:13,800 Speaker 1: of this sort of thing. 475 00:28:14,240 --> 00:28:15,560 Speaker 3: Yeah, he was totally on board. 476 00:28:16,480 --> 00:28:21,680 Speaker 2: And our heroes, uh for all in disent purposes, heroes 477 00:28:21,760 --> 00:28:24,920 Speaker 2: or bus kills depends on what side of this. I'm 478 00:28:24,960 --> 00:28:27,440 Speaker 2: annoyed at the cadets, to be honest, that's where I stand. 479 00:28:27,800 --> 00:28:30,760 Speaker 2: I think they're being a little disrespectful. I feel you. 480 00:28:30,840 --> 00:28:32,720 Speaker 1: But it's Christmas, eve Man. 481 00:28:32,720 --> 00:28:34,119 Speaker 2: No it's not. It's Christmas. 482 00:28:34,720 --> 00:28:37,960 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, now it's officially Christmas. Okay, even more, it's 483 00:28:38,080 --> 00:28:38,920 Speaker 1: Christmas Day. 484 00:28:39,080 --> 00:28:41,280 Speaker 3: I have a little charity where Okay. 485 00:28:41,360 --> 00:28:43,680 Speaker 2: So, but I'm saying, like I've been around drunk people 486 00:28:43,720 --> 00:28:45,960 Speaker 2: when I'm sober and trying to sleep enough that I 487 00:28:46,320 --> 00:28:50,360 Speaker 2: am feeling these two guards perspective here pretty hard. So 488 00:28:50,360 --> 00:28:52,720 Speaker 2: one of them, Hitchcock, leaps out of bed with a 489 00:28:52,760 --> 00:28:58,160 Speaker 2: start and finds a handful of the boys, six or 490 00:28:58,200 --> 00:29:03,680 Speaker 2: seven of them visibly sloshed, and he he I loved 491 00:29:03,720 --> 00:29:07,200 Speaker 2: the way this article puts it, the Smithsonian article. 492 00:29:07,280 --> 00:29:11,680 Speaker 3: He ordered them to disperse, right, right right, and they refused. 493 00:29:14,000 --> 00:29:14,760 Speaker 2: They refused to. 494 00:29:14,720 --> 00:29:17,920 Speaker 1: Disperse, And it sounds so formal at this point, you know, 495 00:29:18,000 --> 00:29:23,240 Speaker 1: it sounds as though they had a decision making process, 496 00:29:23,360 --> 00:29:26,040 Speaker 1: but that's it was. It had to be more sloppy 497 00:29:26,040 --> 00:29:29,479 Speaker 1: and more emotionally charged. He thought it was just that 498 00:29:29,600 --> 00:29:32,240 Speaker 1: one room at first, but it turns out it wasn't. 499 00:29:32,560 --> 00:29:36,479 Speaker 2: Oh no, no, it wasn't. He then went into another 500 00:29:36,600 --> 00:29:40,920 Speaker 2: room and he was actually followed by our boy jeff Davis, 501 00:29:41,360 --> 00:29:45,560 Speaker 2: who tried to give his compatriots the heads up by shouting, 502 00:29:45,680 --> 00:29:48,960 Speaker 2: put away the grog boys, old hitches, come in, old Hitchcock, 503 00:29:49,640 --> 00:29:51,280 Speaker 2: you know. But of course he was already there. He 504 00:29:51,440 --> 00:29:54,160 Speaker 2: was literally right behind him or right in front of him, 505 00:29:54,200 --> 00:29:57,080 Speaker 2: so you know, he looked like a chump. And then 506 00:29:57,440 --> 00:30:03,120 Speaker 2: Hitchcock ordered Jeffy to disperse and he agreed, which is 507 00:30:03,120 --> 00:30:05,600 Speaker 2: probably the one thing that saved him from getting court 508 00:30:05,640 --> 00:30:09,520 Speaker 2: martialed and expelled. So you know, we can thank Hitchcock 509 00:30:09,600 --> 00:30:13,360 Speaker 2: and his kind hearted nature for you know, Jefferson Davis 510 00:30:13,480 --> 00:30:15,840 Speaker 2: is a future in politics. 511 00:30:16,200 --> 00:30:17,840 Speaker 1: Yeah, no one knew what was going to happen in 512 00:30:17,880 --> 00:30:28,120 Speaker 1: the time exactly. So Davis is arrested, others are arrested, 513 00:30:29,280 --> 00:30:33,640 Speaker 1: ordered to their rooms. And this is this is weird 514 00:30:33,680 --> 00:30:37,360 Speaker 1: because we asked at the top of the show what 515 00:30:37,520 --> 00:30:43,680 Speaker 1: constitutes a riot. Apparently Hitchcock read the group the Riot Act, 516 00:30:43,960 --> 00:30:47,600 Speaker 1: which declared any group of twelve or more unlawfully assembled. 517 00:30:47,800 --> 00:30:50,000 Speaker 2: Wait, that's a real thing, the Riot Acts. 518 00:30:50,600 --> 00:30:51,400 Speaker 1: Well, they have it here. 519 00:30:51,800 --> 00:30:54,000 Speaker 2: You say, when you're reading someone the Riot Act, that's 520 00:30:54,040 --> 00:30:56,920 Speaker 2: literally like you're telling them their rights. 521 00:30:57,160 --> 00:31:01,280 Speaker 1: Yeah. The original Riot Act again, real thing was passed 522 00:31:01,320 --> 00:31:05,480 Speaker 1: back in seventeen fourteen in Britain, and it essentially ruled 523 00:31:05,480 --> 00:31:07,440 Speaker 1: that if a group of a dozen or more people 524 00:31:07,880 --> 00:31:11,200 Speaker 1: got together and started acting unruly, an officer of the 525 00:31:11,280 --> 00:31:14,160 Speaker 1: law could approach them and tell them to disperse, but 526 00:31:14,240 --> 00:31:17,400 Speaker 1: to do so they literally had to read the Riot Act. 527 00:31:19,640 --> 00:31:25,920 Speaker 1: So the cadets are really poed right now because they 528 00:31:26,000 --> 00:31:28,920 Speaker 1: had this one party in their minds. It's one of 529 00:31:29,000 --> 00:31:31,640 Speaker 1: two nights they can let loose the entire year. 530 00:31:31,720 --> 00:31:33,080 Speaker 3: Yeah, because we can't forget that. 531 00:31:33,600 --> 00:31:36,680 Speaker 2: It's you know, it's hard to come in and like 532 00:31:36,840 --> 00:31:39,360 Speaker 2: just change things overnight, like if they're used to having 533 00:31:39,400 --> 00:31:43,000 Speaker 2: these parties and then you've got this this killjoy fayer 534 00:31:43,120 --> 00:31:47,040 Speaker 2: coming in and denying them there two nights of revelry 535 00:31:47,040 --> 00:31:49,760 Speaker 2: a year. That's that stings a little. You know, this 536 00:31:49,840 --> 00:31:51,160 Speaker 2: was very refreshed for them. 537 00:31:51,280 --> 00:31:56,080 Speaker 1: So here's where I start to lose sympathy for the cadets. 538 00:31:56,280 --> 00:31:56,960 Speaker 2: Yeah. 539 00:31:57,160 --> 00:32:02,160 Speaker 1: So after now they're angry at Hitchcock, were ruining the 540 00:32:02,200 --> 00:32:06,840 Speaker 1: soiree right right to get together. They decide to hunt 541 00:32:06,920 --> 00:32:11,120 Speaker 1: the captain down. They decide that vengeance is theirs. And 542 00:32:11,160 --> 00:32:14,080 Speaker 1: we have a great quote for how that segment of 543 00:32:14,120 --> 00:32:14,760 Speaker 1: the night began. 544 00:32:15,040 --> 00:32:19,320 Speaker 2: Yeah, Hitchcock took off and then one of the drunken 545 00:32:19,360 --> 00:32:23,600 Speaker 2: cadets screamed, get your dirks and bayonets and pistols. If 546 00:32:23,640 --> 00:32:25,600 Speaker 2: you have them before the night is. 547 00:32:25,560 --> 00:32:27,960 Speaker 3: Over, Hitchcock will be dead. 548 00:32:28,520 --> 00:32:31,440 Speaker 2: So that's you know, that's a threat of bodily harm 549 00:32:31,560 --> 00:32:35,480 Speaker 2: to a superior officer. That's probably not not gonna fly. 550 00:32:35,840 --> 00:32:41,440 Speaker 1: Right, right, right, right. So there's a book written by 551 00:32:41,600 --> 00:32:45,440 Speaker 1: James b Agnew called the Agnog Riot the Christmas Mutiny 552 00:32:45,440 --> 00:32:48,360 Speaker 1: at West Point. Maybe mutiny is a little better word, 553 00:32:48,400 --> 00:32:50,800 Speaker 1: but again he did read the Riot Act. So so 554 00:32:51,400 --> 00:32:55,920 Speaker 1: this book gives a minute by minute treatment account or 555 00:32:57,120 --> 00:33:01,800 Speaker 1: estimation about how things went down and from that point. 556 00:33:01,920 --> 00:33:04,120 Speaker 1: So let's say it's around four am. Over the next 557 00:33:04,120 --> 00:33:07,000 Speaker 1: two hours there was a cat and mouse game between 558 00:33:07,080 --> 00:33:10,720 Speaker 1: the drunk students, the faculty of West Point, and the 559 00:33:10,720 --> 00:33:17,080 Speaker 1: sober students, you know, the nerds who woke up to 560 00:33:17,360 --> 00:33:19,720 Speaker 1: side with the faculty against their fellow cadets. 561 00:33:19,800 --> 00:33:21,800 Speaker 2: Yeah. And then the other guy, Thornton, the other guard, 562 00:33:21,880 --> 00:33:25,360 Speaker 2: he had a sword brandished in his face. He got 563 00:33:25,400 --> 00:33:28,680 Speaker 2: brained with a piece of wood, got knocked on his butt. 564 00:33:28,720 --> 00:33:32,360 Speaker 2: And I think Hitchcock was trying to break into a 565 00:33:32,400 --> 00:33:36,320 Speaker 2: door that had been barricaded and someone. 566 00:33:36,160 --> 00:33:38,320 Speaker 3: Took a shot at him from the other side of 567 00:33:38,320 --> 00:33:40,840 Speaker 3: the door. Yeah, the pistol. I mean, this is I 568 00:33:40,840 --> 00:33:42,400 Speaker 3: think riot is absolutely fair. 569 00:33:42,560 --> 00:33:44,880 Speaker 1: Right, And just to go back a second to establish 570 00:33:44,960 --> 00:33:49,600 Speaker 1: how drunk these cadets were when Hitchcock originally busted them. 571 00:33:50,160 --> 00:33:54,760 Speaker 1: Several of them, Noel, try to hide under blankets, like 572 00:33:54,800 --> 00:33:57,840 Speaker 1: while he's there, Like, if I just hide under this blanket, 573 00:33:58,000 --> 00:33:59,120 Speaker 1: no one will see me, right. 574 00:33:59,160 --> 00:34:00,920 Speaker 2: I think some of them took their hats and covered 575 00:34:00,960 --> 00:34:03,920 Speaker 2: their faces, Like you think that's gonna work. 576 00:34:04,400 --> 00:34:05,080 Speaker 1: Right, right? Right? 577 00:34:05,600 --> 00:34:06,240 Speaker 2: What's going on? 578 00:34:06,440 --> 00:34:10,840 Speaker 1: So this is where they start doing incredible physical damage, 579 00:34:10,880 --> 00:34:14,640 Speaker 1: not just threatening the officers, but damaging the property as well, 580 00:34:14,719 --> 00:34:19,280 Speaker 1: breaking windows, ripping banisters off a staircases. 581 00:34:19,560 --> 00:34:23,279 Speaker 2: Yeah, just like shredding the curtains, whatever they could get 582 00:34:23,320 --> 00:34:26,520 Speaker 2: their hands on. I mean it was a melee, and 583 00:34:26,600 --> 00:34:30,880 Speaker 2: so Hitchcock and Thornton decided they better call in the cavalry. 584 00:34:31,320 --> 00:34:34,919 Speaker 2: And it was these guys called the bombadiers, who were 585 00:34:35,000 --> 00:34:38,080 Speaker 2: the guards that always kind of stood watch to make sure. 586 00:34:38,440 --> 00:34:40,920 Speaker 2: It's sort of like internal affairs for cops. You know, 587 00:34:40,960 --> 00:34:43,160 Speaker 2: it's like nobody likes internal affairs if you're a cop, 588 00:34:43,160 --> 00:34:46,200 Speaker 2: because they're like, it's like a snitch. So the cadets 589 00:34:46,320 --> 00:34:49,359 Speaker 2: did not care for the bombadiers, and once they got 590 00:34:49,360 --> 00:34:49,839 Speaker 2: called in. 591 00:34:50,680 --> 00:34:55,040 Speaker 3: Things just got even even nastier, right, because the cadets 592 00:34:55,280 --> 00:34:59,719 Speaker 3: hated these artillery men and they thought Hitchcock summoning them 593 00:35:00,239 --> 00:35:03,719 Speaker 3: was this quote affront to their integrity. And if you 594 00:35:03,840 --> 00:35:06,680 Speaker 3: read between the lines of history here, it sounds like 595 00:35:06,719 --> 00:35:09,960 Speaker 3: they were just sloshed enough that they were were going 596 00:35:10,000 --> 00:35:11,080 Speaker 3: to get angry about anything. 597 00:35:11,120 --> 00:35:13,960 Speaker 2: Well, they were obviously having delusions of grand are too. 598 00:35:14,040 --> 00:35:15,799 Speaker 2: It's like, who the hell do they think they are? 599 00:35:16,280 --> 00:35:18,960 Speaker 2: You know, they were trained in warfare. What I mean's 600 00:35:19,000 --> 00:35:21,960 Speaker 2: saying like they're students at this school. These are their 601 00:35:22,000 --> 00:35:25,040 Speaker 2: commanding officers. There is a you know, two nights of 602 00:35:25,040 --> 00:35:28,080 Speaker 2: partying a year or no, there is a military structure 603 00:35:28,080 --> 00:35:31,239 Speaker 2: in place here, right, Yeah, like this just seems like 604 00:35:31,280 --> 00:35:34,719 Speaker 2: a you know, a mass hysteria kind of situation. 605 00:35:35,280 --> 00:35:38,760 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, yeah. And as things went further off the rails, 606 00:35:38,840 --> 00:35:42,239 Speaker 1: it turned out that the bombadiers or these artillery men 607 00:35:42,800 --> 00:35:49,520 Speaker 1: never actually showed up. And slowly, painfully, I would imagine, 608 00:35:49,560 --> 00:35:56,040 Speaker 1: these cadets began to sober up, but not successfully, not 609 00:35:56,200 --> 00:35:59,440 Speaker 1: in enough time to be up at their scheduled hour, 610 00:35:59,680 --> 00:36:01,640 Speaker 1: which was six. 611 00:36:01,480 --> 00:36:03,160 Speaker 2: Am, six am. 612 00:36:04,680 --> 00:36:05,480 Speaker 1: On a regular day. 613 00:36:05,480 --> 00:36:08,880 Speaker 2: They would exactly. They were probably not feeling super well. 614 00:36:09,160 --> 00:36:13,120 Speaker 2: And finally, a man who was the Commandant of Cadets. 615 00:36:13,440 --> 00:36:15,080 Speaker 2: Sounds like a really intense name, sort of like the 616 00:36:15,120 --> 00:36:17,120 Speaker 2: King of Cartoons from Pewey Herman. 617 00:36:17,200 --> 00:36:17,880 Speaker 1: Yeah, there we go, the. 618 00:36:17,880 --> 00:36:21,560 Speaker 3: Commandant of Cadets. He struck enough fear. 619 00:36:21,280 --> 00:36:24,560 Speaker 2: Into the hearts of these boys that they they'd chilled out. 620 00:36:24,640 --> 00:36:25,720 Speaker 3: They stopped breaking stuff. 621 00:36:26,040 --> 00:36:31,120 Speaker 1: They were probably also getting tired, Yeah so and puky Yeah. 622 00:36:31,239 --> 00:36:35,280 Speaker 1: Jefferson Davis, according to the accounts, had missed the bulk 623 00:36:35,360 --> 00:36:39,000 Speaker 1: of the Knight's events because instead of resisting arrest, when 624 00:36:39,000 --> 00:36:42,319 Speaker 1: he was put under his arrest, he stumbled to his room, 625 00:36:42,480 --> 00:36:45,520 Speaker 1: threw up a little bit, and passed out. So that 626 00:36:45,719 --> 00:36:49,040 Speaker 1: actually turned out well for him because he wasn't party 627 00:36:49,200 --> 00:36:53,399 Speaker 1: to a lot of the more violent events. In his memoirs. 628 00:36:53,680 --> 00:36:56,640 Speaker 1: He would later claim that he didn't name names or 629 00:36:56,760 --> 00:36:59,600 Speaker 1: you know, snitch on other people, essentially yea. But the 630 00:36:59,640 --> 00:37:02,880 Speaker 1: record show he indicated that his roommate was involved in 631 00:37:02,920 --> 00:37:07,360 Speaker 1: the conflict when the cadet returned to their dorm, waking 632 00:37:07,440 --> 00:37:10,560 Speaker 1: Davis up as he loaded his gun. So his roommate 633 00:37:10,640 --> 00:37:11,799 Speaker 1: was the one who fired the shot. 634 00:37:13,320 --> 00:37:17,400 Speaker 3: Not a good look. So Thayer was rightfully pretty upset. 635 00:37:17,840 --> 00:37:22,680 Speaker 2: He gathered all of his staff for an inquiry on 636 00:37:22,800 --> 00:37:25,640 Speaker 2: the next night, and then over the following weeks they 637 00:37:26,520 --> 00:37:30,640 Speaker 2: placed twenty two cadets on restriction, and then they started 638 00:37:30,640 --> 00:37:35,080 Speaker 2: to develop an investigation a court of inquiry, and that 639 00:37:35,239 --> 00:37:38,600 Speaker 2: was issued by Major General Alexander McComb, who was the 640 00:37:38,680 --> 00:37:41,759 Speaker 2: Chief Engineer of the Army and Inspector of the Academy. 641 00:37:42,120 --> 00:37:44,040 Speaker 2: And this is actually from an article on the US 642 00:37:44,200 --> 00:37:47,600 Speaker 2: Army's website in the eggnog Riat and they have access 643 00:37:47,640 --> 00:37:50,160 Speaker 2: to it. Is apparently a whole lot of ink that 644 00:37:50,360 --> 00:37:52,720 Speaker 2: was spilled over this thing in terms of internal records. 645 00:37:52,920 --> 00:37:54,799 Speaker 1: This is a big deal, right, Oh, yeah, of course 646 00:37:55,040 --> 00:37:58,279 Speaker 1: is a huge deal. He's a premier institution and we 647 00:37:58,360 --> 00:38:01,600 Speaker 1: have the names of the cadets that we could list off. 648 00:38:01,640 --> 00:38:02,840 Speaker 1: I'm going to do it very quickly. 649 00:38:02,920 --> 00:38:03,080 Speaker 2: Yep. 650 00:38:04,040 --> 00:38:12,440 Speaker 1: The cadets were ainswith Berry and Bamford, Burnley, Faarreley, Fitzgerald, Guard, Guyon, Humphries, Johnson, Lewis, Mercer, Murdoch, Norvelle, 651 00:38:12,520 --> 00:38:16,840 Speaker 1: Robert Scriven, Stocker, Swords, and Thompson. They all stood trial, 652 00:38:17,400 --> 00:38:23,200 Speaker 1: and other cadets, including Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee, 653 00:38:23,360 --> 00:38:28,319 Speaker 1: testified for the defense. Eleven of that group were dismissed, 654 00:38:28,360 --> 00:38:32,560 Speaker 1: and the remainder were allowed to stay, although three of them, Guard, 655 00:38:32,680 --> 00:38:36,640 Speaker 1: Murdoch and Norvelle chose to leave the academy anyway. You 656 00:38:36,719 --> 00:38:39,120 Speaker 1: can't fire me. I quit indeed. 657 00:38:39,440 --> 00:38:41,879 Speaker 3: And you know, and you might think there were way 658 00:38:41,880 --> 00:38:43,240 Speaker 3: more people involved. 659 00:38:42,800 --> 00:38:45,880 Speaker 2: In this than went down for it, right, yeah, but 660 00:38:46,040 --> 00:38:48,120 Speaker 2: you gotta think this was like a third of the 661 00:38:48,160 --> 00:38:52,040 Speaker 2: population of the school. And he was just getting things 662 00:38:52,160 --> 00:38:55,040 Speaker 2: moved away from the old ways, the old debaucherous ways 663 00:38:55,080 --> 00:38:58,480 Speaker 2: of West Point. That sounds funny, getting things on track 664 00:38:58,680 --> 00:38:59,680 Speaker 2: for his government. 665 00:39:00,200 --> 00:39:02,040 Speaker 3: You know, he'd been given some outa boys. 666 00:39:02,120 --> 00:39:04,920 Speaker 2: And he didn't want to lose everybody. He just wanted 667 00:39:05,000 --> 00:39:08,920 Speaker 2: like the main aggressors to take the fall and have 668 00:39:09,000 --> 00:39:11,120 Speaker 2: it be a teachable moment which I can appreciate. 669 00:39:11,440 --> 00:39:16,560 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, tough but fair. And so the 670 00:39:16,680 --> 00:39:20,560 Speaker 1: riot included, as Nolan I believe you point out earlier, 671 00:39:20,920 --> 00:39:24,759 Speaker 1: nearly one third of West Point students, and it changed 672 00:39:24,800 --> 00:39:28,040 Speaker 1: the change the approach in the face of the academy 673 00:39:28,280 --> 00:39:38,040 Speaker 1: for decades to come. But West Points command historian Sherman Fleek. 674 00:39:36,160 --> 00:39:37,520 Speaker 2: That name is on Fleek? 675 00:39:37,920 --> 00:39:43,120 Speaker 1: Is it is literally on Fleek famously was incorrect when 676 00:39:43,239 --> 00:39:44,040 Speaker 1: he said. 677 00:39:44,120 --> 00:39:47,600 Speaker 2: Hardly anyone knows about it if pooled among forty four 678 00:39:47,680 --> 00:39:49,600 Speaker 2: hundred cadets, I don't know why I think he talks 679 00:39:49,640 --> 00:39:53,240 Speaker 2: like this a three thousand federal employees, fifteen hundred military 680 00:39:53,280 --> 00:39:56,120 Speaker 2: staff and faculty. I doubt thirty people will know a 681 00:39:56,160 --> 00:39:58,440 Speaker 2: thing about it. This guy's not even old Timy. He's 682 00:39:58,480 --> 00:40:03,600 Speaker 2: in our current DNA. It doesn't matter supposed to. Why 683 00:40:03,600 --> 00:40:04,239 Speaker 2: would I not do. 684 00:40:04,200 --> 00:40:08,719 Speaker 1: A voice right? But way more than thirty people know 685 00:40:08,880 --> 00:40:13,160 Speaker 1: about this, and you know, more than thirty people should. 686 00:40:13,360 --> 00:40:17,800 Speaker 2: Yeah, I don't know. I think nowadays Eggnog is maybe 687 00:40:17,840 --> 00:40:23,279 Speaker 2: remembered less as the source of drunken, riotous revelry at 688 00:40:23,320 --> 00:40:26,239 Speaker 2: West Point and more of a non alcoholic kind of 689 00:40:26,280 --> 00:40:29,360 Speaker 2: holiday drink. You know, my kid likes agnog. They have 690 00:40:29,360 --> 00:40:33,560 Speaker 2: agnog milkshakes at Sonic and you know egnog frappuccinos. 691 00:40:33,800 --> 00:40:34,680 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's Starbucks. 692 00:40:34,800 --> 00:40:35,480 Speaker 2: Yeah yeah. 693 00:40:35,640 --> 00:40:40,960 Speaker 1: An agnog is certainly not associated with crazy college parties 694 00:40:41,080 --> 00:40:44,000 Speaker 1: gone wrong. That's more of a Jaeger bomb thing, that's true. 695 00:40:44,080 --> 00:40:46,120 Speaker 3: My whole thing with eggnog is it's got so much 696 00:40:46,160 --> 00:40:48,960 Speaker 3: sugar and milk and cream in it. It just seems 697 00:40:49,000 --> 00:40:52,480 Speaker 3: like it would make you sick before you'd get drunk enough. 698 00:40:52,840 --> 00:40:55,279 Speaker 2: It feels like a Labowski drink to me, Just drink 699 00:40:55,280 --> 00:40:57,520 Speaker 2: the whiskey, man, Yeah, just drink the whiskey. 700 00:40:58,600 --> 00:41:01,000 Speaker 1: Is that our PSA? Is that our moral for this 701 00:41:01,520 --> 00:41:02,440 Speaker 1: today's episode? 702 00:41:02,440 --> 00:41:03,239 Speaker 2: Why not just. 703 00:41:03,239 --> 00:41:06,320 Speaker 1: Drink the whiskey, the rum and the wine, whatever you got. 704 00:41:07,239 --> 00:41:10,719 Speaker 1: We are going to wrap it up. We would like 705 00:41:10,800 --> 00:41:13,120 Speaker 1: to hear from you. Does this change the way you 706 00:41:13,200 --> 00:41:16,279 Speaker 1: feel about West Point? I don't know why we're going 707 00:41:16,640 --> 00:41:19,760 Speaker 1: we're going with that question. We want to hear about 708 00:41:19,800 --> 00:41:22,400 Speaker 1: your experience with agnog. Do you have your own eggnog 709 00:41:22,640 --> 00:41:25,319 Speaker 1: recipe because a lot of people do you know our 710 00:41:25,320 --> 00:41:30,040 Speaker 1: composer Alex Williams, As you said, modeled his after George Washington, 711 00:41:30,400 --> 00:41:32,480 Speaker 1: but he had to figure out the amount of eggs himself. 712 00:41:32,600 --> 00:41:34,640 Speaker 2: Yeah, exactly, And why not make a batch of your 713 00:41:34,680 --> 00:41:37,880 Speaker 2: own George Washington eggnog and send us a note and 714 00:41:37,920 --> 00:41:39,880 Speaker 2: let us know how you liked it. It's ridiculous At 715 00:41:39,880 --> 00:41:42,400 Speaker 2: HowStuffWorks dot com. You can also write us on the 716 00:41:42,440 --> 00:41:46,239 Speaker 2: facebooks where we are Ridiculous History, and we have a 717 00:41:46,320 --> 00:41:50,040 Speaker 2: nifty new Facebook group called the Ridiculous Historians. 718 00:41:49,680 --> 00:41:51,759 Speaker 1: Where you can find your fellow listeners hipping each other 719 00:41:51,800 --> 00:41:55,839 Speaker 1: to ridiculous stories throughout the span of human civilization. You 720 00:41:55,880 --> 00:42:00,120 Speaker 1: can also find us two jokers on there as well. Well, 721 00:42:00,440 --> 00:42:03,839 Speaker 1: yeah we lurk, Yeah, we lurk. Hey, we comment as well, 722 00:42:04,160 --> 00:42:08,600 Speaker 1: and we do also look to this page for inspiration 723 00:42:08,800 --> 00:42:11,680 Speaker 1: for future topics. So thanks to everyone who's already made 724 00:42:11,680 --> 00:42:14,920 Speaker 1: so many excellent suggestions. You can also find us on Twitter, 725 00:42:15,000 --> 00:42:18,640 Speaker 1: you can find us on Instagram. You can find us 726 00:42:18,680 --> 00:42:21,640 Speaker 1: wherever you get podcasts. Oh gosh, that's right. We even 727 00:42:21,640 --> 00:42:22,680 Speaker 1: have a website nol. 728 00:42:22,760 --> 00:42:23,920 Speaker 2: Do you know that I did know? 729 00:42:23,920 --> 00:42:24,040 Speaker 1: That? 730 00:42:24,080 --> 00:42:26,120 Speaker 2: Isn't it Ridiculous historyshow dot com? 731 00:42:26,280 --> 00:42:29,120 Speaker 1: Spot on my friend that's where you can find every 732 00:42:29,239 --> 00:42:32,839 Speaker 1: episode that we have ever done, so check it out 733 00:42:32,880 --> 00:42:35,800 Speaker 1: and let us know what you would like to hear next. 734 00:42:35,880 --> 00:42:40,000 Speaker 1: We're be getting some fantastic emails and it always makes 735 00:42:40,000 --> 00:42:42,319 Speaker 1: our day to read them. And as always, we want 736 00:42:42,360 --> 00:42:47,319 Speaker 1: to thank our super producer and agnog enthusiast. Wait, let 737 00:42:47,360 --> 00:42:53,399 Speaker 1: me check Casey No, Okay, super producer Casey Pegram who 738 00:42:53,440 --> 00:42:55,319 Speaker 1: is not a fan of agnog No, not. 739 00:42:56,360 --> 00:42:59,399 Speaker 2: Not an NOD guy. I think Casey would probably agree 740 00:42:59,400 --> 00:43:01,440 Speaker 2: with me and saying, just drink the whiskey, man, Just 741 00:43:01,520 --> 00:43:02,480 Speaker 2: drink the whiskey. 742 00:43:02,840 --> 00:43:06,400 Speaker 1: And we want to thank Lori L. Dove, our regular contributor, 743 00:43:06,440 --> 00:43:08,800 Speaker 1: for her excellent article on how stuff works. 744 00:43:09,239 --> 00:43:11,880 Speaker 2: And I guess most importantly other than thanking. 745 00:43:11,640 --> 00:43:13,279 Speaker 1: You, Ben, oh, thank you. 746 00:43:13,280 --> 00:43:14,600 Speaker 2: No, let me do this every time. 747 00:43:15,040 --> 00:43:17,080 Speaker 1: I don't know, you know, Let's not force it, Let's 748 00:43:17,120 --> 00:43:17,840 Speaker 1: just let it happen. 749 00:43:17,960 --> 00:43:20,160 Speaker 2: Okay, I'm up into that. We'd like to thank you 750 00:43:20,680 --> 00:43:23,040 Speaker 2: folks for listening to the show, and we hope you'll 751 00:43:23,120 --> 00:43:25,200 Speaker 2: join us for our next episode, where. 752 00:43:25,040 --> 00:43:28,480 Speaker 3: We talk about weird people who built weird stuff. 753 00:43:28,840 --> 00:43:30,840 Speaker 1: That is literally going to be the title. 754 00:43:30,960 --> 00:43:44,439 Speaker 2: Yep. See you then. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit 755 00:43:44,480 --> 00:43:47,600 Speaker 2: the iHeartRadio app Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to 756 00:43:47,640 --> 00:43:48,560 Speaker 2: your favorite shows.