A Proud History-A Bright Future
The University of Virginia ROTC Battalion has been proud to help
develop the leaders of tomorrow.
Early military cadet history at UVa
In the early days of the University, circa 1820, while Thomas Jefferson was
still Rector, a voluntary military company existed. However, it was disbanded
some years later on its unwillingness to submit to certain regulations of the
faculty, who held a firm grasp over University policy at the time. The dispute
was over the issue of weapon keeping. The student-cadets wished to keep arms in
their Lawn rooms on the Academical Village. Faculty members refused this
request, demanding that weapons be kept in a separate armory. Without a
compromise, the company fell idle for some 30 years.
Upon the secession of South Carolina on December 20, 1860, two military
companies were again formed at the University, this during the second session
of 1860-1861. Students from the Virginia Military Institute traveled to
Charlottesville to form and train the companies. On the night of Virginia
secession, April 17, 1861, the companies traveled with the Monticello Guard and
Albemarle Rifles to Harper's Ferry, WV. Lt. Roger Jones, USA, received reports
of the guard and cadets' movement. He burnt the armory there and retreated.
With nothing else to do, the cadets returned to Charlottesville. Shortly
thereafter, General Robert E. Lee declined to receive the UVa. Cadets into
service for the Confederacy, and they thus disbanded. On February 26, 1861,
seven members of the companies erected a confederate flag on Dawson's Row,
which is located just outside of the current AROTC offices. The flag was moved
to Thomas Jefferson's Rotunda, the centerpiece of the University, and attached
it to the lightening rod in support for the Commonwealth and the South.
UVa Army ROTC History
Student military units have existed on the UVa Grounds in one form or
another since the earliest days of the University. The current Army Reserve
Officers' Training Corps detachment was established at the University of
Virginia on April 5, 1948 at the request of University President Colgate W.
Darden, Jr. Participation was voluntary. The detachment was originally
affiliated with the Transportation Corps, and the cadets attended summer camp
at the Army Transportation Center at Ft. Eustis, Virginia. There they trained
on several types of equipment, including trucks, ships, and locomotives. Later,
the detachment was affiliated for a brief time with the Medical Service Corps
and the Signal Corps. In 1965 the Cavalier Battalion was designated a General
Military Subjects ROTC Unit.
Many of the first UVa cadets were veterans of World War II. Later, they
served as officers in the Korean War. A great number of graduates from the UVa
Army ROTC also served in Vietnam. One particular officer, Michael F. Scott, the
first Cavalier Battalion graduate killed in Vietnam, is remembered through an
annual award which bears his name. The award is presented to the Army ROTC
graduate who best exemplifies the soldierly qualities of loyalty, dedication,
and honesty, and who exhibits outstanding leadership qualities. In addition,
the ROTC classroom is dedicated to his memory.
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