HISTORY OF WESLEYAN UNIVER- 

 SITY. 



G. BROWN GOODE, IN COLLEGE REVIEW. 



Chapter i. 



On the 12th of September, 1825, the " Amer- 

 ican Literary, Scientific and Military Acad- 

 emy" at Middletown, Conn., was formally 

 opened to the public. This institution was 

 established by Captain Alden Partridge* 

 the first Superintendent of the U. S. Military 

 Academy at 'West Point, who, becoming dis- 

 satisfied with his treatment there, decided to 

 found a smaller school on his own account- 

 Having obtained the sanction of several 

 prominent citizens of Middletown, he settled 

 upon that as the site of his school, and 

 through the munificence of the citizens suit- 

 able buildings were erected at a cost of 

 $44,000. The institution was a time very 

 prosperous, and cadets were in attendance 

 from almost every State in the Union. Many 

 distinguished men received their education 

 here, among whom may be mentioned the 

 late Gov. T. H. Seymour, of Connecticut, and 

 the Hon. Horatio Seymour, of New York, 

 and many took prominent parts in the late 

 rebellion, especially on the Confederate side. 

 Failing, however, to obtain from the Legisla- 

 ture a college charter it w r as removed to 

 Northfield, Vt., where it still exists under the 

 name of the Norwich University. The build- 

 ings now reverted to the donors, and remain- 

 ed for some time unoccupied. 



One day, some of the stockholders being 

 together, a gentleman expressed some sur- 

 prize at the energy and public spirit of the 

 Methodists in Middletown, in the recent erec- 

 tion of a large and commodious church, and 

 laughirgly remarked that he would not be 



