A drunken Christmas party at West Point in 1826 led to a cadet riot involving over one-third of the corps, resulting in 20 court-martials and the participation of future Confederate president Jefferson Davis.
Key Facts
- Date
- 24–25 December 1826
- Cadets implicated
- 70 cadets
- Cadets court-martialed
- 20 cadets
- Enlisted soldiers court-martialed
- 1 soldier
- Proportion of corps involved
- More than one-third of all cadets
- Notable participant
- Jefferson Davis (not court-martialed)
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Two days before Christmas 1826, a large quantity of whiskey was smuggled into the north barracks of the United States Military Academy at West Point to make eggnog for a holiday party. Despite academy regulations prohibiting alcohol, cadets proceeded to drink heavily through the night of December 24.
On the night of 24–25 December 1826, intoxicated cadets at West Point became riotous, defying officers, brandishing a drawn sword, chasing an officer to his room, throwing missiles through hallways, and breaking windows and stair railings. The disturbance grew to involve more than one-third of the entire cadet corps before it ended on Christmas morning.
Academy officials launched a formal investigation that implicated 70 cadets and resulted in the court-martial of 20 cadets and one enlisted soldier. Among the rioters was future Confederate States president Jefferson Davis, who escaped court-martial. The event became one of the most notorious disciplinary incidents in West Point's history.
Political Outcome
20 cadets and 1 enlisted soldier were court-martialed following a formal investigation; Jefferson Davis participated but was not court-martialed.