Eggnog Riot…

It was in 1826,  so I don’t expect you to  remember it.   In fact,  I don’t expect you to have ever heard of it unless you are a big fan of West Point. and know that superintendent Col. Sylvanus Thayer banned booze in an effort to tame the rowdy institution.    Predictably, some of the students revolted,  and the North Barracks descended into drunken disarray.   Those in the South Barracks did not participate in drinking eggnog,  which back then contained plenty of alcohol.   Among the students in the South Barracks was the future Gen. Robert E. Lee.

The North Barracks was so badly damaged that it was eventually torn down and replaced by a building designed to prevent some of the hijinks.   Thayer remained until 1833,  but for the rest of the 1800s,  the cadets’ eggnog was tame enough for church ladies.