Park of Artillery
The Pluckemin Artillery Cantonment

Academy Drills & Officer Classes

It is thought that General Knox had hired Christopher Calles, a European-trained engineer and scientist. as a Conductor of Military Stores. However, his main function was to serve as "Preceptor of the Academy," which all officers up to the rank of Major were to attend six days a week.

Classes are said to have begun on March 1. 1779. and continued at least into the middle of June 1779. How long the lectures continued after this have not been confirmed. There is evidence that Calles had also hired a number of Assistant Conductors who were in fact young men waiting for their commissions as junior artillery officers to be sent forward for approval to the Board of War. These men went with Colles wherever he moved and presumably received ongoing instructions from him.

Drill Activity

Knox had seen the need for more than an educated officer corps and he had been asking for one since the before the war began. He felt equally committed to standardizing and upgrading the performance of the enlisted men. John Seidel wrote in 1982 "To this end he ordered that from April 16, 1779 on a line of 16 fieldpieces was to be maneuvered in the field to a new order of fife and drum commands which he had composed. The men were to practice this for two hours each day until thoroughly familiar with it and then to continue to practice until the Army was again ready to take up active campaigning.

Written by: Brooks Betz
Photos/Images by: Brooks Betz/ Matt Koppinger/Star Ledger
Last Updated: July 2009