West Point to open nearly 200-year-old time capsule that was forgotten
A nearly 200-year-old time capsule that had long been forgotten about and was rediscovered earlier this year at one of America’s most important Revolutionary War fortifications is set to be opened next week. It could unlock mysteries about our nation’s past — or reveal very little.
Either way, historians — especially those focused on the nation’s fight for independence and the U.S. military — are curious to know what’s inside. And so are those at West Point, the nation’s military academy in New York where the capsule was found.
There’s also a tie — a tenuous one — to Michigan and the state's Polish population: Records show at least four cadets at the academy from Michigan who were likely at West Point when the capsule was created, and it was placed in the base of the academy's Thaddeus Kościuszko monument, which is undergoing repairs.
Academy officials, which carefully examined the capsule, concluded it was put in the monument by cadets in 1828, just 26 years after the academy’s founding, and then forgotten about. Back then, the academy was much smaller, with only 363 cadets in 1828, including some from Michigan.
Since then, the academy has grown to more than 4,000 cadets.
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Michigan cadets during that time, academy researchers said, likely included: Ebenezer Sproat Sibley, who graduated in 1827; Thomas A.H. Edwards, class of 1829; Isaac S. Rowland, class of 1831, neither graduated; and Alfred Bush, a 1832 graduate.
Freedom fighter for 2 continents
For those who don’t know, Andrzej Tadeusz Bonaventura Kościuszko, was a Polish general who fought in two wars for independence — first, the American, against Britain, and then the Polish, against Russia — and is regarded as a hero in both places.
During America’s Revolutionary War, Gen. George Washington selected Kościuszko, an engineer, to build up West Point’s defenses. Back then, West Point was a fort. Not just any fort. It was on the Hudson River, a vital waterway, and about 60 miles north of New York.
West Point was so significant that Washington called it America’s most important strategic location. The roads were difficult to travel and the river made it possible to move troops, artillery, food and information. If the British could control the Hudson, they could cut off the colonies in two and win the war.
Kościuszko, who reached the rank of general, later would return to Poland, and inspired by his experience in America, he led the Polish people to fight, too. As a result, there are Kościuszko monuments all over the world, including one at West Point and Detroit.
Wayne State University — in an article, "Ethnic Layers of Detroit," and video — details where the Detroit monument, one of the largest in the city, came from. It notes that Kościuszko, was a "freedom fighter for two continents." The casting is a replica of one in Krakow, Poland.
It was a gift from the people of Krakow to commemorate America’s bicentennial.
Opening, replacing the time capsule
As for the time capsule, it is set to be opened at 10:30 a.m. next Monday at West Point.
"We are excited to open it and see what the cadets left us nearly two centuries ago," West Point Superintendent Lt. Gen. Steve Gilland said. "The capsule’s contents will certainly add to the West Point story and is another example of past generations of cadets gripping hands with present and future generations."
West Point officials said the capsule was found by accident in May.
An inspection of the monument two years ago detected the base had structural cracks. The 8-foot-6-inch bronze Kościuszko statue was placed in storage. The academy’s physics and nuclear engineering department X-rayed the capsule, but it’s unclear what’s inside.
There did not appear to be instructions about when the capsule was expected to be opened.
It is also unclear what role, if any, the Michigan cadets back then had in the capsule's creation and what was placed in it. Social media speculation abounds, with guesses ranging from documents to old uniforms to cadet secrets to nothing of value at all.
As for the academy, which loves its traditions, it said it plans to start another one by placing a new time capsule into the monument’s rebuilt base for future generations, and, of course, better document when it should be opened.
Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or fwitsil@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: West Point to open nearly 200-year-old forgotten time capsule
