Scott Ship

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Charles Robert Scott Shipp
August 2, 1839 – December 4, 1917 (aged 78)

Scott Shipp
Place of birth Warrenton, Virginia
Place of death Lexington, Virginia
Allegiance Confederate States of America
Years of service 1861–65
Rank Lt. Colonel
Commands held Virginia Military Institute Cadet Battalion
Battles/wars American Civil War
Other work President of Virginia Tech University
Superintendent of Virginia Military Institute

Scott Ship (also spelled Shipp, born Charles Robert Scott Ship[1]) (August 2, 1839 - December 4, 1917) was an American military figure, educator and educational administrator born in Warrenton, Virginia. He is most famous for serving as the second superintendent of the Virginia Military Institute and leading the VMI Cadets at the Battle of New Market during the American Civil War.

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[edit] Personal life and education

Ship was born in 1839 to Captain John Ship and Lucy Blackwell Scott, the third wife of John Ship. Scott attended Mrs. Franklin's School, the Warren Green Academy, and Warrenton High School.[2] Ship's father died in 1849, and his mother moved the family to Boone County, Missouri in 1852 where he entered Westminster College in Fulton.[3]. From 1855 to 1856 Ship was employed on the North Missouri Railroad as an assistant engineer and rodman.[4]

In 1856, Ship returned to Fauquier County, VA and entered VMI at the bequest of his step-father, Dr. Henry M. Clarkson on August 14, 1856.[5] Ship graduated 4th in his class of 29 on July 4, 1859 with the rank of First lieutenant of Company B.[6] He accompanied the cadets to Harper's Ferry for the execution of John Brown in December 1859.

He married Anne "Nannie" Alexander Morson, a longtime friend, on August 19, 1869 and they had three children: Elizabeth Scott, Lucy Scott, and Arthur Morson Shipp.[7] Ship changed the spelling of his name to Shipp sometime around 1883.[8] Shipp's wife died in 1884.[9] They are buried at Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetery in Lexington, Virginia.

Shipp was a close friend and colleague of George Washington Custis Lee, son of Robert E. Lee. The two were both professors at VMI before Lee left to serve as President of Washington and Lee College after his father's death. [10] Shipp studied law at Washington College before the Civil War and earned his degree and was admitted to the bar in 1866, though he never practiced.[11]

[edit] Career

Shipp served VMI as a faculty member from 1859 to 1889, succeeding Stonewall Jackson as Commandant of Cadets in 1861 and teaching Latin, Mathematics, Military History and Strategy, and Military Tactics. He was the second Superintendent of VMI, serving with the rank of Brigadier General from January 1, 1890 to June 30, 1907. Ship was elected president and appointed professor of mental and moral philosophy at Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College, and served from August 12- August 25, 1880, resigning because of a dispute over the organizational authority of the faculty for the college.

Ship was awarded the Doctor of Letters in 1883 and Doctor of Laws in 1890 by Washington & Lee University.[12]

[edit] Civil War

Ship served as assistant adjutant general with the active rank of captain at Camp Lee in the Spring of 1861. He was appointed a Major with the 21st Virginia Infantry in June, 1861. Shipp was detailed to VMI on Jan. 20, 1862 where he served as Commandant of Cadets from 1862-64 and gained the rank of Lt. Colonel. Unofficial sources say he served as a Private in the 4th Virginia Cavalry during the summer of 1863 while on leave from VMI.[13] In November 1863, Ship attempted to resign from VMI because he felt guilty for having taken one alcoholic drink, but he was discouraged from doing so.[14] He was well-liked and respected by his cadets because of his straight-laced, solemn yet amiable disposition.[15]Ship commanded the VMI Cadet Battalion at the Battle of New Market on May 14, 1864, where took a small piece of shell in the face and shoulder, briefly knocking him unconscious, his cadets fearing him mortally wounded.[16] Ship said in his report of the battle that the enemy fire was so fierce when he led the cadets into battle at the Bushong Orchard that "it seemed impossible that any living creature could escape." One cadet commenting on Shipp's serious demeanor and physical presence said he was "a large man with close-trimmed black hair and beard, a solemn bearing and a deep voice. Although he was then but twenty-four years of age, I thought he was forty."[17] After New Market, Shipp served with the VMI Cadets in the trenches around Richmond, VA until the Corps disbanded in 1865.

[edit] Later life

Shipp retired from VMI in 1907 with the title of Superintendent Emeritus and remained in Lexington with his daughter Lucy Scott Huger and her family. His other daughter, Elizabeth Scott Tucker died in a fire in 1901. Shipp devoted his retirement to spending time with his family and travelled to Europe. Shipp died on December 4, 1917 at his home in Lexington, VA.

[edit] Further reading

  • Davis, William C. The Battle of New Market. Harrisburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 1993. ISBN 0-8117-0576-5.
  • Wise, Jennings C. Personal Memoir of the Life and Service of Scott Shipp. Lexington, VA: np, 1915.

[edit] External links

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Payne, Brooke. The Paynes of Virginia. W. Byrd Press, 1937. Page 85.
  2. ^ Couper, William. The Corps Forward: Biographical Sketches of the Cadets Who Fought in the Battle of New Market. Mariner Publications: Buena Vista, VA, 2005. p. 182
  3. ^ Ibid.
  4. ^ Ibid.
  5. ^ Ibid.
  6. ^ Ibid.
  7. ^ Ibid., 184.
  8. ^ Ibid., 182.
  9. ^ Ibid., 184.
  10. ^ Yates, Bernice-Marie. The Perfect Gentleman: the Life and Letters of George Washington Custis Lee. Xulon Press, 2003. Pages 50-51.
  11. ^ Couper, 183.
  12. ^ Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Annual Report, 2003. P. 137.
  13. ^ Davis, William C. The Battle of New Market. Garden City, NJ: Doubleday and Company, 1975. P. 53
  14. ^ Ibid.
  15. ^ Ibid.
  16. ^ Ibid.
  17. ^ Ibid.