West Point Department of History and War Studies

08/02/2025

In July, CDTs Logan Lanham and Rheilyn Cox-Rodabaugh conducted primary research as part of the West Point Digital History Center's "Mapping the American Revolution in the Hudson Valley" project. They combed through first-hand accounts of various Revolutionary actors from the 1777 Saratoga Campaign in the library and archives. Then, they spent four days in the field using the Department's drone and 3D scanning capabilities. The cadets were then able to geo-reference and detail the American and British actions at Fort Ticonderoga and the historic Bennington Battlefield.
Dean of the Academic Board-West Point

07/15/2025

Did you have a chance to check out our Digital History Center tent during West Point's Fourth of July celebration? Our faculty showcased the tremendous work DHC is doing with drones, digital terrain mapping, recreating historical military music, and more!. Check out all their projects on their website:
https://dhc.westpoint.edu/

Dean of the Academic Board-West Point

07/14/2025

The world is changing and the United States Military Academy is modernizing to meet the challenge. After over a year of planning, preparation, and recruitment, we are now officially the Department of History and War Studies. What does that mean for our cadets? In addition to our History major and minor, we will now offer a new War Studies major that trains graduates to analyze the theory and application of war, prepare for strategic and operational leadership, and ready themselves for the battlefields of tomorrow. Our graduates not only gain wisdom from the past, but apply that wisdom to the future. Check out more details at https://www.army.mil/article/287045
West Point - The U.S. Military Academy Dean of the Academic Board-West Point

07/14/2025

We are now officially the Department of History and War Studies! Check out the press release from the United States Army here:
https://www.army.mil/article/287045

07/11/2025

Cadets recently completed an AIAD studying the Seven Years’ War. After nine days of classroom study at West Point, participants spent two weeks in Europe exploring major battlefields including Rossbach, Luethen, Prague, Berlin, Kolin, Kunersdorf, Zorndorf, Hastenbach, and Minden across Germany, Czechia, and Poland. The staff ride challenged cadets to think critically about the relationship between strategy, operations, and tactics to better understand the fundamentals of warfare.
Dean of the Academic Board-West Point

07/11/2025

07/11/2025

This summer, the department conducted the "Fifty Years of Women at West Point" AIAD. Cadets researched the history of women's service in the U.S. Army and the process of integrating women into West Point. They led archival research at the Army Women's Museum in Fort Lee, Virginia and in USMA's Archives and Special Collections. As a capstone, cadets briefed a digital history project to department leadership:
Dean of the Academic Board-West Point

07/08/2025

Cadets and faculty from the USMA History Department recently completed a summer AIAD focused on Modern Vietnamese History. The cadets spent two weeks studying in the classroom at USMA, and then two weeks traveling across the entire country. In each region, they explored Vietnam’s own imperial history, especially that of the Nguyen Dynasty, Vietnam’s experience with French colonization, its war for independence from the French, and Vietnam’s experience in the US-Vietnam War. The trip began in Hanoi and travelled southward through the Central Highlands, Dien Bien Phu, Hamburger Hill, and Khe Sanh.
Dean of the Academic Board-West Point

07/04/2025

Happy Independence Day! 🇺🇸

Today we celebrate America’s 249th birthday—and honor 250 years of the U.S. Army and West Point’s enduring legacy. From its start as Fortress West Point to the founding of the U.S. Military Academy, West Point has been at the heart of our nation’s defense.

For over two centuries, the has led with honor, shaping the future of our Army.

Join us in celebrating America and West Point’s storied history—don’t miss our livestream featuring fireworks and a concert by the West Point Band! 🎆🎶 Link in Stories.

07/03/2025

Just because we study history and war, don’t think that means we’re stuck in the past! This week, the department conducted drone flight training to better support digital mapping of historic sites and battlefields for AIADs, classroom instruction, as well as cadet and faculty research. Wisdom Prevails!
Dean of the Academic Board-West Point
dean.usma

07/02/2025

Listen on the West Point Digital History Center Website at https://dhc.westpoint.edu/project/music-of-american-military-history/

As part of the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, West Point’s Digital History Center will be publishing interactive presentations of songs from nation’s founding years. We will begin, on July Fourth, with three songs: “Pennsylvania March,” “The Rifleman’s Song at Bennington,” and “Saratoga Song” (also known as “Gates’s Song”). Each will include a recording of the song performed by the West Point Band, sheet music prepared by our own MAJ Tavis Salley, and an explanation of the history behind the lyrics by MAJ Kevin Fleming. More will roll out over the course of the next two years. We hope the music will be useful to groups such as high school bands that are looking for authentic music to celebrate the nation’s semi quincentennial, and also for history teachers at all levels.

Dean of the Academic Board-West Point