Oregon State University Army ROTC

Oregon State University Army ROTC
Distinctive Unit Insignia
Active	1873–present
Country	United States of America
Branch	US Army
Type	Reserve Officers' Training Corps
Size	Battalion
Garrison/HQ	Corvallis, Oregon
Nickname(s)	The West Point of the West
Motto(s)	Fortitude and Courage
Colors	Orange and black
Mascot(s)	Oregon State Beavers
Commanders
Ceremonial chief	General Ulysses G. McAlexander
Insignia
Identification symbol

Oregon State University Army ROTC is an ROTC Battalion assigned to Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon. Its mission is to train Cadets in basic military leadership and commission them as 2nd Lieutenants upon the completion of a bachelor's degree. Founded in 1873, the ROTC Battalion has continued to serve the nation and US Army Cadet Command and was given the nickname, "The West Point of the West" after it produced more commissioned officers than any other ROTC Battalion in the USA during World War II.

Prior to the American Civil War, the small number of officers the Army needed was provided by the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York and a few other colleges, such as Norwich University. With the expansion of the Army to unprecedented size for the Civil War, the need for trained officers quickly exceeded the number available. As a result, Congress passed the Land Grant Act of 1862, which specified that courses in military tactics should be offered at colleges established as a result of the Act. Corvallis College (now Oregon State University) was founded in 1858 as an academy supported by the Methodist Church.

Corvallis College was named a Land-Grant institution in 1868, and thus was required to begin teaching military science. The first students were described as "being fine of muscle and brain but had to be taught to read and do simple arithmetic," perhaps explaining why military training did not begin immediately.

A new college president, Benjamin Lee Arnold, a Confederate veteran, arrived in the spring of 1872 "prepared to take charge of neglected military tactics as soon as arms arrived." Captain Benjamin D. Boswell of the 11th Infantry Regiment (and had served with the 4th West Virginia Infantry during the Civil War) was on extended leave and had been voluntarily helping with the Cadets. In September 1873, he was "regularly retained as Professor of Military Science." CPT Boswell wrote about three difficulties: "There was sometimes no suitable room for drilling, there were no books on military science in the city, and that the boys were farmer's sons they went home on good days to help with the planting and harvesting when the weather was best for drilling."