Russell Military Academy

The New Haven Collegiate and Commercial Institute (later to be known as the Russell Military Academy) was founded by Stiles French in 1833 and is a defunct military academy. The school was located at Wooster Square in New Haven, Connecticut, USA.

The school was taken over in September 1836 by William Huntington Russell, who later became a well-known citizen of Connecticut as a graduate of the Yale Medical School and as a representative of New Haven in the Legislature of Connecticut.

Although the school was founded as a family school for boys, under the leadership of General Russell it gradually assumed the character of a military school. The school eventually became known familiarly as the Russell Military Academy.

In about 1840, Russell introduced a very thorough military drill and discipline into his school. He foresaw the American Civil War in the future and wanted to make sure his boys were prepared to fight for the Union. During the American Civil War, the school of 130 to 160 pupils furnished more than one hundred officers for the Union Army, as well as many drill masters and volunteers.

By the time of Russell's death in 1885, the school had become well known and had graduated around 4,000 boys. Since General Russell was the first educator in the United States to introduce physical training in a school and to start a gymnasium, these features attracted many boys from every part of the country.

On May 30, 1879, Society Kappa Psi, which later became Kappa Psi Pharmaceutical Fraternity, was started on the campus of Russell Military Academy by F. Harvey Smith.

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