Exquisite original leatherbound "West Point '84" yearbook belonging to graduate David du Bose Gaillard, a U.S. Army engineer who would be instrumental in the construction of the Panama Canal. The large leatherbound book measures 13.5˝ x 10˝ x 4˝ and features gilt-edged pages which contain original cabinet photos of West Point leaders and graduates (mostly by Pach Bros.), plus larger photographs (approx. 9˝ x 7˝) of groups and the West Point grounds. In all, the album contains nearly 100 photographs. Among the subjects depicted are several Civil war heroes, as well as and United States Military Academy leaders and professors, including: William T. Sherman, P. H. Sheridan, John M. Schofield, Wesley Merritt, Junius B. Wheeler, Charles W. Larned, Samuel Tillman, and Edgar W. Bass.
Of the approximately 40 graduates portrayed, many sign below their image; in addition to Gaillard, the more notable graduates include Harry Taylor, who served as Chief of Engineers from 1924–1926; David C. Shanks, a veteran of the Spanish–American War, Philippine–American War, and World War I who attained the rank of Major General; Samuel D. Sturgis, Jr., who would command the the 87th and 80th divisions during World War I; DeRosey Cabell, who would be Chief of Staff for the Pancho Villa Expedition into Mexico in 1915–1916; Powhatan Henry Clarke, a recipient of the Medal of Honor during the Geronimo Campaign in Sonora, Mexico; and Wilds P. Richardson, who led the Polar Bear Expedition, part of the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War. In very good to fine condition, with heavy wear to the covers and some splits to the interior mounts.
