The First V.M.I. Baseball Team
by Cadet Hugh Walker Fry, Class of 1867

By the latter part of October, school again was commenced with about 200 cadets. Early in November we were ordered to the outer line of fortifications below the city of Richmond, two miles north of the James River. We were well drilled, and were continually trained and taught to handle heavy ordnance, until the 23rd of December, when we were relieved by a company of wounded and convalescent soldiers. We were then quartered in the Alms House. On the evening of the evacuation of Richmond we were told to disperse ourselves among Lee’s army, and were given the privilege of joining whatever command we saw fit.

In October, 1865 I was one of four cadets that returned to the Institute. The other three were Marshall, Glazebrook, and Bennett. For two weeks we made up the entire corps of cadets. But in time old cadets returned and new cadets matriculated until we had a normal attendance again.

In the fall of 1866 I was a First Classman, and lieutenant of B Company. I recall with great pleasure and pride that it was this year that the first game of baseball was played on the V.M.I. parade grounds and the first nine organized. Samuel Taylor, Class of ‘70, of Richmond, was my roommate. I have not heard of Sam for many years, and do not know where he is. He was a good friend and a fine fellow. I remember that fall that Sam had returned to the Institute from Richmond, where he had been spending his vacation. The day after his arrival he asked me to accompany him to the parade ground. Once there he instructed me to stand off from him about fifty feet. I did so. Sam twirled his arm around two or three times and let fly an object at me. Instinctively I was in the act of dodging, but Sam cried, ‘Catch it, you clodhopper!’ So I caught it. Not knowing what the missile was, I asked Sam, ‘What in tarnation is this thing?’ Sam replied, ‘You stupe, it’s a baseball.’ By that time a crowd of cadets gathered around, and we formed a circle. For some time we were carried away with the sport of passing the ball from one to the other.

Sam Taylor had gotten a book of Spalding’s Rules, and he had been playing ball in Richmond that summer. Garland Longstreet, another cadet from New Orleans, had played ball that summer too. It was not long before we organized the first baseball team at the Virginia Military Institute. That year we played twenty-three match games; won twenty, lost one, and tied two. The bats we used were like those in use now, but the ball had a rubber center, and although it was the same size as the one now in use, it could be knocked further, which accounted for the many home runs and big scores in those days. We used no gloves, chest protectors, or masks. In recording the game we merely accounted for the runs, outs, flies caught, and flies missed. The pitcher threw a hard, straight ball, and in that day the curve was not known. The batsman had the privilege of calling for the kind of ball he preferred, either high or low. Strikes were counted when the batter struck at the ball and missed.

I recall every man who composed the first nine we had. They were: Ely Burwell, Baltimore, pitch; Hugh Fry, Richmond, catch; Samuel Taylor, Richmond, short stop; C.W. Davis, Rockbridge County, first base; Mike Riley, St. Louis, second base; Garland Longstreet, New Orleans, son of General Longstreet, third base, Thomas H. Wilkinson, Bedford County, Va., left field; John B. Purcell, Richmond, center field, and Patrick Henry, Clarkesville, Tennessee, right field. Mike Riley was captain. In those days our military and academic duties could not be interfered with for baseball, and we had little practice. Most of our match games were played with Washington College.