USNA photo by MCSN Matthew A. Ebarb.

Officially known today as the Mexican War Monument, it was originally known as the Midshipmen Monument. Erected in 1848, the Mexican War Monument stands at the junction of Stribling and Chapel Walks, and was funded by donations from within the Brigade of Midshipmen.

This monument is dedicated in honor of Midshipmen John R. Hynson, Henry A. Clemson, Wingate Pillsbury and Thomas B. Shubrick, all of whom died in the Mexican War.

''The fascinating fact about the monument is that none of the four Midshipmen it honors ever set foot at the new Naval School in Annapolis,'' said Cheevers. ''Two of them were already passed Midshipmen and had no need for the school. They had attended the course at the Naval Asylum in Philadelphia and passed their examinations.''

Shubrick had been ordered to Annapolis, but before he could report to the school, his orders were changed and he went aboard the steamer Mississippi for the invasion of Mexico. In March 1847, Shubrick volunteered to go ashore to help man a naval battery and was killed in action.

The previous summer, Pillsbury was helping to enforce a naval blockade and was swept to sea. His boat had capsized in rough seas, and Pillsbury gave over his safe grip on the overturned boat to an exhausted fellow crew member.

Although these four Midshipmen never actually came to the Naval Academy, their stories were well-known to the Midshipmen who attended the school at the time. The Mexican War Monument is a living testament to Midshipmen honoring their own.

Editor’s note: this is the second in a series of five historical vignettes leading up to the birthday of the Naval Academy.