Texas Military Institute, Galveston
Diana J. Kleiner
General Entry
The Texas Military Institute at Galveston was founded by Caleb G. Forshey in 1854 and consolidated with Rutersville College and the Texas Monumental Committee of La Grange in August 1856 as the Texas Monumental and Military Institute. The institute was governed by a board of nine trustees and established to educate Texas youths in languages, science, and military tactics. Seven cadets attended in the opening session. Methodist Church members who disputed rights to the property were proven to have no legal claim, but the institute was forced to close when students left to join Confederate forces. Ashbel Smith, who gave one of the school's last commencement addresses, spoke eloquently for the Union.
