Shipp, Scott
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Shipp, Scott
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Virginia Military Institute’s second superintendent and commander of the Corps of Cadets at the Battle of New Market, May 15, 1864.
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Scott Shipp was born in Warrenton, VA, and is the son of Captain John Smith, who died when Scott Shipp was ten. Shipp went to college at the age of thirteen at Westminster College. He later entered Virginia Military Institute in September 1852, entering in the third class and graduating in June 1855. Shipp later taught at VMI as an Assistant Professor of Math and Latin as well as the Assistant Instructor of Infantry Tactics in 1859-60. Before the Civil War broke out, he also studied law in hopes to become a lawyer. From 1862-1864 he would hold the rank of Lieutenant Colonel at VMI and was a Professor of Military History and Strategy as well as an Instructor of Infantry, Artillery, and Cavalry Tactics. He also held the rank of Commandant of Cadets during this time. During the Civil War, Shipp was placed at Camp Lee before being “ordered to report to General Ransom, ordered by him to encamp on the intermediate line,” before returning back to Lexington. When ordered to New Market in May 1864, Shipp led the Corps of Cadets in the Battle of New Market. While leading the VMI cadets into battle, Shipp was shot in the arm and became unconscious as the cadets' charge proceeded.
In the postwar era, Shipp returned to VMI and became the second Superintendent of VMI where he remained for eighteen years (1890-1907). In 1890, he would also hold a position on the Board of Visitors. During his time at VMI, he also served on the U.S. Naval Academy's Board of Visitors (in 1894), aptly illustrating the process of sectional reconciliation during the 1890s. In 1917, Shipp passed away in Lexington, Virginia.
Shipp is memorialized through Scott Shipp Hall, an academic building that holds the liberal art majors, including the History Department.
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August 2, 1839
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December 4, 1917
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