Established 1851 Students 100-150 cadets Campus 110 acres (0.45 km) | Superintendent Francis W. Capers Location Marietta, GA, USA Founded 1851 | |
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The Georgia Military Institute (GMI) was established on 110 acres (0.45 km2) in Marietta, Georgia, on July 1, 1851. It was burned by the Union Army during the Civil War and was never rebuilt.
Contents
The current GMI is a reactivation of the name for a Georgia National Guard Officer Candidate School (OCS) curriculum.
Mission
In January 2010, the Georgia Army National Guard established its OCS Program at GMI. It is based at the Clay Army National Guard Center (formerly NAS Dobbins) in Marietta at the 122nd Regiment - Regional Training Institute or RTI. GMI/OCS is reflagged as Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 122nd RTI under the 78th Troop Command of the Georgia Army National Guard.
Current commissioning programs are available to Army National Guard soldiers in both a bi-annual Accelerated and annual Traditional program formats. A GMI graduate will receive both state and federally recognized Reserve Officer commission in the Georgia Army National Guard and US Army respectively. Coursework is accredited via Ft Benning's US Army OCS curriculum.
History
GMI was established in Marietta, Georgia, on July 1, 1851. The campus consisted of 110 acres (0.45 km2).
Seven students started classes in July and twenty-eight men were in attendance by the end of the first year.
GMI operated regularly until the spring of 1864 when the cadets were formed into two companies and deployed to West Point, Georgia, as a result of the Civil War.
During the course of the Civil War, superintendent Francis W. Capers sent cadets to use as drill instructors for CSA, and other cadets volunteered or were drafted. On May 14, 1864, GMI Cadets fought in the Battle of Resaca and made contact with the 9th Illinois Mounted Infantry regiment. After this single engagement, the cadets were pulled off the front line.
The empty campus was burned by Sherman's troops on November 15, 1864. Following the Civil War, Georgia Military Institute was not rebuilt. In its place was founded North Georgia Agricultural College in Dahlonega, Georgia, as the Military College of Georgia.
To honor the legacy of GMI, the Georgia Army National Guard named its Officer Candidate School after it in 1961. In 2008, GMI returned to Marietta.