1810 James Madison - Corps of Engineers at West Point

During George Washington's first term of president, Congress took several steps to reconstitute the American army.  One of the steps was in 1794 when they established the Corps of Artilerists and Engineers.   After several years, a movement was started to separate the two branches and on March 16, 1802, Congress authorized the President to establish a separate Corps of Engineers and "when so organized shall be stationed at West Point, in the State of New York, and shall constitute a military academy".   In 1803, the Corps consisted of eighteen enlisted men and one artificer or skilled craftsmen to help with experiments at West Point.   As war with Great Britain threatened, President Madison urged Congress to consider a more formal system of education at the academy, and an increase in the size of the Corps of Cadets.   And. In 1808, Congress authorized an increase to 300 cadets, but apparently the current Barracks at West Point were in such conditions, that the increase could not be accommodated.

In his second annual address to Congress, President Madison asked Congress to consider the present condition of the Military Academy.  The buildings were "so far in decay" that they couldn't even accommodate the current cadets.  In addition, Madison wanted to expand the Military Academy to include other areas of education, not just the Corps of Engineers but in all sciences needed by other branches of the military.   Madison said that, whether preparing for war, or just the defense of our country, these expansions to the military academy are "an indispensable part of every adequate system".  Madison explained that even among nations with large standing armies, military academies were indispensable.  And, for a country at peace like the United States, they are even more so.  For such seminaries can teach the elementary principles of the art of war without the expense of a standing army, and without participating in actual war.

"The Corps of Engineers, with the Military Academy, are entitled to the early attention of Congress. The buildings at the seat fixed by law for the present Academy are so far in decay as not to afford the necessary accommodation. But a revision of the law is recommended, principally with a view to a more enlarged cultivation and diffusion of the advantages of such institutions, by providing professorships for all the necessary branches of military instruction, and by the establishment of an additional academy at the seat of Government or elsewhere. The means by which war, as well for defense as for offense, are now carried on render these schools of the more scientific operations an indispensable part of every adequate system.

Even among nations whose large standing armies and frequent wars afford every other opportunity of instruction these establishments are found to be indispensable for the due attainment of the branches of military science which require a regular course of study and experiment. In a government happily without the other opportunities seminaries where the elementary principles of the art of war can be taught without actual war, and without the expense of extensive and standing armies, have the precious advantage of uniting an essential preparation against external danger with a scrupulous regard to internal safety. In no other way, probably, can a provision of equal efficacy for the public defense be made at so little expense or more consistently with the public liberty."

Because of the impending war, Congress did authorize an increase of the size of the Corps of Cadets to 250.  Unfortunately, by time the War of 1812 started, only 89 officers had graduated, morale was low, and there was talk of closing the Academy.   I could find no work to address the buildings that were in decay, other than that the first formal set of barracks were constructed in 1815 and 1817.  The buildings displayed in the 1937 5 cent stamp displayed above include Washington Hall, the North Barracks, the Old Observatory the Protestant Chapel which was built in 1836.

http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=29452
http://www.150th.com/history/en_hist.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_United_States_Military_Academy
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2e/West_Point_stamp_5c_1937_issue.JPG