It is the oldest of six senior military colleges and is recognized by the United States Department of Defense as the "Birthplace of ROTC" (Reserve Officers' Training Corps).

[4] The university was founded in 1819 in Norwich, Vermont, by Captain Alden Partridge, military educator and former superintendent of West Point.

[5] Partridge believed in the "American System of Education," a traditional liberal arts curriculum with instruction in civil engineering and military science.

After leaving West Point because of congressional disapproval of his system, he returned to his native state of Vermont to create the American Literary, Scientific and Military Academy.

Partridge, in founding the academy, rebelled against the reforms of Sylvanus Thayer to prevent the rise of what he saw as the greatest threat to the security of the young republic: an aristocratic and careerist officer class.

When he established his academy, he immediately incorporated classes in agriculture and modern languages in addition to the sciences, liberal arts, and various military subjects.

During the 1856 academic year, the first chapter of the Theta Chi fraternity was founded by cadets Frederick Norton Freeman and Arthur Chase.

Norwich turned out hundreds of officers and soldiers who served with the federal armies in the American Civil War, including four recipients of the Medal of Honor.

In addition, these men were eyewitnesses to some of the war's most dramatic events, including the bloodiest day of the conflict at Antietam, the attack up Marye's Heights at Fredericksburg, and the repulse of Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg.

Seven hundred and fifty Norwich men served in the Civil War, of whom an estimated fifty-six fought for the Confederacy.

The Corps of Cadets quickly boarded an express train for Newport the same day, October 19, 1864, and were greeted with great relief by residents when they arrived.

[9] After a catastrophic fire in 1866, which devastated the Old South Barracks and the entire Military Academy, the town of Northfield welcomed the struggling school.

[citation needed] Graduates returning from European and Pacific fields of battle after World War II found a university very different from the one they had left.

In 1947, the Army Department created a new program uniquely suited to Vermont's harsh climate: a mountain and cold weather warfare unit.

It was originally four stories high with the lower floor occupied by offices of the university's administration, the library, and museum.

Office space for trustees and faculty, a chapel with a seating of five hundred, and the United States Weather Bureau were located on the fourth floor.

In 2015, a renovation project brought the library into the twenty-first century with enhancements including new workstations, group-study and collaborative-learning areas, new technology-enabled classrooms, and a café.

In addition, it has basketball and racquetball courts and the equipment and athletic training rooms for the university's varsity and intramural teams.

[19] Over time, as hockey moved indoors and baseball found its own home at Garrity Field, Sabine continued to serve the university football and cross country teams.

The improvements included a synthetic turf field that meets NCAA regulations for football, soccer, and lacrosse, a 400-meter resilient urethane running track with 42-inch lanes, energy-efficient stadium lights, a new sound system, bleachers, and press box, and other upgrades.

The campus mess hall, bookstore, post office, and The Mill (a snack bar open to Corps upperclassmen and civilians) are located on the lower two floors.

As many newer barracks had been built since its original construction it was decided that the new Jackman Hall would serve as the primary administration building.

The Sullivan Museum houses state-of-the-art conservation, storage, and display facilities for the wide variety of Norwich University artifacts and memorabilia.

Norwich has produced 16 All-American, and has won or shared four Eastern Collegiate Football Conference (ECFC) Championships (2009, 2011, 2013–shared with Gallaudet University, 2015).

The field underwent a massive renovation for the 2013 season, transitioning from grass to turf, and adding lights for night contests.

Norwich's most prominent football rivals include Middlebury College, Castleton University, and the United States Coast Guard Academy.

All these rivalry games involve a traveling trophy awarded to the winner: Women's rugby has existed at Norwich since 1985 and gained varsity status in 2008.

Dozens of players have gone on to professional careers, and three alumni have reached the NHL (Frank Simonetti, Keith Aucoin, Kurtis McLean).

A year later, the Cadets won their first-ever ECAC East conference championship and advanced to the NCAA Division III Women's Ice Hockey tournament.

They won 3 consecutive Great Northeast Athletic Conference Titles (2010, 2011, 2012), advancing to the NCAA Division III Tournament each time.