Richard W. Colcock

[1] His father, Charles Jones Colcock, was a prominent South Carolina lawyer and judge who graduated from Princeton College in 1787.

As a little boy, Richard's mother, Mary Woodward Colcock, read the Bible and the book Living Christianity to her young children.

The SCMA Board of Visitors appointed Colcock to assume the duties of Superintendent after the death of Captain Graham in 1844.

When the Black Hawk War officially ended, he was reassigned to Fort Towson, Indian Territory (Oklahoma) as Quartermaster.

He was admitted to the Beaufort, South Carolina Bar in December 1842 and served as a lawyer with his brother, William Colcock, just prior to his appointment as Superintendent of the SCMA in 1844.

Colonel John P. Thomas (class of 1851) described Colcock as a superintendent that "contributed largely to the development of its fortunes, especially as a school of arms."

Both Captain Graham and Major Colcock were intimately familiar with West Point's "Thayer System" of instruction.

(Major Thayer was known as the "Father of West Point" and established the four-year curriculum that was adapted for The South Carolina Military Academy by Graham and Colcock.)

The faculty, staff, and cadets instructed the Palmetto Regiment in drill, infantry, and artillery tactics prior to their departure for Texas and Mexico.

This new and innovative concept was to be used later by The Citadel, VMI, and other southern military colleges to train troops during the Civil War.

Cadets and graduates of The Citadel performed brilliantly in support of the Mexican War due in large part to the efforts of Colcock and his extensive experience as a combat infantry officer in the U.S. Army and a Military Tactics Instructor at West Point.

The SCMAs post Mexican War years were marked by several improvements in the curriculum and the buildings on the Citadel Academy campus, which were spearheaded by Colcock.

The last major celebration of victory in Mexico occurred on Friday, March 9, 1849 during the visit of President James K. Polk to Charleston.

In 1852, after more than 8 years as Superintendent, Colcock returned to practicing law and then briefly served in the U.S. Customs prior to his death January 9, 1856.