When I left Fort Monroe, early in September, the weather was still quite hot and I wore a light summer suit and a straw hat. While we were at sea a storm came up, and when we landed in Boston the temperature was well below freezing, a heavy snow was on the ground, a gale was blowing and everyone there was wearing a heavy overcoat. I didn't know how far it was to M.I., but I got into the nearest taxi and told the driver to take me to the hotel nearest to the Institute. I stopped en route at the nearest tailor's and ordered a suit made of the heaviest and warmest cloth he had. I told him I would have to have it as soon as it could be made, as I was going to my room at the hotel and stay there until I got it. The next time I went to Boston (some 34 years later, as Commanding General, Northeast Sector) I took care to arrive with plenty of warm clothes.
M.I.T.was not to open for about a week and I spent this time in finding a nice Apartment House and in deciding just what studies I was to take. I consulted Professor Dugald C. Jackson, head of the Department of Electrical Engineering, a past President of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers, an outstanding practicing Engineer and a man of rare charm and great ability, and he made out my list of courses to be taken. I was older than most of the other students and I had had the advantage of West Point and of the Coast Artillery School, and the course I took was a heavy one. I had to work about fourteen hours a day and I went into strict physical training like an athlete. During the time I was there I never took a drink, nor smoked, nor took any other recreation than a daily walk of about an hour. Throughout my course Professor Jackson took time to have me come to see him every week or so, and without his constant encouragement I should probably have dropped some of the schedule that he had prepared for me. He remained a good friend of mine until his death, at the age of 84, about 40 years later.
The professors treated me with the utmost consideration (to the surprise of some of the young Instructors), and they most generously gave of their time to discuss with me at length their ideas as to how best to instruct students in Electrical Engineering, for which duty I was preparing myself. I felt confident at the time that the methods of instruction, the qualifications of the Instructors and the high academic standards maintained in the students made M.I.T. the greatest Engineering School in the world, and I have never had occasion to change that opinion.
My first semester's schedule was much more difficult than that of the second semester, and I looked forward with much pleasant anticipation to the second term. However, during the examinations at the end of the first term I received a letter from Major W. R. Smith, Personnel Officer of the Office of the Chief of Coast Artillery, advising me that, in about a month, I was to be ordered to duty as an Assistant to the Chief of Coast Artillery, to replace Colonel R. E. Callan, whom, under a new policy of the War Department (based upon the "Manchu" Law -- which, incidentally, was given that name by Colonel Callan) it had become necessary to order to duty with troops. I showed the letter to Professor Jackson. He immediately suggested that, if necessary to enable me to complete the full year's course, he would get the President of M.I.T. to take up the matter with the Secretary of War. I assured him that in the Army we were trained to obey orders, and that I was sure that some good reason existed for my orders. He asked, "Do the people who sent you here know of these orders?" I told him that they were the ones who were responsible for the orders, and I quoted (or probably misquoted) "The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed is the name of the Lord." He suggested that I inform my various Professors of the nature of the orders. I did so, and, to my surprise and gratification, three of them (to whom Professor Jackson had doubtless spoken) offered to rearrange their courses for the second term so that my class would cover, in the first month of the second term, the subjects of the entire term that I desired to get. I was naturally much pleased that they were willing to go to so much trouble to be of help to me.