Why did George S. Patton have to repeat his first year at West Point?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

George S. Patton was required to repeat his plebe (freshman) year at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point because of poor academic performance.1

While historians have speculated that his early struggles with reading and spelling may have been due to undiagnosed dyslexia, Patton eventually improved his academic standing and successfully graduated from the academy in 1909.12