preston was also tasked with hiring vmi's first superintendent. he was persuaded that west point graduate and army officer francis henney smith, then on the faculty at hampden–sydney college, was the most suitable candidate. preston successfully recruited smith, and convinced him to become the first superintendent and professor of tactics. in creating vmi's program of instruction, preston, crozet, and smith founded vmi worked to combine the best characteristics of the united states military academy and royal military academy sandhurst educational models.