The United States Army Corps of Engineers have played a significant role in the Nation’s history since their creation on 16 June 1775. Engineers are very unique and diverse in that they are able to and expected to perform many functions and tasks. For that reason Engineers have been involved in every major war conducting various tasks from bridging, topographical operations, roadway construction, railway construction, fortifications, obstacles, minefield operations and demolitions just to name a few. The skills of the early Army Engineers were especially tested in the early years because of the lack of equipment, knowledge and resources that are available to modern day engineers. On June 16, 1775 President George Washington established …show more content…
Much of the exploration and mapping was done by the Corps of Topographical Engineers which was formed in 1838 after separating themselves from the Corps of Engineers. One of the major fortifications that was constructed was the 11-point fort which in now home to the Statue of Liberty. The fort had played a major influence on British commanders, influencing their decision not to attack that site. Because of the great success of various fortifications during the War of 1812 and the threat of European attack, the Engineers fortification efforts were expanded to provide a first line of defense in case of an attack from the Europeans. In 1838 Congress doubled the size of the Corps, which allowed them to continue to create fortifications along the Atlantic coasts, Gulf coasts, and Pacific …show more content…
At the start of the war the Corps of Engineers was comprised of forty-eight officers and one company of one hundred enlisted Soldiers who were stationed at the United States Military Academy at West Point. Of the forty-eight officers within the Corps, eighteen of them became two-star generals, twelve became one star generals, and one officer, Pierre G. T. Bureaugard, rose to the rank of a full four-star general within the Confederate Army. The Topographical Engineers, who were merged with the Corps of Engineers in 1863, also had twelve officers rise to the rank of major generals and six to the rank of brigadier