Artillerists and Engineers pbIn 1794, faced with possible war with Great Britain, the federal government assumed the responsibility for the construction and manning of seacoast fortifications from Maine to Georgia. Construction was entrusted to French-born engineers, who followed traditional European bastioned designs. In 1806, Britain1s abuse of neutral maritime rights again threatened war, and Congress appropriated funds for additional seacoast defenses. Almost all of the design and construction of these works was supervised by officers of the Corps of Engineers, most of whom were graduates of the new U.S. Military Academy. On the eve of the outbreak of the War of 1812, the defenses of the Atlantic coast and the Mississippi River below New Orleans were substantially complete, manned by regular troops, and performed well. Due to the effectiveness of these fortifications, the United States embarked on construction of a series of permanent seacoast defense systems in 1816 that lasted through World War II. |
Contents
THE CORPS OF ARTILLERISTS AND ENGINEERS 17941795 | 30 |
REORGANIZATION FOR THE QUASIWAR 17931799 | 45 |
TURBULENCE OF A CHANGE OF ADMINISTRATION 18001801 | 61 |
REDUCTION OF THE ARMY AND SEPARATION 1802 | 77 |
VII | 90 |
VIII | 104 |
IX | 115 |
X | 132 |
XII | 168 |
CHAPTER NOTES | 185 |
BIBLIOGRAPHY | 212 |
Appendix A Organization of the Corps of Artillerists and Engineers July 1795 | 221 |
Stations of the Regiment of Artillerists SummerFall 1802 | 227 |
Appendix F Status of Seacoast Fortifications December 1808 | 235 |
Appendix G Report of the Secretary of War on Seacoast Fortifications | 241 |
Appendix H Commanders of Seacoast Fortifications 17941812 | 247 |
Common terms and phrases
2d Regiment Adams Adjutant and Inspector American appointed Armistead Artillerists and Engineers artillery barracks battalion battery Boston brigadier British CA&E cadets cannon Capt Captain Carolina carriages Charleston coast Colonel Burbeck Colonel Williams company of artillerists Congress construction Corps of Artillerists Corps of Engineers Cushing Decius Wadsworth Department duties federal Fort Adams Fort Jay Fort Johnston Fort McHenry Fort Mifflin forts French frontier garrison George George Izard Georgia Governors Island heavy guns Henry Burbeck ibid Infantry James Jefferson John Jonathan Williams July June Knox Letters Sent Lieut Lieutenant Colonel Macomb MacRea Major masonry Mifflin Military Academy Military Book militia Mississippi mounted Newport Norfolk ordnance Orleans Philadelphia Pickering President Regiment of Artillerists repair Rivardi River seacoast defenses seacoast fortifications Secretary Dearborn Secretary Eustis Secretary McHenry Secretary of War SecWar to Williams senior Swift Tousard troops United States Military Washington West Point Wilkinson wrote York Harbor