U.S. Topographical Engineers 1861=1865

[5fish]

I found this on U.S. Topographical Engineers 1861-1865. Here a link to the site...

Topographical Engineers -- Engineers in the Union Army 1 - 4:10pm
... pioneers or sappers and miners, and those that had been mustered into the .... The actual and authorized engineer organizations of the Union Army during ...
www.topogs.org/Engineers-1.htm - Cached - Similar -

 

[5fish]

Confederate Engineers 1861 to 1865

A link to a Confederate Engineers

Confederate Engineers in the American Civil War | Engineer: The ...
Of the 65 cadets who had resigned from West Point and accepted commissions in the Confederate Army by May 1861, only seven were in the Corps of Engineers. ...
findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FDF/is_4.../ai_78974314/ - Cached - Similar -
Confederate Service Records, 1861-1865 - Ancestry.com

I hope this link work better...

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FDF/is_4_30/ai_78974314/

 

[larry_cockerham]

Thanks very for the links, Sir. I have some interest in this for several reasons, one of them being an ancestor of my Grandson who was listed as serving with the 3rd Confederate Engineer Troops as an artificer. Unfortunately neither he nor his wife filed a pension application and his record is brief.

 

[M E Wolf]

I think the best Confederate Engineer in my opinion was E. P. Alexander who would rise through the ranks to become a General.

Name ALEXANDER, Edward Porter
Born May 26 1835, Washington GA
Died April 28 1910, Savannah GA
Pre-War Profession Graduated West Point 1857, instructor at West Point, Utah expedition.
War Service June 1861 Capt. of Engineers, signal officer at First Manassas, Lt. Col. and chief of ordnance of ANV, December 1862 Col., chief of artillery in Longstreet's Corps, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Knoxville, February 1864 Brig. Gen., Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor, Petersburg (w), Appomattox.
Post War Career Professor of Engineering, railroad president, wrote memoirs.
Notes Commanded the barrage before Pickett's charge
Further reading
Alexander, E. Porter Fighting for the Confederacy : the personal recollections of General Edward Porter Alexander, edited by Gary W. Gallagher. Chapel Hill, University of North Carolina Press, c1989
Alexander, E. Porter Military memoirs of a Confederate : a critical narrative. New York, Da Capo Press, 1993 Golay, Michael To Gettysburg and beyond : the parallel lives of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain and Edward Porter Alexander. New York, Crown Publishers, c1994
Klein, Maury Edward Porter Alexander. Athens GA, University of Georgia Press 1971

Researching the First Battle of Manassas/Bull Run; it was E. P. Alexander that was key to where the U.S. Marines progressed throughout the battle and mentioned them as prisoners. Knowing he was attached to Beauregard, he would be in the vicinity of Headquarters and relaying.

He also was very good at the Gettysburg campaign and, in my personal opinion was sabotaged by General Wm. Pendleton, as Pendleton moved Alexander's ordnance trains; when Alexander was in charge of all of the guns affixed on the clump of trees that General Pickett's attack was to take place--which in turn sabotaged Longstreet's plan for heavy bombardment to continue until the charge got closer to the wall in support of the charge. But, as a Colonel at the time General Pendleton's wishes over rode Alexander's.

Another excellent engineer, Captain Boswell who was killed when riding with General T. J. "Stonewall" Jackson, when Jackson was wounded severely.

There were many 'engineers' that were excellent for both sides.

Just some thoughts.

Respectfully submitted for consideration,
M. E. Wolf

 

[Henry]

Engineering

I disagree with you in your choice of preeminent engineer of the Southern forces, ME Wolf. Though his work in that military field was limited in service to the Confederacy Robert Edward Lee proved himself a successful arrainger of large chunks of the Earth's surface, as well as her waters. One work of his built for the Confederacy on Amelia Island, Florida is familiar to me. It's a mortar pit, the guns of which were never fit to it. They were dumped in a canal in New Orleans apon the capture of he city in April of 1862.

 

[M E Wolf]

Dear Henry;

Personally, I am reading this thread to be directed to assigned Topographical Engineers. Although General Robert E. Lee is an acknowledged expert in engineering, he was the Commanding General and no doubt devised the engineering and may have the credit for it in the situation you cited.

However, he was not 'assigned' to be a Topographical Engineer somewhere in the Civil War time frame.

My focus was on those who were assigned on a lower ranking level and with the men in the trenches per se.

General Lee and General Montgomery Meigs both friends before the ACW; created some magnificant structures all around on behalf of the US Government and/or US Military. General Meade also was a good engineer in his own right; as was General G. Warren.

The area of Topographical Engineer is worthy of a very good look at a good many generals which started in the capacities of engineer as a military man or as civilian when leaving the military.

You are always welcome to disagree with my personal choices.

Just some thoughts.

Respectfully submitted for consideration,
M. E. Wolf

 

[Henry]

West Point

All the men you mention are West Point graduates, which says something of the course syllabus. E.P.A.'s Fighting for the Confederacy has a place on the shelf here. My favorite of the Yankee engineers is John Gross Barnard. He worked well with the Navy, providing advice and information useful for planning successful attacks.
Recent checking on a title written by Barnard brought up the fact that his work is in reprint.:
Book: Notes On Seacoast Defense: Consisting Of Seacoast Fortification, The Fifteen-inch Gun, And Casemate Embrasures (1861)
Author: John Gross Barnard
ISBN:
1437042694


ISBN-13:
9781437042696

,
978-1437042696


Binding: Paperback
Publishing Date: Oct 2008
Publisher: Kessinger Publishing
Number of Pages: 116
Language: English

 

[M E Wolf]

Dear Henry;

Thank you so much for sharing about John G. Barnard

M. E. Wolf