The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers can be traced back to June 16, 1775. At that time the Continental Congress organized an army with a chief engineer and two assistants. The first chief engineer was Colonel Richard Gridley. A separate Corps of Engineers was created by Congress in 1779. When the Revolutionary War ended all of the engineers left the army. Then in 1794 Congress organized a Corps of Artillerists and Engineers, but it was not until 1802 that it reestablished a separate Corps of Engineers. Until 1866 the military academy at West Point was always commanded by an engineer officer.

In the American Civil War the Corps of Engineers served with great distinction, building bridges, running the ambulance corps, creating roads and buildings. The following photographs were taken during the Civil War of the Engineer Corps.

50th New York Engineers

1. Building a road
2. Canvas pontoon boat
3. Commissary

4	5	6

4. Headquarters Building
5. Hut and Stockade
6. Officers Quarters

7. Pontoon Bridge
8. Another Pontoon Bridge
9. Pontoon carrying wagon

10. Winter encampment

Different Engineering Units

11. Ambulance Division
12. Men of a Engineering Battalion
13. Men of another Engineering Battalion