History
The history of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began in June 1775 when the Continental Congress appointed a chief engineer and two assistants to the Continental Army, the day before the battle of Bunker Hill.
The appointee, Colonel Richard Gridley, thus became the first Chief Engineer of the Army. His mission, as it was for all military engineers, was to facilitate the advance of friendly troops and impede that of the enemy.
Throughout the war for independence, the engineers directed the construction of fortifications, emplacements, and barricades.
At the close of the war, the engineer organization was dissolved, but only for a few years. In 1793 it was recreated to construct coastal defenses for the new nation.
In 1802, a demand for public improvements and because many of the country's leaders envisioned a trained organization to perform both military and civil engineering tasks, Congress assigned to the Corps the mission of establishing a military academy at West Point, New York, to train in military and technical sciences.
Increasingly during the early 19th century Congress and presidents assigned to engineer officers such duties as surveying, mapping, locating routes for and superintending the building of roads and canals, and building coastal defensive works. Thus it was early in the history of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that the dual role it has today, military and civil works, was established. This dual role is totally unique to the Corps of Engineers, as it is the only organization within the Department of Defense performing such a dual function.
As the nation grew and its public works functions expanded, the Chief of Engineers established throughout the country divisions and district offices through which to perform the work. Each division and district had a military officer as it's commander, but were manned largely by civilian engineers. This decentralized organizational structure is still maintained today with 8 divisions and 40 districts.
At the onset the Corps was used for many diversified tasks (i.e. mapping, clearing waterways, building canals, etc.) plus constructing many public buildings in the Nation's capital, including the Washington Monument. Its peacetime role in civil works prior to World War II centered on the maintenance and improvement of rivers and harbors, flood control, and the development of hydropower. Military peacetime construction consisted mainly of building and maintaining seacoast defenses.
Military actions of the Corps of Engineers in the early days included serving on the staffs of general officers and performing reconnaissance and intelligence during the Mexican War; constructing roads, bridges, canals, blockhouses, and signal towers during the Civil War; building piers, bridges, roads and repairing and operating railroads from Cuba to the Philippines during the Spanish-American War and Philippine Insurrection; and constructing roads and bridges in the Mexican Punitive Expedition. In addition to their construction activities, the Corps' military personnel were an integral element of the combat operations
In 1904 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers became associated with a major construction project that continues to require our assistance - the Panama Canal. Though never the responsibility of the Corps, the assignment by President Theodore Roosevelt of an Army Engineer officer as the chief engineer of the project and Panama Canal Commission chairman, enabled problems to be resolved easier and work to progress. The canal opened ahead of schedule on August 15, 1914,
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was called upon during World War I to provide a more diverse range of military services than had ever been required before. Not only did the engineers provide American combat divisions with the officers and men to staff the large 1,660-man engineer regiments that were a part of each Army combat division, but they also built port facilities, roads and railroads to bring essential war material to the front, harvested timber for military construction, employed searchlights in anti-aircraft defense, organized the first U.S. Army tank units and developed chemical warfare munitions and defensive equipment.
Engineers served in combat across Europe, distinguishing themselves on the battlefield as well as behind the front lines.
Between the end of World War I and the beginning of World War II the Corps of Engineers turned their skills to the administration of the civil works program. During this period Wilson Dam was completed, flood control plans were accepted and work began on Mississippi River flood control projects, a nine-foot navigation project on the Ohio River was completed, the Waterways Experiment Station was established as was the Beach Erosion Board, several projects were incorporated as part of the New Deal public works program, and the Flood Control Act of 1936 was passed, officially recognizing the Corps as the major flood control agency.
The movement of the Corps into full scale military construction programs dates from the early days of World War II. Prior to that time, the Quartermaster Department built almost all Army facilities. By 1940 it was clear that this arrangement could not continue. Quartermaster resources were inadequate for the large mobilization job ahead. On the other hand, the engineers' civil works organization and experience provided the basis for absorption of the assignment. So, in 1940, the War Department chose the Corps to build facilities for the Army Air Corps. Thirteen months later, the Corps undertook all construction for the Army's war effort.
This massive enterprise involved military and industrial projects. The Corps managed construction of a wide range of factories, most notably for the assembly of aircraft and tanks and the production of ammunition. Military installations included camps for 5.3 million soldiers, depots, ports and the Pentagon. Each of these tasks included planning, site selection, land acquisition, design, contract negotiations, procurement, labor relations and the construction itself. All told, the wartime mobilization program involved more than 27,000 projects. Included in this total were such programs as the Manhattan Project, which brought atomic weaponry from scientific hypothesis to reality.
In addition to its massive military construction projects, combat engineers were playing an integral role in military actions from the beginning. When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and the Philippines, engineer units that had already been deployed to these islands responded.
During the ensuing battles in the Pacific, U.S. Army engineers distinguished themselves notably during the amphibious landings they supported. As the war moved across the Pacific, engineers moved with it, building bridges, airfields, and depots.
Army engineers first entered combat on the European front in North Africa, where they landed in November 1942. As the Army moved onto the European mainland, the engineers moved with them. First into Sicily and then across Italy, fighting with the infantry and armour units.
More than a dozen U.S. Army Engineer combat battalions landed on the beaches of Normandy during the Allies' assault landing on June 6, 1944. The engineers cleared the beach obstacles and minefields that the Germans had implanted there, absorbing on Omaha Beach substantial casualties including the loss of two battalion commanders. Bulldozer drivers, often working in the face of enemy fire, opened exits up narrow draws through the cliffs lining the beaches. Some of the engineers quickly engaged in combat with the Germans alongside assault infantry teams.
As the Allied forces moved across Europe, combat engineers moved with them, repairing roads, building bridges and destroying fortifications.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers contribution in World War II was a major factor in the Allied victory on every front - the Pacific, Europe, and on the home front.
When World War II came to a close the Corps of Engineers became involved in massive foreign assistance programs sponsored by the United States. Following the war much of Europe was in shambles. In 1947 Congress approved the Marshall Plan to provide financial support for reconstruction programs developed by participating European nations and separate aid packages for Greece and Turkey.
In 1951 the Mutual Security Act extended the foreign assistance program to other portions of the globe. Subsequent acts have continued the Corps involvement in foreign aid programs, principally the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, which established the Agency for International Development within the State Department.
Since World War II the Corps of Engineers has had projects throughout Europe, Asia, the Pacific, South America, Central America, Africa and the Middle East.
At home, the Corps' civil works projects continued with waterway, hydropower, flood control projects and work for other government agencies such as the Veterans Administration.
In 1950 the United States was again lock in combat and the rugged terrain of the Korean peninsula and numerical superiority of the enemy forces made engineer construction and combat vital to U.S. Army activities during the Korean War.
Surprised by the North Korean attack across the 38th parallel, U.S. Army troops in Korea and the Republic of Korea's forces could at first do no more than delay the advance of the larger North Korean forces. U.S. Army engineers played a major role in this delaying action, mining roads and destroying key bridges.
After MacArthur's assault at Inchon had caught the enemy by surprise, U.S. forces soon took the offensive in Korea. The bridge building and road and rail repairs undertaken by the Army engineers allowed U.S. and allied forces to push rapidly in pursuit of the disintegrating North Korean army.
The U.S. Army engineers in Korea compiled a very creditable record of combat and wartime construction that complemented and often multiplied the combat effectiveness of the highly motorized U.S. forces.
The Army again called upon its engineers for combat support in Asia to assist the Republic of Vietnam. In Vietnam the anti-government forces relied heavily upon a strategy of concealment in their combat operations. U.S. Army operations in Vietnam thus did not occur along a well-defined front line but could break out wherever American troops encountered guerrilla forces or North Vietnamese troops. The elusiveness of the enemy in Vietnam led U.S. Army engineers to alter in several ways the manner in which they operated.
Search and destroy missions, remote landing zones, monsoons, and thick jungle all presented obstacles requiring innovative techniques by the engineers operating in Vietnam. In addition to these challenges, the Army engineers also constructed base camps, roads, bridges, and airfields. As in previous combat actions, the Corps of Engineers in Vietnam continued their dedicated support to the U.S. Army.
In addition to combat roles during the 50s, 60s and early 70s, the Corps of Engineers was embarking on a new mission of building the facilities to send America into space.
When the National Aeronautical and Space Administration was established in 1958, the Corps became its design and construction agent. During the first half of the 1960s, the Corps built a wide range of facilities for NASA at Stennis Space Center, Cape Canaveral, The Kennedy Space Center, Patrick Air Force Base, and the Johnson Manned Space Center in Houston, Texas. Texas.
The peak effort for NASA construction came in 1963-1965. During that period the Corps of Engineers placed $391 million worth of construction, including the vertical assembly building at Cape Canaveral. This gigantic structure covered 7.5 acres and stood 526 feet tall. It enclosed 129.5 million cubic feet, nearly twice as much as the Pentagon.
Through the years since this massive engineering and construction era began, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has completed additional work for NASA to launch and recover the Space Shuttle.
Today the Corps is working with NASA in the development of the facilities for manufacturing advanced solid rocket motors, the next generation of space shuttle engines.
In addition to the NASA construction, the Corps was involved in another missile program through its Ballistic Missile Construction Office. This included building launch sites and related installations for the Atlas and Titan intercontinental ballistic missiles. The Corps has continued construction support for missile systems working on the Sentinel and Safeguard anti-ballistic missile programs in the 70s, the Homing Overlay Experiment in the 80s and today with the Strategic Defense Initiative through the U.S. Army Strategic Defense Command.
Today the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has evolved into a complex organization with multiple responsibilities requiring extensive design, engineering and construction expertise. As an integral part of the Army, the Corps has responsibility for the development of concepts, plans and policies for engineer support of the Army, research and development in support of civil works programs and management of the Army's nuclear power program as well as topographic services.
The Corps has the responsibility for Army military construction, family housing, environmental activities, facilities engineering, real estate and real property maintenance. The Corps is the real estate agent for the Departments of the Air Force and the Army, acquiring, managing and disposing of land for military and civil works programs.
In addition to its work for the Army, the Corps also has a large military construction program involving other services, notably the Air Force, and federal agencies at home and overseas.
While the Corps' military mission is huge, its civil works projects are most often in the public view.
The water resources program includes almost 1,500 projects. The Corps is responsible for planning, design, construction, and operation and maintenance of projects for flood control, navigation, hydroelectric power, water supply for municipalities and industry, recreation and fish and wildlife management and environmental enhancement.
The Water Resources Development Act of 1986 was the first major legislation affecting the Civil Works program in nearly two decades. It enacted a fundamental change in Federal water policy. In addition to authorizing a number of new projects, the law's policy changes included significant new cost sharing rules for non-Federal participation in project funding. This law established the basic policies for water resources activities for years to come.
In its civil works navigation mission, the Corps completed the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway in 1985, a year and a half ahead of schedule. The 234-mile Tenn-Tom Waterway was one of the largest navigation projects constructed by the Corps and required excavation exceeding that of the Panama Canal.
The Army Civil Works program also has important regulatory functions, which makes sure there is a public interest balance between environmental protection for proposed fills and commercial development in the waters of the United States. Balance results from a review of permit applications for proposed activities and guards sensitive areas against unnecessary detrimental construction. The permit process and environmental enhancement programs have progressed further within the Corps to support the national objective of a no net loss of wetlands..
Another important responsibility of the Corps is responding to major emergencies having an impact on our nation's security. The Corps has developed its National Security Emergency Preparedness program designed to meet defense and essential civilian needs during national security and major domestic emergencies. The Corps, in coordination with local, state and other federal agencies, has developed support plans both in the United States and abroad.
The Crops emergency plans addressing major domestic situations impacting on national security include providing support to others for dealing with civil disturbances; natural disasters, such as earthquakes, floods, drought, and hurricanes; and control of certain hazardous materials. This program emphasizes the support capability that the Corps can provide to both our military establishment as well as to the public sector.
Corps of Engineers projects also provide public recreation facilities, featuring boating, swimming, fishing, hunting, camping and hiking. The Corps manages more than 2,000 separate recreation areas at 463 water resource development projects in 41 states.
Corps multipurpose projects have provided many communities with storage for their prime source of drinking water. In meeting water supply needs, the Corps has impounded more than 9,000,000 acres-feet of water in 101 lakes through out the United States.
In addition to these complex missions performed by the 40 districts of the Corps, the Corps is always seeking new ways to perform the job better through its laboratories and research centers. These include:
The Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratory in Champaign, Ill., works with the University of Illinois in conducting research and engineering studies in materials, energy, construction management and environmental quality.
The Army Engineer Topographic Laboratories at Fort Belvoir, Va., are committed to advancing the state-of-the-art in geodetic, topographic and geographic information for the Army and Department of Defense.
The Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory in Hanover, N.H. supports civil and military construction through research, investigations and engineering studies of cold environments, including the mechanics of snow, ice and permafrost.
The Waterways Experiment Station in Vicksburg, Miss. pursues a spectrum of activities in six component technical laboratories which are:
The Hydraulics Laboratory studies flood control, navigation and sedimentation problems in waterways and harbors.
The Structures Laboratory studies the response of structures to various kinds of stress.
The Environmental Laboratory investigates the effects of water resources development projects on the environment, and the interaction between military activities and the environment,.
The Coastal Engineering Research Center provides the national expertise in coastal engineering to help solve navigation, coastal flooding, beach erosion, storm protection and marine construction problems.
The Geotechnical Laboratory studies soils, pavements, off-road mobility of military vehicles, earthquake effects and engineering geology.
The Information Technology Laboratory does research, development, and support in interdisciplinary computer-aided engineering fields and computer science fields.
With the engineering expertise found at its research centers and through out the divisions and districts that make up the Corps world wide, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers leads the world in engineering knowledge and technology, while researching new techniques for building and enhancing the environment of tomorrow.
Questions or comments?
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Mobile District
Public Affairs Office
109 St. Joseph St.
Mobile, AL 36602-3630
(251) 690-2505
Contact: Public Affairs Office
cesam-pa@sam.usace.army.mil
Related Pages
Mobile District South Atlantic Division Army Corps of Engineers
