Engineering the Defenses

 

"The map shows a close up drawing of Fort Lyon located on Eagle Hill in Alexandria, Virginia. Shows the fort's defenses, including abatis, ditches, salients, sallyport, and bombproof."

Library of Congress

In late May 1861, Federal troops occupying Arlington and Alexandria, Virginia constructed earthworks to secure the high ground and provide a forward operating-base for the pending movement agains the Confederate army. The fresh earthworks were constructed under the watchful eye of the army's elite officers: the U.S. Corps of Engineers.

Army Engineers

When the Civil War began, two engineer corps existed in the army–the Corps of Engineers and the Corps of Topographical Engineers. Among other duties, the Corps of Engineers planned, designed and oversaw the construction and maintenance of fortifications while the Corps of Topographical Engineers was the Army's surveyors and cartographers, often surveying and mapping fortifications. The two corps combined in 1863 because there weren't enough Army engineers for two to serve on the staff of all the commands within the Union Army. Following the merger, Army Engineers were responsible for surveying and mapping fortifications as well as planning, designing and overseeing their construction and maintenance.

The Army Engineers planned, designed and erected numerous fortifications throughout the country during the Civil War but the Defense of Washington, D.C. was the most ambitious undertaking. Winfield Scott assigned Major John G. Barnard, Corps of Engineers, to the Department of Washington; on April 28, 1861, Colonel J.F.K. Mansfield, the department commander, a former engineer officer, attached Barnard to his headquarters as chief engineer. When the army moved into Northern Virginia on May 24, 1861, Barnard oversaw the erection of fortifications there. He also accompanied the Army to Manassas in July 1861. McClellan assumed command of the troops around Washington, D.C. at the end of that month. On August 17, all the troops in the vicinity of Washington became part of the Army of the Potomac and, three days later, General Orders No. 1, Army of the Potomac, stipulated that Barnard was attached to the staff as chief engineer. As McClellan formulated his thoughts for fortifications around Washington, D.C., Barnard planned, designed and oversaw their construction. At first, there were many other Army Engineers to assist Barnard including G.W. Snyder, Henry Robert, D.P. Woodbury, Frederick E. Prime, G.W.C. Lee, Miles D. McAllester, C.E. Cross, O.E. Babcock, Horatio G. Wright, Barton S. Alexander, and C.E. Blunt but, before long, all of these officers were off to other assignments except Barton S. Alexander who, except for a few temporary assignments, stayed with the defenses of Washington throughout the war. Army Engineer Lt. James W. Cuyler, for sometime in 1864-65, oversaw the work on outer defenses at Vienna.

Early in the war, the Regular Army Engineer troops assisted in the construction of the Defenses of Washington and in training others to do the same, "Here the men were put immediately to work, superintending the construction of the fortifications of the Capital, being first employed on the rifle battery at Chain Bridge, and afterwards at Fort Pennsylvania (later Fort Reno), and on other works in the vicinity of Upton, Munson, and Mason hills." Even the volunteer Engineer units participated. Volunteer Army Enginner Wesley Brainerd wrote "We constructed a fort. The work was done by the Companies, relieving each other by day and night as in case of actual hostilities with an enemy in front" and "We occasionally took trips across the river for practice in the art of making Fascines [and] Gabions."Captain Henry E. Wrigley, commander of the Independent Company, Pennsylvania Volunteer Engineers, requested that his unit be detailed for service upon the entrenchments, endorsed by Barnard, and, among other accomplishments, they erected a small battery and infantry parapet to connect Fortt Cass with Fort Tillinghast and supervised a party of 600 men constructing fortifications between forts Richardson and Cass. Unfortunately, both the Regular Army Engineer Battalion and the volunteer engineer units left the Washington, D.C. area for the field. Accoring to the U.S. Army Corps of the Engineers, "roughly fifteen engineer officers were employed in Washington’s defenses at any given time."

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Civilian Engineers

Trained U.S. Army engineers were in short supply as war waged across the North American continent. In Washington, the Federal engineers, including General John G. Barnard, left the defenses during the active campaign season beginning in May 1862 (Peninsula Campaign). As a result, the army employeed civilian contractors to oversee the expansion and completion of the capital forts. Barnard desribed their critical service to the defenses, writing:

"The civil engineers, William C. Gunnell on the north [side of the Potomac River], and Edward Frost (subsequently A. Grant Childs) on the south [side of the Potomac River], had been prior to the war engaged on the Washington Aqueduct. They exhibited great zeal and intelligence, and soon mastered all those branches of military engineering which concerned their duties of construction. They were required to execute plans prepared in the office of the chief engineer, to exercise close supervision over their respective divisions and generally to act as administrative officers in the details of the work.

The subordinate organizations of each of the civil engineers in charge of divisions consisted as follows:

A draughtsman to prepare plans, maps, &c.

An assistant engineer to assist in laying out the work from plans to make the necessary field surveying for maps.

A clerk to consolidate the daily reports of working force; to make out the monthly pay-rolls, keep accounts of purchases, and to prepare vouchers for payment; and to keep account of property drawn on requisition upon the quartermaster's and other departments.

Two or more superintendents were employed on each division, to whom were apportioned subdivisions of the line. Their duties were to control and direct, through their foreman, the laboring force; to keep the time-books, make daily reports of the occupation of every person employed under them, as well as of the military details; to supervise the camps and depots of material; to make requisition on the engineers in charge (who were the purchasing agents) for materials; and, generally, to aid the civil engineers by giving a closer and more constant oversight to all the operations on each subdivision than they could themselves exercise."

On March 12 and April 29, 1864, Barnard reported on the various types of employees working on the fortifications and their recompense:

"Your communication of yesterday requesting to be furnished with a list of the pay given to employees on these Defences is received and below I give the desired information:

Chief Engineer—In charge of line: $7.00 per day
Superintendent: $5.00 per day
Clerks: $3. And $4.50 per day
Draftsmen: $3. And $5. per day
Overseers: Nothing shown
Foreman of Laborers—same[as above]: $3.00 per day & 1 Ration
Master Carpenter: $3.50 per day & 1 Ration"
"In accordance with your request in endorsement on letter of Colonel Brewerton, I herewith annex a statement of the rates paid by me on the works for defences of Washington:

Carpenters: $2.00 to $2.50 per day & 1 Ration
Masons: $2.50 per day & 1 Ration
Blacksmiths: $2.00 to $2.50 per day & 1 Ration
Foreman laborers: $2.50 per day & 1 Ration
Laborers: $1.00 to $1.25 per day & 1 Ration"

Barnard received a variety of applications for the more experienced jobs under his supervision. A.C. Entrikin, of Brooklyn, New York, with a recommendation from Army Engineer officer, Major C. E. Blunt, applied for appointment as superintendent of fortifications, on October 24, 1864; Leander A. Poor asked for a position as engineer on December 10, 1862; and G.W. Watson, who worked for the New York City Surveyor & Engineer Office, wanted a situation as a draughtsmen, on February 3, 1864. The Sanitary Commission inquiree, on January 1, 1865, if employment could be given to certain discharged soldiers as mechanics. Madam Pountalis requested of Barnard civilian employment for an Austrian officer, Mr. Holleys, who was in U.S. service but on account of wounds found field service too hard, on the works.

On November 6, 1861, Barnard wrote an endorsement, exclaiming "We have now in service on field works around Washington as many laborers as can be usefully employed." But, due to the many men who voluntarily joined the service or were drafted, the Army Engineers generally experienced great difficulty in finding good employees and keeping them. Advertisements appeared in various newspapers around Washington, D. C. and in other cities, including New York, such as this one in the Washington Star, July 1864:

Wanted immediately, 200 laborers, 50 choppers, carpenters, etc., to work on Eastern Branch line of fortifications.

Apply to John Collins, superintendent at Camp Haskins, near insane assylum, or at headquarters chief engineer defences of Washington, Pennsylvania avenue and 19th street.

William Gunnell
Engineer Defences North Potomac"

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