Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Today In History - June 16th

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Resolved…That there be a chief Engineer for the army, in a separate department, and two assistants under him; that the pay of the chief engineer be sixty dollars per month, and the pay of the assistants each, twenty dollars per month. Entry of June 16, 1775,
Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774-1789.
A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation, 1774-1875
On June 16, 1775, George Washington was appointed commander in chief of the Continental Army by the Second Continental Congress. That same day, the Congress authorized the creation of the post of chief engineer for the army, in anticipation of upcoming battles with British forces. The engineers' work building fortifications, surveying terrain, and clearing roads during the war proved so valuable to the Revolutionary forces that the Congress resolved, four years later, based on a recommendation from the Board of War:
That the engineers in the service of the United States shall be formed into a corps, and styled the "corps of engineers;" and shall take rank and enjoy the same rights, honours, and privileges, with the other troops…

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