U. S. CORPS OF TOPOGRAPHICAL ENGINEERS

 

Pre-Civil War Personnel

 ROSTER OF THE CORPS OF TOPOGRAPHICAL ENGINEERS

 ORIGINAL COMPLEMENT OF THE CORPS UPON ITS  FORMATION, JULY 7, 1838*

Col. J. J. Abert

Lt. Col. James Kearney

 MAJORS

James D. Graham 
 Hartman Bache
 William Turnbull

 CAPTAINS

William Swift
 William G. Williams
 Augustus Canfield
  Campbell Graham 
John Mackay
 Walter B. Guion** 
  Thomas J. Cram
 John McClellan 
  Washington Hood 

 FIRST LIEUTENANTS

 John N. Macomb
James H. Simpson
 Jacob E. Blake 
Augustus P. Allen
 Howard Stansbury**
Thomas J. Lee
William H. Emory

 SECOND LIEUTENANTS

Lorenzo Sitgreaves 
 William R. Palmer**
Israel Woodruff
 Joseph D. Webster**
Eliakim P. Scammon
 William H. Warner 
Charles N. Hagner**
 John W. Gunnison 
Robert M. McLane
 
 
* The Corps was made up entirely of officers.  Although requests for a "company of pioneers" to assist in survey duties had been made repeatedly, it was not until August, 1861 that a company of topographical engineer enlisted men was authorized by Congress.  By that time, the Corps was in competition with myriad volunteer units.  With no established infrastructure to handle recruitment and training, enlistment efforts foundered.  After two months, recruitment was halted and a total of three enlisted men were transferred to the Corps of Engineers (Schubert, F. N., The Nation Builders).
** Asterisks indicate men who did not graduate from West Point.


 

CHANGES IN THE CORPS PRIOR TO THE CIVIL WAR

July 31, 1839 George Thom appointed Brevet Second Lieutenant
July 17, 1840 Washington Hood, died
July 1, 1841 Amiel W. Whipple,  Second Lieutenant, transferred from the Artillery
Sept. 1, 1841 Augustus P. Allen, died
March 31, 1842 Walter B. Guion, resigned
May 19, 1842 George G. Meade, appointed Brevet Second Lieutenant; John Pope, appointed Brevet Second Lieutenant; James W. Abert, appointed Brevet Second Lieutenant
July 1, 1843 W. B. Franklin, appointed Brevet Second Lieutenant; William F. Raynolds, appointed Brevet Second Lieutenant; M. L. Smith, appointed Brevet Second Lieutenant; Robert M. McLane resigned.
July 1, 1844 William G. Peck, appointed Brevet Second Lieutenant
July 1, 1845 William F. Smith, appointed Brevet Second Lieutenant;  Thomas J. Wood, appointed Brevet Second Lieutenant
May 9, 1846 Jacob Blake, killed (Mexican War)
July 1, 1846 Edmund L. F. Hardcastle, appointed Brevet Second Lieutenant; Francis T. Bryan, appointed Brevet Second Lieutenant; George H. Derby, appointed Brevet Second Lieutenant
Oct. 19, 1846 Thomas J. Wood, transferred to Second Dragoons
March 15, 1848 John C. Fremont, resigned
July 1, 1848 Robert S. Williamson, appointed Brevet Second Lieutenant; Nathaniel Michler, appointed Brevet Second Lieutenant
July 1, 1849 John G. Parke, appointed Brevet Second Lieutenant
July 14, 1849 Charles N. Hagner, died
July 31, 1849 W. H. Swift, resigned
Sept. 26, 1849 William H. Warner, killed
July 1, 1850 Gouverneur K. Warren, appointed Brevet Second Lieutenant
April 24, 1851 Thomas B. Linnard, died
Aug. 4, 1851 George W. Hughes, resigned
July 1, 1852 George H. Mendell, appointed Brevet Second Lieutenant
July 1, 1852 George W. Rose, appointed Brevet Second Lieutenant; Joseph C. Ives, appointed Brevet Second Lieutenant
July 1, 1853 William R. Boggs, appointed Brevet Second Lieutenant
April 7, 1854 Joseph D. Webster, resigned
April 18, 1854 Augustus Canfield, died
June 28, 1854 William R. Boggs, transferred to Ordnance
July 1, 1854 Henry L. Abbott, appointed Brevet Second Lieutenant; Charles N. Turnbull, appointed Brevet Second Lieutenant
Sept. 1, 1854 John McClellan, died
March 3, 1855 William H. Emory, transferred to 2nd Cavalry
March 3, 1855 Joseph E. Johnston,  transferred to 1st Cavalry
April 30, 1855 Thomas J. Lee, died
Oct. 2, 1855 William G. Peck, resigned
April 30, 1855 Edmund L. F. Hardcastle, resigned
June 4, 1856 Eliakim P. Scammon, dismissed
June 27, 1856 Junius B. Wheeler, transferred from the Cavalry
July 1, 1856 Orlando M. Poe, appointed Brevet Second Lieutenant
Oct. 7, 1856 George M. Rose, resigned
July 1, 1857 J. L. Kirby Smith, appointed Brevet Second Lieutenant; Haldemand S. Putnam, appointed Brevet Second Lieutenant; William P. Smith, appointed Brevet Second Lieutenant
Dec. 9, 1857 William Turnbull, died
July 1, 1858 William H. Echols, appointed Brevet Second Lieutenant
July 1, 1860 Charles R. Collins, appointed Brevet Second Lieutenant; Orlando G. Wagner, appointed Brevet Second Lieutenant; Robert T. Beckham, appointed Brevet Second Lieutenant
July 1, 1860 Nicholas Bowen, appointed Brevet Second Lieutenant; James H. Wilson, appointed Brevet Second Lieutenant
April 11,
1861		 Hartman Bache takes charge of the Topographical Bureau
May 15, 1861 George H. Derby, died
June 24, 1861 Alfred Mordecai, appointed Brevet Second Lieutenant
Sept 9,
1861		 J. J. Abert, James Kearney, Campbell Graham placed on retired list.  Stephen Long becomes Colonel of the Corps, Thomas Cram becomes second-in-command.
Sept 28,
1861		 Howard Stansbury placed on retired list.
Oct. 23, 1861 Alfred Mordecai, transferred to Ordnance
Dec 11,
1861		 Stephen Long takes over as head of the Topographical Bureau
Dec 5,
1862		 I. C. Woodruff takes over day-to-day operation of Bureau

 

ASSISTANTS EMPLOYED IN THE TOPOGRAPHICAL BUREAU

1837 Washington Hood 1848-1849 Edmund L. F. Hardcastle
1838-1839 Thomas J. Lee 1848-1849 John McClellan
1839 Washington Hood 1849-1855 Thomas J. Lee
1840-1841 Andrew A. Humphreys 1849 George W. Hughes
1841 John McClellan 1850 Lorenzo Sitgreaves
1841-1842 Joseph E. Johnston 1850-1854 William Turnbull
1842 Lorenzo Sitgreaves 1853 William R. Boggs
1843-1844 William H. Emory 1855-1856 Martin L. Smith
1843-1849 William H. Swift 1857-1861 Israel C. Woodruff
1844-1845 James W. Abert 1859 Josephe C. Ives
1845-1846 William B. Franklin 1861 Charles R. Collins
1847-1848 George H. Derby    

 

from Beers, Henry P. "A History of the U.S. Topographical Engineers, 1813-1863." 2 pts. The Military Engineer 34 (Jun 1942): pp. 287-91 & (Jul 1942): pp. 348-52.
    This copyrighted material is used with the permission of the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME), publisher of The Military Engineer in which this article appeared in its volume no. 34, #200 and 201, June, 1942 and July, 1942.

1  "It is implied that Bryan resigned to join the Confederacy.  I think he was perhaps a Southern sympathizer, as he was born and raised in North Carolina, and other members of his family were strong supporters of the Confederacy (a brother, George, died defending Richmond [Powell, William S., (ed.) Dictionary of North Carolina Biography:  The University of  North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, 1979, pp. 254-255 (biographical sketch of John Heritage Bryan--his daddy)].  Bryan, however, had married (26 March 1856) a rich young lady from St. Louis (Edmonia Taylor), whose family had strong ties to the Union.  He did resign his commission early in the war (the effective date was 10 July 1861), but, fact is, he just stayed there in St. Louis.  Never took up arms either for or against the Confederacy [Bryan's Mexican War pension file  (SC 8466), National Archives].  In the 1870 federal census, he gives his occupation as "Retired Captain USA" [1870 U.S. census, microfilm publication M593, roll 815, City of St. Louis, Missouri, ward 5, page 159, dwelling 715, family 901.]  He may have sneaked away and joined the Confederacy under a different name, but I doubt it.  Cullum, in the 1868 edition (vol. 2) of his Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the U.S. Military Academy... (New York: D. Van Nostrand), p. 144, describes Bryan as living near St. Louis "since" 1861."  Personal communication, 1998, Don Pusch, El Lago, Texas.


 

 

 

 

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