412 Nort Carorina Troops, 1861~’65.

the Engineer Department a minute and complete map of the
whole territory, from the Rapidan southward. This was ex-
ecuted with the transit, and the main lines chained. Indeed
the engineers advanced across the Rappahannock, to the line
of the Occoquan and near Alexandria, and were pursued by
naval and marine forces on the Potomac. But a fairly good
map was obtained of the roads, redoubts, ete., constructed by
the enemy beyond the river,

When General Grant began his assaults by the left flank
toward Richmond in 1864, every foot of ground had been
studied by Lee, and the troops shifted with masterly pre-
cision, met every attack by the shortest route, and on the ex-
act spot required. Grant sacrificed as many men as equaled
Lee’s entire army.

It was perceived by the War Department at Richmond that
the gathering of skilled men to supervise labor, and to exe-
cute the details under the direction of officers temporarily or-
dered for the erection or strengthening of works at various
points, only to be seattered at the completion, and brought to-
gether with difficulty at some other point, was a wasteful pro-
cess, only permissible as a temporary expedient.

In addition, therefore, to the Engineer Corps, it was de-
termined to organize two regiments of Engineer Troops, of
ten companies each. The officers were appointed by the
President, and the nucleus of each company was to be ob-
tained by detailing fifty men from each division or two men
from each regiment, as far as possible from the same State,
within a given district. The companies were to be organ-

ized as a body of regulars. Commanding officers were re-
quested to select only skilled men of approved record, in
knowledge and conduct. The ranks were filled by volunteers
reaching military age, or otherwise, to a minimum of one
hundred men. Two new men were allowed in lieu of one
veteran. As it was anticipated that these regiments would
constitute a part of the regular army of the Confederate
States, after the attainment of independence, and the disso-
lution of the provisional army, the appointments were much
appreciated, of commissions therein.

Military graduates and military assistant engineers, then

 

Corps oF ENGINEERS. 413

in service, and a few officers of the corps proper and staff of-
ficers in other departments who resigned higher rank, to enter
the permanent Engineer Troops, were made the commis-
sioned officers of the line. All appointments were made as in
the case of regulars. No elections were permitted. Com-
missioned officers were selected by presidential appointment.
From the nature of the service, the company was the unit,
and the Captain appointed the non-commissioned officers.
The First Regiment was assigned to the Army of Northern
Virginia. The Second Regiment belonged to the South and
West, along the Atlantic coast, and in the Army of the West.
Company A of this regiment was formed chiefly of North
Carolinians and assigned to North Carolina. In addition
to the details from regiments in Lee’s army of North Caro-
lina troops, the ranks were filled by enlistments at Wilming-
ton. ;
Congress authorized these regiments 20 March, 1863.
General Lee at first opposed the removal of the companies
from their several divisions to regimental headquarters, and
in fact, the second regiment served in separate companies
ghout the war.
ee deletes of North Carolina in 1861 consisted of the
forts Macon and Caswell, the former built for the defence of
Beaufort, by the United States, and the latter, at the a
of the Cape Fear, and the improvised earthworks constructe
by the companies of heavy artillery volunteers, under the
class of officers heretofore referred to. Several officers were
commissioned by the State for this special duty, as S. L.
Fremont, Colonel of Artillery and Engineers ; Major
J. Hedrick, Major Jas. D. Radcliffe, Captain John C =
der, Lieutenant Samuel A. Ashe, Lieutenant-Colonel Fred.
hi nd others.
: stb to say of those in charge of the weienept
works early in the war, that they were required to sit
bricks without straw. The men were unskilled, the works
in most cases too large for the force available to man them,
yet too weak in profile, for want of time, labor and means;

: : Se on
sometimes unsupplied with ordnance in time, and agai

mounting only the smooth twenty-fours and thirty-twos saved
Sas