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Army Engineers at Camp Winfield Scott, during the Civil War, 1862
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Fortifications Built During the Siege of Boston
June 16, 1775
On June 16, 1775, during the Siege of Boston, the Second Continental Congress authorized the building of fortifications. Fortifications were raised by building mounds of dirt and fences, and they were reinforced with vegetation and brush. Colonists were able to fire at the British from behind these fortifications. The engineers responsible for building them proved so valuable to the Revolutionary forces that, four years later, Congress formed the "corps of engineers." The engineers enjoyed the same rights, honors, and privileges as other troops but were in charge of all kinds of construction projects, and they still are. What else do you suppose they have built?
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