268 EULOGY ON THE LATE GENERAL JOSEPH G. TOTTEN. 



ment of a certain number of officers and cadets,* (not to exceed twenty in all,) 

 and declared that "the principal engineer, or, in his absence, the next in rank, 

 shall have the superintendence of the Military Academy, under the direction of 

 the President of the United States." 



It is not my purpose here to follow further the history of that institution ; I 

 have alluded to its initiation as a step taken to provide for an acknowledged 

 want of the period — an institution for teaching the military sciences to young 

 men entering the army, and for creating a competent corps of engineers. It 

 was soon found, however, that the duties of engineer officers Avere inconsistent 

 with their remaining at West Point, and themselves constituting "a Military 

 Academy. " Most of them were soon called to dutiesalong the seaboard, in con- 

 structing our fortifications, while, as the wants of the service and of the Acad- 

 emy have been more clearly seen, the number of cadets has been increased, to 

 supply not only the engineers and artillery, but officers of all arms of the ser- 

 vice, and the various professorships and departments of instruction now existing 

 have been established. 



As the duties of the corps became more and more extensive, its chief, though 

 charged with the administration of its affairs, could not be constantly present at 

 the Academy, and it ultimately became apparent that the immediate superin- 

 tendency of such an institution was incompatible with his proper functions. In 

 1817, an officer selected from the corps (Brevet Major Sylvanus Thayer, to- 

 whom allusion has already been made) was appointed permanent superintend- 

 ent of the Academy, and made subject only to the orders of the President of 

 the United States. 



Major (afterwards Colonel) Jonathan Williams, a near relative of Dr. Frank- 

 lin, whom he accompanied, as secretary, to France, where he studied the mili- 

 tary sciences, and made himself acquainted with the standard works on fortifi- 

 cation, was the first chief engineer of the United States under the law of 1S02. 

 He was an officer of decided merit, much beloved by his subordinates, and is 

 justly styled the father of the corps of engineers and of the Military Acad- 

 emy. 



While exercising his superintendence of the Academy, he devoted himself 

 personally to the fortification of New York harbor, and most of the forts which 

 constitute the inner line of defence of that harbor — Fort Columbus, Castles 

 Williams and Clinton, (Castle Garden,) and a work similar to the last named,, 

 located two or three miles higher up the river (Fort Gansevoort) — were planned 

 by him, and built under his immediate supervision. 



Castle Williams was the first "casemated" battery erected in this country,. 

 ^Duilt in 1807-10,) and was planned after the system of Montalemburt, with 

 which, as we have seen, Colonel Williams had made himself acquainted in 

 France. This and other works of Colonel Williams, though they have been 

 superficially and ignorantly criticised, were really meritorious, and do not suffer 

 by comparison with European structures of the same or even much more recent 

 dates. 



The indications of an approaching war with England, and the obvious inade- 

 quacy of existing fortifications, had led to renewed exertions, and prompted the 

 works just mentioned and others at all our seaports, so that when the war broke 

 out there was not a town of any magnitude upon the coast not provided with 

 one or more batteries. But most of the works so thrown up before the subject 

 had been studied and systematized a3 a whole were defective in design, small, 

 weak, and, being built, for present economy, of cheap materials and workman- 

 ship, very perishable. In the main, however, they answered their purpose — 

 more, perhaps, through an undue respect for them on the part of our foe than 



'Besides ten cadets of engineers, forty cadets "of artillery" were authorized by this 

 law ; making fifty cadets in all. 



