1805."] 



Jccount of ilic Jl'iir DcpCt in France. 



\V) 



ikU-iK-e iipiHiiiitcd thtiu at Veiiuilles, unci 

 wwie liif iiaUunn ut Kniiiiitois in ur- 

 liinurv Ui tiji' Kinii. 'i'lieir cDninuuuiiut;; 

 •Dflircr CDUtiinicd lo be lelected t'lum tlic 

 ItJtiF of lilt' iinny. 



I'rom the War Dopot \'o!t;iiro borrow- 

 ed liis molt \rilu;ilj!e niiitcriiils to cmnnie- 

 inorate iho ny' ot'I-ouis XI\'. : lii> work, 

 tljuri'tort', bcnrs a Ihuiir) of iinri\ allud au- 

 tliority. 



'J'hf ^'cvcu Years' War liavin^- coafiJi'r- 

 iihlv cxtL'inicd tiie war (kpaitiucut, the 

 i-'rontli (jovcninient, at tlic fuLTL'tltion of 

 of i\J. Ik'rthicr, ordered tliclluUidt 

 hi (liicrrc to be erected at \erfailles, in 

 17;}ii, that tiw: di&roiit otlices niiiiht be 

 united. 



'J'his biiildin'j was completed in 17(iO, 

 Jind occupied the followinij year, when 

 M. Bertliier, a liaft-otlicer, and tlie inti- 

 mate friend of J\Iarlha! Saxe, was ap- 

 jjoiated Chief of the Geoiirapliical ]:'.n- 

 <;ineer departuit-nt, haviai; imder his ini- 

 nifdiatc chariie the emolhncnt of all 

 charts and plans not exactly relating to 

 tbrtilication. i\liouc this time many va- 

 luable toj>OL;ruph!(;d and sieographical de- 

 lii;ns, on tlieljjuer Khine, W I'ltphalia, 

 Helle, Ihiuover, ikc. cmiched the col- 

 U'Clion. 



M. d'ArLrenfin liavin^ Ijeen fuccoeck'd 

 »)y the Marthal de Belle-ille ; and M. de 

 \'ault, aveiy diltinguiilied oliieer, being 

 ajjpoiuted ])irector of the Depot, vice 

 Malllebois, neu plans were adopted. 



At this period the materials of the War 

 Depot, thou'.'h volumed and eataloirued, 

 were rather a colk-Ction than a digeltiou 

 of authorities, M. dc \'ault, however, 

 very patriot icallv refolved to alVociate 

 tlicU' feattered docimients; and perfe- 

 vered in the labour till he actually com- 

 piled the hifiories of the feveral cam- 

 paiijns, from tb.e German \V'ar of 1(577, 

 ])ro^;reirivf'ly, throu>jh 125 volumes, down 

 to the peace of 1763. 



)]y an ar7ct of April 1, 1769, the Geo- 

 jiraphical Engineer Corps was re-organiz- 

 ♦•d ; it was iheii compolied of an engineer 

 til <■/((/, f);ir brigadiers, eight captains, 

 aiid lixteen lieutenants, with a matboma- 

 ticul maftcr, a German matter, and two 

 (irewiug-mafiers, attached. Fourteen 

 4uirtoouij appear in the Depot, from the 

 pencils of theii:' officers, giving a con- 

 liected view of the .^even Years War; 

 .together with other deligns, equally ho- 

 nourable to I he talents of the coi'ijs. 



But tiieir brilliant career was foon after 

 arrclied by M. de Saint Germain, the 

 then jMiuiller, who, by a new regulation 

 Ui 1770; Cixibodicd them wiiJi the Knj^i- 



neer Corps, undiT the orders of the Di- 

 vecior of J'ortiiicali(JU'-. Agaiuli. this ii>- 

 noMilioa they preleuted anienional, and 

 in 17 77 the former order was amended, 

 and they were again Ityled " Military and 

 Geogra]jhical l'Jnwiiieer«.'' 



iSotwithftanding tbele diflaiisfaCtion^, 

 linger, D(.'i)laiif]ue, Duplain, MontelVon, 

 Gauthier, (N;c. iealoully exerted their 

 Ijrofelfional abilities in the fervice of their 

 couiitry. 



."\1. de \'ault died in 1790, a LieutcnaiJt- 

 Geueral in the army, after devoting tbrtT 

 yeajs to the ini[>rovement of this brancJi 

 of hii'tory. JM. de Jk:audoin, uiio bad 

 been named liis enlleague, died in 17o7, 

 with the rank of Field Madhal. 



General ^Mathieu J)umas next fucccod- 

 ed to the dirtciion of this dejiartinent, 

 but loon after, the fpirit of revolution bft- 

 comiiig uuiverl'al, and die ovcrthnnv of 

 ancient cufioms being the primary objeA 

 of its grafj), the ^Var Depot, at the clofc 

 of 1791, was removed from V'erfailles to 

 Paris, for fafety. 



In the fame year, the depot for fortifi- 

 cations was detached from the AVar Do- 

 pot ; and by a National decree of Auguli 

 17, the Geographical Juigineers were 1ai^ 

 jjrelfed ; tlieir duty was once moix: trans- 

 ferred to the engineer department. But 

 the new (iovernmeut, being fully aware 

 that the prefervation of the country do 

 pended on the protection of this import- 

 ant department, gave it new organizatiun, 

 by tlie follo\\ jut' crdonmmcc : — 



EY THE KING. 



Arret ef 2oih April, 179'2. 



" The War Depot, eftablillied in 1638 by 

 M. Loiivois, contains, 



" ]. Tlie corrcfiiondence of our Generali 

 and MiniftcrSj during our former wars ; cir- 

 cumftantial records of the various movementi 

 of our armies ; topographical defcriptions of the 

 different countries they traverfedihiftoricalfum- 

 maries of the campaign of the prcfent, anJ part 

 of the former century ; and the relative decihoai 

 of Government tn our military operations. 



" C'dly. Charts of our coafts and frontiers^ 

 dcfigncd either by Engineer ofji'.ers, or Mili- 

 tary Geographic il Engineers ; plans of our 

 encampments in Germany ; engraved maps of 

 Euro|ie in general; and ?.n infinite number o* 

 plans and memoirs, officially compofed by the 

 rtaft' of our armies. 



" The officer to whom the King may con- 

 fide the direiflion of this valuable Depot will 

 cxtr.ift therefrom, for the information of the 

 Minhlfr, all fuch materials as time and ex- 

 perience have coUci'teJ, or may hevc.i:cer co!-» 

 left, for the better and more effiftuij con- 

 ftrudVion of future campaigns, and military 

 opccitisjis, 



«< TLe, 



