![]() The CDSG now has available PDFs of the proceedings from 1887 through 1905, excepting only those that deal solely with rivers and harbors or otherwise fail to offer any useful information on fortifications. For fortifications, the record largely stops at the end of 1905. However, the National Archives does not have the proceedings for all the years the board was in existence. In addition, for some years the board was also responsible for river and harbor improvements. Until the creation of a chief of artillery in 1901, the board had virtually sole responsibility for fortification planning. This Board of Engineers was the continuation of the board created in 1816 to oversee the Third System of Fortifications. The National Archives in Washington, D.C., (Archives I), has three boxes of typewritten proceedings of the Board of Engineers, 1887-1905, in Record Group 77, Entry 462.These large plates were usually copied in sections, although in a few cases, they proved impossible to copy. In addition, some of the volumes have plates much larger than the photocopy machines. Since the volumes that were copied do not belong to us, it was not possible to take the books apart, and so the photocopies are not of the standard that would be offered by a professional service. We have photocopied the portions of these reports, from 1866 through 1922, which deal with fortifications, and these photocopies are now available from the CDSG Press as PDFs on a CD-ROM. Until 1922, these reports were published in the annual report of the secretary of war. These reports, especially in the Endicott Era, are basic resources for anyone researching seacoast defenses. ![]() At the conclusion of each fiscal year, the chief of engineers submitted a written report to the secretary of war, covering the military operations of the Corps of Engineers, work on fortifications, and rivers and harbor improvement.
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