Vanguard of Expansion: Army Engineers in the Trans-Mississippi West, 1819-1879
Schubert FN and History Division - Office of Administrative Services - Office of the Chief of Engineers. 1980. Vanguard of Expansion: Army Engineers in the Trans-Mississippi West, 1819-1879. Washington, D.C.
This book contains a compact narrative of Corps of Engineers activities in the trans-Mississippi West during the years of expansion and settlement. The work of the Corps in the West encompassed a wide range of services, from basic exploration and cartography to road surveys and the first river and harbor improvements on the Pacific coast. Through the entire period, in all their diverse assignments, Corps officers worked to bind this huge new country to the old, to increase the public's understanding of the West, and to develop critical networks of communication and transportation. This study is not a definitive treatment of the subject. William H. Goetzmann's fine book, Army Exploration in the American West, 1803-1863, can more justly claim such a distinction. Yet, while Goetzmann's book is comprehensive, it is also massive. This publication seeks to reduce to a more convenient size the story of the diverse contributions of the Corps to Western development. For readers both inside and out of the Corps of Engineers, we hope this narrative will provide an adequate overview of a complex and fascinating subject.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Schubert, Frank; History Division - Office of Administrative Services - Office of the Chief of Engineers
- Date of Issue
- 1980-08
- Units
- HIST
- Keywords
- Army, Cartography, corps of engineers, Cultural Resources, ehistory, Engineering, History, Surveys, Trans-Mississippi West, Westward Expansion