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PROFESSIONAL PAPERS OF THE CORPS OF ENGINEERS, U. S. ARMY

No. 29

ENGINEER FIELD MANUAL

PARTS I-VII

I. RECONNAISSANCE

II. BRIDGES

III. ROADS

IV. RAILROADS

V. FIELD FORTIFICATION

VI. ANIMAL TRANSPORTATION

VII. TABLES, WEIGHTS, MEASURES, AND
SPECIFIC GRAVITIES

PREPARED UNDER THE

DIRECTION OF THE CHIEF OF ENGINEERS, U. S. ARMY

FIFTH (REVISED) EDITION

WASHINGTON
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

116360 .46 1917

WAR DEPARTMENT.

Document No. 355.

Office of the Chief of Engineers.

29060-306.

WAR DEPARTMENT,

OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF STAFF,

Washington, November 19, 1909.

The Engineer Field Manual, United States Army, prepared under the direction of the Chief of Engineers, United States Army, is published for the information and guidance of all concerned; it will not be modified except by specific authority given in each case.

Any changes or suggestions that may occur to officers or others using the manual will be submitted to the Chief of Engineers for consideration in connection with the publication of future editions. By order of the Secretary of War:

J. FRANKLIN BELL, Major General, Chief of Staff.

The ADJUTANT GENERAL.

WAR DEPARTMENT,

OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF ENGINEERS,
Washington, March 12, 1907.

SIR: 1. By authority of the Secretary of War, six parts of the Engineer Field Manual, compiled under the direction of this office by Lieut. Col. Smith S. Leach, Corps of Engineers and General Staff, have been published in five separate volumes. These parts are: Part I, Reconnaissance; Part II, Bridges; Part III, Roads; Part IV, Railroads, and Part V, Field Fortification (in one volume); and Part VI, Animal Transportation. Each of these six parts received the approval of the Chief of Staff before its publication.

2. It is now desired to publish under a single cover these six parts, revised and corrected, for issue to the service when ready for distribution.

3. In addition to the correction of such errors as have been discovered in the original editions it is proposed to add some new matter to bring the work up to date. The most important addition is a description of the new types of instruments adopted in 1906. It is also desired to add, in Part I, a brief description of the new military survey of Cuba; some additional topographical signs and symbols recently prescribed by the General Staff, and a brief account of the new system of angular measurement in mils adopted for position finding by the Field Artillery; to incorporate, in Part II, a very useful table of dimensions of floor systems for stated loads and spans, and to incorporate, in Part V, a plate and description of the Fort Riley redoubt, which presents several excellent features of design. It is proposed to add the new matter at convenient places as nearly in its topical relation as possible, but under a caption "Addenda, 1907."

4. The mechanical work involved in the preparation and publication of this revised edition would be, roughly, as follows: Drawing and engraving of four or five plates; making of a consolidated index; composition of the equivalent of about three or four pages of text; composition of consolidated index (about 48 pages); electrotyping of new plates, new pages of text, and new index; repaging of Parts II to VI, both inclusive, and printing and binding of 1,000 copies of the complete work, the cover to have a pocket, a pencil tube, and a broad flap folding over the back. The manuscript of a proposed introduction and list of authorities is inclosed.

5. The matter in the six parts as now published is electrotyped ; the electrotype plates are at the Government Printing Office. The expense of drawing and engraving the new plates, of preparing the new matter, and of making the consolidated index would be chargeable to the appropriation carried by the Army appropriation act approved June 12, 1906, "For pontoon material, tools, instruments, and supplies required for use in the engineer equipment of troops, including the purchase and preparation of engineer manuals," of which there is an available balance sufficient for the purpose; the expense of composition, electrotyping, repaging existing electrotype plates, and of printing and binding to be borne by the appropriation for public printing and binding. The paper for the work is on hand in this office.

6. I have the honor to recommend that 1,000 copies of the revised edition of the six parts of the Engineer Field Manual, as hereinbefore described, and their accompanying plates be printed at the Government Printing Office and furnished for the use of this office on the usual requisition, the cost to be paid as stated in the preceding paragraph.

7. A copy of each of the parts as published is submitted herewith. A. MACKENZIE,

Very respectfully,

Brig. Gen., Chief of Engineers, U. S. Ármy.,

ENGINEER FIELD MANUAL.

INTRODUCTION.

In April, 1899, the Chief of Engineers directed the commandant of the Engineer School to enter upon the preparation of an Engineer Field Manual. At the same time all officers of the Engineer Corps who had been in the field during the Spanish War were invited to contribute data and suggestions, and many of them did so. At the Engineer School the work of compilation was committed to the instructor in civil engineering, then Capt. Henry Jervey, and under his control, and mostly by his own hand, a general plan of a manual was worked out, manuscript and plates prepared on the subjects of reconnaissance and bridges, and more or less complete notes on roads and railroads.

The instructions of the Chief of Engineers required a topical division and publication by parts, as completed. The part on reconnaissance was published in tentative form and distributed to officers of Engineers and other arms and to a few civil engineers, for comment and criticism. The parts on bridges and roads were sent in manuscript to certain Engineer officers for like criticism. As a result, the method of treatment of subject-matter and the mechanical features of the book were definitely determined and it was decided to revise the work already done to conform it to the modified plan and to republish Part I.

At this stage, 1903, the pressure of work at the Engineer School made it necessary to place this duty in other hands and it was devolved upon the commanding officer of the First Battalion of Engineers, and shortly thereafter the relation of that officer to the preparation of the manual was made personal, instead of ex officio, and all subsequent work has been by the same hand.

By July 1, 1906, six parts had been published-reconnaissance, bridges, roads, railroads, field fortification, and animal transportation. These parts are now collected in a single cover, with corrections of errors which crept into the first edition and some additions of new matter which has become available since the first publication. The most important of these additions, made by direction of the Chief of Staff, is the incorporation of the signs, etc., for finished maps, published by authority of the Secretary of War in 1904. few minor changes which have been approved will be noted.

A

The opportunity now first offers to make acknowledgement of sources from which material has been drawn and of assistance rendered by persons in the preparation and publication of the manual.

As to authorities, a list is appended of works which have been consulted and from which facts or suggestions have been derived. Other works have been consulted, but nothing having been taken from or suggested by them, they are not mentioned. The titles in the list which appear in full-face type have been relied upon, more or less, as standard and as guides to topics and arrangement. But a single work seems to deserve. further mention, and that is the

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