United States Army Engineer School

The United States Army Engineer School (USAES) is located at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. It was founded as a School of Engineering by General Headquarters Orders, Valley Forge on 9 June 1778. The U.S. Army Engineer School provides training that develops a wide variety of engineering skills including: combat engineer, bridging, construction, geospatial, topography, diving, and firefighting.

USAES defines its mission as: Synchronize and integrate the Doctrine, Organization, Training, Material, Leader Development, Personnel, and Facilities (DOTMLPF) domains to ensure the Engineer Regiment is prepared to provide engineer support now and into the future.

History As with the United States Army Corps of Engineers, the Engineer School traces its roots to the American Revolution. General Headquarters Orders, Valley Forge, dated 9 June 1778 read "3 Captains and 9 Lieutenants are wanted to officer the Company of Sappers. As the Corps will be a SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING, it opens a prospect to such gentlemen as enter it...." Shortly after the publishing of the order, the "school" moved to the river fortifications at West Point. With the end of the war and the mustering out of the Army, the school closed. However, the Regiment of Artillerists and Engineers was constituted a military school and was reopened at the same location in 1794. For four years it constituted a school of application for new engineers and artillerymen. Closing in 1798, due to a fire which destroyed many facilities, the engineers were without a school for three years.

In 1801, the War Department revived the school, and Major Jonathan Williams became its superintendent. Less than a year later, Congress authorized the Corps of Engineers and constituted it at West Point as a military academy. For the next 64 years, the Military Academy was under the supervision of the Corps. Although the curriculum was heavily laced with engineering subjects, the Academy commissioned officers into all branches of the service. Following the American Civil War (1861–1865), supervision of the Academy passed to the War Department.

When the Engineer Battalion took station at the Fort at Willets Point (later renamed Fort Totten) in 1866, Engineer leaders saw the opportunity to develop a school oriented exclusively to engineers. From 1868 to 1885, an informal School of Application existed; its first commander was Major Henry Larcom Abbot, who developed the Army's first modern underwater minefield system there. Part of this effort involved the creation of the Essayons Club. This was an informal group which met during the winter months and presented professional engineer papers. In 1885, the School of Application received formal recognition by the War Department. In 1890, the name was changed to United States Engineer School.

In 1901, the School moved from Willets Point to Washington Barracks in Washington, D.C., and was renamed the Engineer School of Application. This name lasted only a few years. In 1904, the name was changed back to the Engineer School. The Engineer School remained at Washington Barracks for the next 19 years, although it closed from time to time because of a shortage of officers, or national emergencies. In 1909, certain courses associated with the field army moved to Ft. Leavenworth, and the Army Field Engineer School opened in 1910. That school, a part of the Army Service Schools, closed in 1916. The First World War forced a closing of the Engineer School as the instructors and students were needed to officer the expanding engineer force. The school resumed its instruction in 1920, but at a different location. Washington Barracks was transferred to the General Staff College and the Engineer School moved to Camp A. A. Humphreys, south of Mount Vernon, in Virginia. This was a World War I camp built on land acquired by the War Department in 1912. The original name for the tract was Belvoir. In 1935, Camp Humphreys was renamed Fort Belvoir.

After 68 years, in 1988, the home of the Engineer School was moved to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri "due to a shortage of land for training at Fort Belvoir" The move also allowed engineer training of officers, warrant officers and enlisted to be conducted in the same location..

USAES and Engineer Regiment symbology. The distinctive insignia for the U.S. Army Engineer School was approved by the War Department on June 27, 1929. It had been used on diplomas and stationery since 1924. Scarlet and white are the colors of the Engineers. Scarlet represents the shared heritage with the Artillery. From 1794 to 1802, the Engineers were part of the Corps of Artillerists and Engineers. White is the traditional color of the Infantry. Its use on the shield reflects the Engineers’ secondary mission of fighting as infantry. Above the shield is the “Lamp of Knowledge”. The lamps represents the Engineer Schools mission to train and educate.

Under the shield is the motto of the Engineers-Essayons. It is a French term which means “Let us strive”, “Let us try”. The use of this term reflects the contributions of French Engineers to the Nation’s struggle for independence and the influence of the French Engineers on the early development of the Corps.

The castle symbolizes the classical role of Engineers as those who build fortifications and those who breach their walls. The castle has been used by the Corps since 1840, when it was adopted as a device on the uniform of the Cadets of the United States Military Academy.

Organization The U.S. Army Engineer School is composed of Headquarters staff, the Directorate of Training and Leader Development, the Directorate Of Environmental Protection and Management, 1st Engineer Brigade, the Counter Explosive Hazards Center and the Engineer Personnel Development Office.

Command , the Commandant of the U.S. Army Engineer School is Colonel Timothy Hudson. The Regimental Command Sergeant Major is CSM David Palmer. The Regimental Chief Warrant Officer is CW5 Willie Gadsden Jr.

Commandants Image Name Period of Office Colonel Jonathan Williams 1802–1812 Brigadier General Joseph Gardner Swift 1812–1817 Brigadier General Sylvanus Thayer 1817–1833 Brigadier General Rene' E. De Russy 1833–1838 Major General Richard Delafield 1838–1845 & 1856–1861 Brigadier General Henry Brewerton 1845–1852 Colonel Robert Edward Lee 1852–1855 Major General John G. Barnard 1855–1856 Captain Pierre G. T. Beauregard 1861 Lieutenant Colonel Alexander H. Bowman 1861–1864 Major General Zealous B. Tower 1864 Brigadier General George Washington Cullum 1864–1866 Major James C. Duane 1866–1868 Major Henry Larcom Abbot 1868–1886 Major Cyrus B. Comstock 1886–1887 Major William R. King 1887–1895 Major William T. Rossell 1895 Major John G. D. Knight 1895–1901 Major William Murray Black 1901–1903 Major Edward Burr 1903–1906 Major Eben Eveleth Winslow 1906–1907 Major William Campbell Langfitt 1907–1910 Major William Jones Barden 1910–1913 Major Joseph E. Kuhn 1913–1914 Major William Preston Wooten 1914–1916 Major Gustave Rudolph Lukesh 1916 Major General Mason Mathews Patrick 1916–1917 & 1921 Colonel William Wright Harts 1917 Colonel Henry Jervey 1917 Colonel Frederic Vaughan Abbot 1917–1918 Colonel Richard Park 1918 Brigadier General Charles Willauer Kutz 1918 Colonel Jay Johnson Morrow 1919 Major General Clement A. F. Flagler 1919–1920 Brigadier General William Durward Connor 1920 Colonel Meriwether Lewis Walker 1920–1921 Major General Mason Patrick 1921 Colonel James Albert Woodruff 1921–1924 Colonel Harry Burgess 1924 Colonel Sherwood Alfred Cheney 1924–1925 Colonel Edward Murphy Markham 1925–1929 Colonel Edward Hugh Schulz 1929–1933 Colonel George Redfield Spalding 1933–1935 Colonel Laurance V. Frazier 1935–1936 Colonel Julian Larcombe Schley 1936–1937 Colonel Thomas M. Robins 1938–1939 Colonel James Alexander O'Connor 1939–1940 Brigadier General Roscoe Campbell Crawford 1940–1943 Colonel Xenophon Herbert Price 1943–1944 Brigadier General Edwin H. Marks 1944 Brigadier General Gordon Russell Young 1944 Brigadier General Dwight Frederick Johns 1944–1945 Brigadier General Patrick Henry Timothy Jr. 1936–1937 Major General Francis B. Wilby 1945–1946 Colonel Willis Edward Teale 1946–1947 Major General William Morris Hoge Jr. 1947–1948 Major General Douglas Lafayette Weart 1948–1951 Major General Stanley Lonzo Scott 1951 Major General Arthur W. Pence 1951–1954 (Died in office) Major General Louis W. Prentiss 1954–1956 Major General David H. Tulley 1956–1958 Major General Gerald E. Galloway 1958–1960 Major General Walter K. Wilson Jr. 1960–1961 Major General Stephen R. Hanmer 1961–1962 Major General Lawrence J. Lincoln 1962–1963 Major General William F. Cassidy 1963–1965 Major General Frederick J. Clarke 1965–1966 Major General Robert F. Seedlock 1966–1967 Major General Arthur W. Oberbeck 1968 Major General George H. Walker 1968–1969 Major General William C. Gribble Jr. 1969–1970 Major General Robert R. Ploger 1970–1973 Major General Harold R. Parfitt 1973–1975 Major General James A. Johnson 1975–1977 Major General James L. Kelly 1977–1980 Major General Max W. Noah 1980–1982 Major General James Neal Ellis 1982–1984 Major General Richard S. Kem 1984–1987 Major General William H. Reno 1987–1988 Major General Daniel R. Schroeder 1988–1991 Major General Daniel W. Christman 1991–1993 Major General Joe N. Ballard 1993–1995 Major General Clair F. Gill 1995–1997 Major General Robert B. Flowers 1997–2000 Major General Anders B. Aadland 2000–2002 Major General Robert L. Van Antwerp Jr. 2002–2004 Major General Randal Castro 2004–2006 Major General William H. McCoy 2006–2007 Brigadier General Gregg Martin 2007–2008 Colonel Robert A. Tipton 2008–2009 Brigadier General Bryan G. Watson 2009–2011 Brigadier General Peter “Duke” DeLuca 2011–2013 Brigadier General Anthony C. Funkhouser 2013-2015 Brigadier General James H. Raymer 2015 - 2017 Brigadier General Robert F. Whittle Jr. 2017 - 2019 Brigadier General Mark Quander 2019 - 2021 Colonel Daniel H. Hibner 2021–2022 COLONEL JOSEPH C. “CLETE” GOETZ II 2022-2024 COLONEL STEPHEN J. KOLOUCH 2024-2025COLONEL TIMOTHY P. HUDSON2025-2026

Regimental Command Sergeants Major Image Name Period of Office SGM Frederick W. Gerber 1867–1875 SGM A.M. Wagner 1961–1962 SGM G.F. Humphreys 1962–1964 SGM M.H. Philips 1964–1966 SGM A.M. Wagner Jan-Mar 1966 SGM M.H. Philips 1966-1968 SGM Harry W. Dawson Mar-Jul 1968 CSM Griffith A. Jones 1968–1969 CSM M.H. Philips 1969–1971 CSM H. Salazar 1971–1973 CSM Adriano W. Benini 1973–1975 CSM Robert G. Cady 1975–1977 CSM Lucion L. Cowart 1977–1979 CSM Frederick J. Eisenbart 1979–1981 CSM Marvin L. Knowles 1981–1982 CSM Orville W. Troesch Jr. 1982–1984 CSM C.T. Tucker 1984–1986 CSM M. Lee 1986–1988 CSM Acie Gardner 1986–1991 CSM W. E. Woodall 1991–1992 CSM Richard N. Wilson 1992–1993 CSM Roy L. Burns 1993–1996 CSM Julius Nutter 1996–1997 CSM Robert M. Dils 1997–1999 CSM Arthur Laughlin 1999–2000 CSM Robert R. Robinson II 2000–2002 CSM William D. McDaniel Jr. 2002–2003 CSM Clinton J. Pearson 2003–2008 CSM Robert J. Wells 2008–2011 CSM Terrence W. Murphy 2011–2013 CSM Butler J. Kendrick Jr. 2013 - 2015 CSM Bradley J. Houston 2015 - 2017 CSM Trevor C. Walker 2017 - 2018 CSM Douglas William Galick 2019 - 2020 CSM John T. Brennan 2020 - 2023 CSM Zachary Plummer 2023 - 2025CSM David D. Palmer2025 - Present

Regimental Chief Warrant Officers Image Name Period of Office CW5 Robert K. Lamphear 2007–2011 CW5 Scott R. Owens 2011 - 2015 CW5 John F. Fobish 2015 - 2017 CW5 Jerome Bussey 2017 - 2019 CW5 Dean A. Registe 2019 - 2023 CW5 Willie Gadsden Jr. 2023 - 2026CW5 Jason R. Davis2026 - Present

Engineer

The school published Engineer (), a professional bulletin.

See also

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Prime Power School

References

External links U.S. Army Engineer School Official Website