In reference to Jean A. Lochet's remarks on the dearth of information on the organization of engineering troops in the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars ( New-JAW-News # 18 page 11), I would like to contribute some information on these troops for the readers. I use the term "engineering" troops in its modern context to include sappers, miners and articifers. Prior to the Peninsular Campaign, there were four corps of "engineers" in the British Army [1] : Royal Engineers: During this period (c. 1790-1815), the Royal Engineers consisted sloely of officers with a strength of only a few hundred. Royal Military Artificers: Created by the Duke of Richmond in 1787, primarily to build permanent fortifications. Richmond did try to train them for field service in bridging and mining but the attempt failed. The men of this unit were recruited from volunteers from the line units and generally received the worst class of recruits.. The artificers were distributed around the world wherever there were permanent fortifications to maintain. Royal Staff Corps: Raised by the Duke of York in 1799 to come under the control of the Army, not the Board of Ordnance. Their function was to construct fieldworks. During 1803-1805, the Corps did valuable work in constructing coastal fortifications against the threat of the French. invasion. Some personnel from this corps did serve on overseas expeditions, but none were present in the Peninsula. Barrack Artificer Corps: Created in 1805 to construct barracks and replace the Royal Military Artificers in that service. Mainly stationed in England for barracks construction These four corps represented the "engineering" troops of the British Army when the Peninsular Campaign began note that none of them are "field" corps. The lack of a trained corps of "field engineers" was reflected in the horrendous casualties incurred by the Peninsular Army at the sieges of Badajoz and Cilidad Rodrigo. In 1813, there was created the Corps of Royal Sappers and Miners which began to replace the older Corps of Royal Military Artificers. This corps, composed of companies of NCOs and rank and file and officered by officers seconded from the Royal Engineers underwent a course in singe-work and bridging at Chatham. As noted by Jean Lochet, 300 of this new corps were serving with Wellington by 1813. [2] The uniform of the Corps of Sappe:ers and Nincrs was of infantry pattern of scarlet and not red cloth, with dark blue facing. The lace was yellow, single-space with bastion ends. [3] As far as regimental "engineering" troops go; regulations required that each battalion of foot should have a section of pioneers consistinf of 1 corporal and ten privates to be equipped with ( in addition to their arms)--spades, axes, saws, mattocks, picks, bill-hooks and aprons. [4] Notes [1] Richard Glover, Peninsular Preparation: The Reform of the British Army, 1795-1809 (Cambridge, 1963) pp. 104-106 and J.W. Fortescue, History of the British Army, Volume IV, p. 881. [2] H.M. Chichester and George Burges--Short, The Records and Badges of Every Regiment and Corps in the British Army (Aldershot, 1900 p. 153. [3] Ibid. P. 153; C.H. Smith, The Costume of the Army of the British Empire, (London, 1815). [4] Regulations and Orders for the Army to 1st January, 1816 (Horse Guards, pp.65-66. Back to Empire, Eagles, & Lions Table of Contents Vol. 1 No. 21 Back to EEL List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1978 by Jean Lochet This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com