III. Engineer artificers are a class of men employed in the practical operations of constructing forts and other military defences, and in making and repairing all the implements used by the engineer troops in the operations of sapping and mining, in crossing rivers, in constructing field-defences, and in the attack and defence of fieldworks.

As very few new fortifications are now required in France, the services of engineer artificers are less necessary and important than in our service, where large sums of money are annually expended upon military defences, There are, however, in the French army a corps of engineer artificers, consisting of eight officers and a cadre of fifty-four non-commissioned officers, with a variable number of privates, organized into two companies. But in our army we have no regular engineer artificers! In our artillery service we have three hundred and thirty enlisted artillery artificers.  If these are useful and necessary to the artillery service, which no one doubts, for still stronger reasons would it be advantageous to the public service to employ at least an equal number of enlisted engineer artificers on our fortifications; for the annual expenditure of public money is here much greater than in the corresponding branch of the artillery service.

IV. Engineer troops are divided into three classes—­1st, sappers and pioneers; 2d, miners; and 3d, pontoniers.

In the French army of 1799, there were four battalions of sappers, consisting of 120 officers and 7,092 men.  In 1804, Napoleon organized five battalions of these troops, consisting of 165 officers and 8,865 men.  Even this number was found insufficient in his campaigns in Germany and Spain, and he was obliged to organize an additional number of sappers from the Italian and French auxiliaries.  The pioneers were then partly attached to other branches of the service.  There is, at present, in the French army a considerable number of sappers or pioneers detached for the service of the infantry regiments, three companies of sapeurs-conducteurs, and forty-two companies of sapeurs.  In the French army of 1799, there were six companies of miners, consisting of 24 officers and 576 men.  In 1804, Napoleon increased these troops to nine companies, containing 36 officers and 864 men.  The present French peace establishment contains six companies of miners, organized much the same as under Napoleon.  In the French army of 1799 there were two regiments of pontoniers, of 38 officers and 960 men.  But this number was found too small in the remaining campaigns, and the deficiency was temporarily supplied by organizing sailors for these duties.  In the present French army organization, there are eleven companies of pontoniers, forming a regiment of sixty-three officers.

We have in our service no sappers, miners, or pontoniers, and, in case of war, would be found without the means of executing any military works, or performing any military operation which would require engineer troops.