Chapter 2 Summary

Andrew Atkinson Humphreys is born in 1810 as the only child of a wealthy and influential Philadelphia family. He has a desire to achieve fame and the recognition of the world, and he enters West Point and graduates from the Army Corps of Engineers.

Humphreys briefly fights in the Seminole wars in Florida, but he becomes ill in 1836 and resigns from the army. In 1839, he is appointed to the Corps of Topographical Engineers. In 1845, he is appointed to the U.S. Coastal Survey, a post he retains for six years.

In 1850, Congress authorizes a survey of the lower Mississippi River. Humphreys seeks the appointment to complete the survey. However, he has competition. A well-known engineer named Charles Ellet, Jr., also seeks the appointment. Eventually, Congress divides the funds and apportions half of the funds to each engineer.

The Mississippi River is incredibly powerful and...