I consider it necessary to note that I wrote the essay in 1883. Due to special circumstances, I did not have the opportunity to print it at that time. Unfortunately, I cannot finish it now, bringing it to the present time and putting it in the order that is necessary for publication, due to lack of time. Now, taking advantage of the kind attention of the editors of the Military Historical Bulletin, it is with particular pleasure that I present the Historical Essay compiled by me into the full ownership of the Kievo Department of the Imperial Russian Military Historical Society. If they find it useful to print it, I will not encounter any obstacles to eliminating from it everything that is considered superfluous, and I will also not pretend to introduce editorial corrections in it.
VERY ARIES
I ask for indulgence in my work, for I am aware that I am transmitting it in an unfinished and incompletely developed form.
In compiling this essay, I adhered to the following:
1) Present everything, if possible, in chronological order.
2) Since the development of any specialty is, in the main, directly dependent on the persons in charge and on the forms of management itself, I considered it necessary, in parallel with the course of historical events in the life of the Field Engineering Troops, to briefly outline the history of the Management systems and the persons who managed the Engineering Corps.
3) Field Engineering Troops and Military Engineers, although they were subordinate to the same chief commander - the Inspector General for the Engineering Unit and bore the same general name “Engineering Corps”, but for all that, their activities and assignments, at the present time, are completely clearly defined, sharply demarcated from each other and from one another, without damage to the cause, cannot be replaced.
They were in a completely different position before, although they were always in the position of the same chief commander. The number of officers of the Field Engineering Troops, until 1797, called Miners and General Schoners, was so small that during military operations, most of the duties that now constitute the direct specialty of sappers had to be assigned to military engineers.
That is why, in this essay, I considered it necessary to also talk about military engineers to the extent that it concerned Field Engineering.
In view of the fact that our society, as I have heard more than once, has not formed a completely correct and clear view of the existing difference between field engineering troops and military engineers, I allow myself to dwell a little on the question of their purpose and education for military forces at the present time and compare with the past.
Military engineers have been appointed and are currently constructing and maintaining long-term fortifications, i.e. those that are erected in advance in peacetime, as well as the construction and repair of various types of military buildings. Both types of these works require particularly serious knowledge of the history of fortification, long-term fortification, mechanics, higher mathematics, construction art, architecture, physics and chemistry, which they acquire at the Engineering Academy!
and with which the officers of the Field Engineers are comparatively less familiar.
The assignment of the Field Engineering Troops of the present time has been completed, without exception, all Engineering work necessary for the army and during military operations (the details of their service have already been listed by me on the first pages of this essay).
It was completely different in the period that I am considering in this essay, i.e. to 1802.
In addition to the construction of fortresses erected in advance in peacetime and various types of military buildings, military engineers were also responsible for the siege and defense of fortresses and fortified field positions, i.e. So! I work, which, at present, constitute the direct specialty of only the Field Engineering Troops.
Military engineers stationed in the active army, in order to carry out the above-mentioned work, even bore the special name “Field Engineers”.