nearly as much needed as though we had not already
the works of Sir Howard Douglas, Drien, Haillot, and Meurdra, and the
chapters on bridges by Laisne and Duane. General Cullum's work has more
precision and is more available for practical guidance than any other.
The absolute thoroughness with which the India-rubber pontoon system is
described by him gives a basis for appreciating the other systems
described in outline.

It is hardly too much to say that we owe to General Cullum more than to
any other person the development in our service of systematic
instruction in pontoniering. Before the Mexican War, Cullum and Halleck
had ably argued the necessity of organizing engineer troops to be
specially instructed as sappers, miners, and pontoniers. In an article
on "Army Organization," in the "Democratic Review," were cited a
striking series of instances in which bridge-trains or their lack had
decided the issue of grand operations. The history of Napoleon's
campaigns abounds in proofs of their necessity, and the testimony of the
Great Captain was most emphatic on this point. His Placentia and
Beresina crossings are specially instructive. The well-sustained
argument of the article on "Army Organization" was a most effective aid
to General Totten's efforts as Chief Engineer to secure the organization
of our first engineer company. This company proved to be the well-timed
and successful school in which our pontoon-drill grew up and became
available for use in the present war. There are now four regular
companies and several volunteer regiments of engineer troops, whose
services are too highly valued to be hereafter ignored.

In 1846, General Taylor reported, that, after the victories of Palo Alto
and Resaca de la Palma, a pontoon-train would have enabled him to cross
the Rio Grande "on the evening of the battle," take Matamoras "with all
the artillery and stores of the enemy and a great number of
prisoners,--in short, to destroy entirely the Mexican army." This
striking evidence of the necessity of bridge-equipages as part of the
material of army-trains coincided with the organization of the first
engineer company, and led to the preparation of pontoon-trains for
General Taylor and General Scott. General (then Captain) Cullum "had the
almost exclusive supervision, devising, building, and preparing for
service" of these trains, and of that used for instruction at West
Point. To him is chiefly due the formation of the system of