Beyond Lewis and Clark - Timeline 1838
The Army Explores the West
Corps of Topographic Engineers Created (1838)
The U.S. Military Academy at West Point had trained soldier-explorers since 1802. By the late 1820s, though, the Army’s small bureau of topographical engineers was being stretched.
Vast areas of the country were unexplored and contested. Settlers moving west demanded roads, canals, and navigable rivers. These needs led the Army to revise its structure and make more efficient use of its specialized officers.
In 1829 the Topographical Bureau became an independent branch of the Army reporting directly to the Secretary of War. This new organization professionalized the role of soldier-explorer.
Beyond Lewis and Clark is an online exhibit developed by the Kansas Museum of History. It is the result of a partnership between the Kansas Historical Society, the Virginia and Washington State historical societies, the U. S. Army's Frontier Army Museum at Leavenworth, and the U. S. Army Center of Military History.
- Explorers
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Timeline
- 1800 - Jefferson elected President
- 1804-1806 - Lewis and Clark expedition
- 1803 - Louisiana Purchase
- 1806-1807 - Pike expedition
- 1812 - War of 1812
- 1819-1820 - Long expedition
- 1838 - Corps of Topographic Engineers created
- 1842-1846 - Frémont expeditions
- 1846-1848 - Mexican War
- 1846 - Emory expedition
- 1848-1855 - U.S.-Mexican Boundary Survey
- 1853-1854 - Pacific Railroad Survey
- 1861-1865 - Civil War
- 1867 - King expedition
- 1871-1879 - Wheeler expedition
- 1874 - Custer expedition
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- Exhibit Home
Contact us at kshs.kansasmuseum@ks.gov
