[Corps of Engineers from Alex. Hamilton with letter of March 8 1800] · March 8. 1800 S^r. Herewith you have the draft of a Bill respecting the [corps] & engineers, & Artillerists. I have in made out not in [pursuance] from [your] report by [forming] the Regiment of Artillerists, at its comple- ment [as] two battalions & and [supposed] the organising & [raising] of one battalion — This comes to the [same] result & appears to me most correct & systematic. I leave a doubt [to] the privates; [suppose] there may be a mistake in printing as I cannot make out the principle of 780 privates [to two] battalions 65 an [odd] number to a company — Perhaps the actual [establish]- ment is a [inferior] [standard] [say] 48 p[er] company [excluding] Artificers which for a [full] Regiment will amount to 768 I cannot endorse your [undecipherable] [undecipherable] to a Regiment of Engine[ers] [The] Monstrum horrendum informe [&] — I [am] [Preparing] a third Bill Y^rs truly A Hamilton [2 116] An Act for the better organising the Corps of Artillerists and Engineers to be hereafter denominated "the Corps of Engineers and Artillerists" Be it enacted — That ins[tead] of the present establish- ment of the Corps of Artillerists and Engineers the same shall hereafter be composed of a Regiment of Engineers, a Regiment of Horse Artillerists and a Regiment of Foot Artillerists. That the functions of the Engineers and Artillerists shall be separate and distinct, those of the former relating to the science of Artillery, those of the latter to fortification and other military constructions and to the attack and defence of fortified places. — Provided always, that this separation shall not be understood to prevent a Commanding Officer from designating the Officers of one or the other to perform duties peculiar to the other, when special circumstances shall in his opinion require it. And be it further enacted that a Regiment of Engineers shall consist of two Lieutenant Colonels one first, and one second, three Majors, twelve Captains, twenty four first Lieutenants, twenty four second Lieutenants and twenty four [undecipherable] to which shall be attached four companies of [Miners] and Artificers to be formed as hereafter mentioned. — And be it further enacted that a Regiment of Artillerists whether horse or foot shall consist of four battalions, each of [four] companies, and of these [Officers] and men (to wit) one Lieutenant Colonel Commandant, four Majors, one Adjutant, one Quarter Master, one Pay master, each being a Lieutenant, one Surgeon, and two Surgeon Mates, sixteen Captains, thirty two Lieutenants besides the three above mentioned, thirty two [undecipherable] sixty four Serjeants, sixty four Corporals, two chief Musicians, [sixteen] other Musicians and privates — [undecipherable] shall be incorporated into the [Regiments] of Artillerists [&] in organised pursuant to this act. [And] such of the Officers as upon examination may be found best qualified for the corps of Engineers may be transferred to that Corps and that supernumeraries, if any there be, may with their consent be transferred to the [Infantry] in grades corresponding with them which they [undecipherable], or the [Secretary] a many remain attached to the Regiments of Artillerists and [file] according to their respective [Ranks] [undecipherable] vacancies in battalions and companies as they shall accrue. And be it further enacted that the Artificers of the present Regiments shall be formed into four companies two of Miners and two of Artificers. That a company of Miners or Artificers shall consist of one Captain one first, one second Lieutenant four Serjeants four Corporals and [fifty] one Privates — That the Commissioned Officers of those four companies shall be Officers of the Regiment of Engineers to be assigned by the commandant of that regiment. — And be it further enacted that the pay and allow- ances of the Regiments of Engineers and Artillerists, according to the establishment hereby presented, shall be similar to those of the Regiments to which they are to be substituted. And be it further enacted that in case open War shall break out between the United States & any foreign European power or in case imminent danger of invasion of their territory shall in the opinion of the President be discovered to exist, it shall be lawful for him to [organise] and cause to be raised two Regiments of Horse Artillerists in addition to that provided for by this Act together with the two Battalions of Artillerists [mentioned] as aforesaid and for this purpose, if in the recess of the Senate, to appoint alone the Officers thereof, and to borrow upon the credit of the United States from the bank of The United States or any other body or bodies politic or persons whomsoever a sum not exceeding dollars — And be it further enacted that the Corps of Engineers and Artillerists shall be under the chief command of a General —