Well,
Serg't James E. Wilson Battalion of Engineers U.S.A.
page 2843 - REPORT OF CAPTAIN EDWARD MAGUIRE, CORPS OF ENGINEERS, FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 1882.
Topographical Assistant James E. Wilson was relieved from duty in this office April 24, 1882, by reason of his promotion to be second lieutenant in the Fifth Infantry.
There is something immensely unusual about Sgt.Wilson's military career but I just cannot pin down DoB, yet. I suspect it to be brilliant unusual rather than the droll. Haven't the time at the mo - todo. It could not have been him at Tybee Island, could it?
Appendix S S - Maguire - EXPLORATIONS AND SURVEYS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF DAKOTA.
Report of Lieutenant Edward Maguire, corps of engineers, for the fiscal tear ending june 30, 1880.
Headquarters Department of Dakota, Chief Engineer's Office, Saint Paul, Minn., July 1, 1881.
»»»»»»» »»»»»»» »»»»»»» »»»»»»» »»»»»»» »»»»»»»
Excerpted starting
p2530, from:
Annual report of the Chief of Engineers to the Secretary ... v.3 (1880).
SourceHeadquarters Department of Dakota,
Chief Engineer's Office.
Saint Paul, Minn., April 7, 1880.Sir : I have the honor to submit the following report, showing the duties performed by me during the past summer. Results of observations for meridian, altitude, and latitude, and such other information as I considered would prove useful to the Engineer Department, are respectfully appended.
Paragraph 2, Special Orders, No. 58, Headquarters Department of Dakota. Saint Paul, Minn., dated June 2, 1879, a copy of which is hereunto appended, directed me to proceed to Fort Custer, Mont., and make a survey of the proposed military reservation of that post, and written instructions from the chief engineer of the department directed me on the completion of that duty to make a survey of Custer's battleground and Fort C. F. Smith, Mont., with a view of reserving certain lands as a national cemetery and limestone reservation, respectively. A plan of the post of Fort Custer was also directed to be made.
Paragraph 2, Special Ordcrs No. 58, directed First-class Private Thomas Culligan, Company A, Battalion of Engineers, to proceed with me, and the chief engineer of the department assigned him to duty as my assistant, in which capacity he rendered faithful and efficient service.
Leaving Saint Paul, Minn., June 2,1879. we traveled without any delay to Big Horn Depot, Mont., arriving there June 19. This cantonment was occupied at that time by Company F, Eleventh Infantry, under command of Capt. Ogden B. Read. There being no transportation available, Captain Read telegraphed to Fort Custer, and the commanding officer of that post, Lieut. Col. A. G. Brackett, Second Cavalry, sent an ambulance to transport us and the instruments to Fort Custer, where we arrived June 23.
Active preparations for a campaign were being made at the time of our arrival, ...
... Upon the arrival of the wagons, a detail of one non-commissioned officer and nine privates reported to me by order of Capt. G. K. Sanderson, Eleventh Infantry, then the post-commander. The following day, August 2, everything being in readiness, the survey of the proposed reservation was commenced.
General Orders, No. 1, Headquarters Big Horn Post, Mout., dated July 4, 1877, governed the survey, and reads as follows :
[General Orders, No. 1.]
Headquarters Big Horn Post, Mont.,
July 4, 1877.
2. Until the post be named officially, in orders from higher authority, it will be known as Big Horn Post, and the military reservation pertaining to it is hereby declared as 20 miles square, the center of which will be the flag-staff, the sides running north, east, south, and west.
Geo. P. Buell, Lieutenant-Colonel Eleventh Infantry, Commanding Post.
...
...
p2536,
CUSTER'S BATTLE GROUND.
The verbal instructions of the chief engineer of the department regarding the survey of Custer's battle ground were as follows:
1st. To ascertain the general direction of that portion of the Little Big Horn River flowing through the proposed reserve.
2nd. The reserve to be rectangular, with the eastern and western boundaries parallel, or nearly so, to the general direction of the river.
3d. The northern boundary to pass one mile distant and the eastern boundary one mile distant from Custer's Hill, the western boundary to include the low hills on the west side of the Little Big Horn, aud the southern boundary to include Reno's position.
After surveying the river and platting the work the following boundaries were adopted, viz:
From a point (N.35°W., and one mile distant from the center of Custer's monument) marked "I.P." the boundaries are as follows: N.55°E., 1 mile; thence S.35°E., 6 miles; thence S.55° W., 3 miles; thence N.35°W., 6 miles; thence N.55°E., 2 miles, to the place of beginning.
The variation of the needle at Custer's battle ground is 18° 20' east.
Custer's monument is a pyramidal pile about 10 feet high, composed of bones, and inclosed with logs. It stands on the elevation known as "Custer's Hill." The initial point, 1 mile N.35°W., is marked by a circular stake, 4.5 feet in length and 9 inches in diameter, sunk 2.5 feet, with earth and stone packed up to a height of 1 foot. The stake is marked "1. P., U. S. N. C." on the top.
The posts marking the corners of the proposed national cemetery were made especially for the purpose by tho post-quartermaster at Fort Custer; painted blue, with black crosses mounted on the top; measuring 12 inches along the stall', and 9 inches beam. The posts, 8 feet long and 8 inches square at the end, were made of pine.
From the monument to the I. P. the line passes down the ridge, rolling and sloping gradually downwards. From the I. P. to the northeast corner the line leads down the eastern slope of the ridge, crosses Yates Creek, and ascends a gentle slope to the corner. The grass is nearlv knee deep on this incline.
The corner is marked " U. S. N. C, NE. Cor., 1879. The Custer Battle-Field Nat'l Cem'y."
The eastern boundary, after crossing Yates Creek, ascends a sharp rocky ridge; thence over a rough valley to the high land, reaching it at 9,05S feet from the northeast corner; thence, over a deep chasm with a little running water, to an elevation beyond which is the highest in that section; thence, over a rough, fertile country, to the valley of Reno's Creek, and on to the low divide between Reno's and Benteen's Creeks.
The southeast corner is situated immediately in a ravine. The post marking the position of the corner is situated 316 feet from the corner on the southern boundary, and marked as follows: "U. S. N. C, 1879, SE. Cor., 316 feet N. 55 E. in ravine" (with an indicator pointing in the direction). "The Custer Battle-Field Nat'l Cem'y."
The sonthern boundary to the Little Big Horn passes over a slope draining into.....
p2537... From Custer Monument, which stands on the highest elevation of the ridge, the ground towards the river rolls and slopes to the bank, which is from 6 to 12 feet in height.
The southern boundary of the proposed military reservation intersects the northern boundary of the proposed national cemetery at a point 6,900 feet from the, northeast, corner, and again at 4,850 feet the eastern boundary of the national cemetery is crossed, thus iuclosing 3844 acres, or J of a square mile, in both reservations.
Returning to Fort Custer the Little Big Horn River was meandered to its junction with the Big Horn River, aud the work incorporated on the map of the proposed military reservation. The company and post gardens, also Dana's garden, on the left bank of the Little Big Horn River, give ample proof of the fertility of the valley of that river.
p2539 - The party reached Fort Custer September 14 and Fort Keogh September 22, when the duty ordered by the chief engineer of the department in letter dated "Steamer Butte, August 26, 1879," was completed and the results furnished the commanding officer of the post in obedience to telegraphic instructions from the department com mander.
Reached Fort Buford October 22 and arrived in Saint Paul October 29.
I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
James E. Wilson,
Topographical Assistant.The original idea for the battlefield 'reservation' was much larger than later provisioned as Maguire's budget and sense came under pressure. The monument for Custer Hill, was made by the time Wilson made his survey trip to the battlefield. He was aboard Far West at the time of the battle, and therein lays another tale of the battlefield map by Maguire in 1876. Maguire, didnot map the field, he drew a sketch map. Some of the map which every student knows, was the work of McClernand and the rest of it was something of a mystery (once upon a time). I strongly suspect that the image below is of the mission by James E. Wilson, to layout and map the battlefield, in August 1879. If it is, then.......... wow and what a piece of history. It would, and I hopewill be, a truly remarkable find. The party were delayed at Ft. Custer to await a wagon becoming available for their use.
i.postimg.cc/L6mPT2Gy/Camp-Wilson.jpg