Dissertation Research: Fighting Engineers: U.S. Navy and Professional Mechanical Engineering, 1842-1900

本论文研究项目“战斗工程师：美国海军和专业机械工程，1842-1900”，调查了19世纪海军的社会等级、工程风格和工程师。在南北战争之前，海军工程师人数很少，但在战争期间，工程队扩大了几倍。社会冲突在战斗军官和工程军官之间发展起来，在整个世纪后半叶被称为一线人员纠纷。这关系到权威和声望；船上的军官不愿与船上的工程师分享，并反对任何侵犯他们传统特权的行为。对于工程师来说，他们在国会、学术界和工业界获得支持，以获得他们认为应得的尊重。这篇论文与一个更广泛的历史主题有关：政府对技术的赞助，这是一种美国现象，通常有军事根源。从1865年到1890年，美国海军在海军学院创立了现代机械工程。这一新的技术知识体系的形成对国家产生了戏剧性的、意想不到的乘数效应。到本世纪末，海军工程师退伍军人领导着这个国家最大的工业公司，并在最好的大学任教。它们是19世纪美国经济发展中一个关键但被忽视的因素。该项目的资金支持华盛顿特区国家档案馆的研究

This dissertation research project, Fighting Engineers: The U.S. Navy and ProfessionalMechanical Engineering, 1842-1900, investigates nineteenth century Navy socialhierarchy, engineering style, and engineers. Navy engineers were few in number beforethe Civil War, but the engineering corps expanded several fold during the war. Socialconflict developed between combat and engineering officers, known throughout thesecond half of the century as the line-staff dispute. At stake was authority and prestige;line officers were unwilling to share either with shipboard engineers and fought againstany encroachment on their traditional privileges. For their part, engineers rallied supportin Congress, academia, and industry to gain the respect they felt they deserved.This dissertation connects to a broader historical theme: government sponsorshipof technology, an American phenomenon that often has a military genesis. From 1865 to1890, the U.S. Navy created modern mechanical engineering at the Naval Academy. Theformation of this new body of technical knowledge had dramatic and unforeseenmultiplier effects for the nation. By century's end, Navy engineer veterans directed thelargest industrial corporations in the country and taught at its finest universities. Theywere one critical but overlooked factor in nineteenth century American economicdevelopment. Funds for this project support research at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.