The Corps of Engineers if the branch of the United States Army with responsibility for military engineering. In peacetime, it is engaged in many civil engineering projects, often related to water, such as harbors and dams.
As a result of these projects, the Corps has become one of the country's largest providers of recreation, operating more than 2500 recreation areas and leasing 1800 others to public agencies at the state and local level and to private concerns as well. It is estimated that one American in ten visits a Corps project annually.
The history of the Corps dates back to 1775, when the Second Continental Congress authorized the first Chief Engineer to build fortifications near Bunker Hill in Boston.
