Q&A · 2:30:13-2:31:02

Who selected the expedition's inadequate engineering force?

The Army selected the land component and failed to provide enough engineers for the siege.

Question

Whose idea was it to send a siege force without a sizable engineering component?

Short answer

The Army chose the land component and assigned its engineers, just as it had selected the unsuitable troops supplied to Anson.

Notes

The Army was responsible for assigning the expedition's land force and its engineering specialists. The shortage is compared with the earlier decision to provide Anson with Chelsea invalids when he had requested combat troops. Naval guns were available, but deciding the land force's composition and supplying engineers remained Army responsibilities. That allocation of responsibility explains why a large fleet did not guarantee a usable siege capability.