Corps Castle Corps Castle is the logo of the U . S . Army Corps of Engineers ( USACE ) . The logo is typically a white castle with three towers set on a red background . When the Corps Castle is worn as insignia on a uniform , it is similar to the logo design but with a dull or shiny brass finish . The look of the Corps Castle traces its history back to the American Revolution and has evolved over time . Background . The medieval castle as a logo was started in 1840 on an informal basis . Beginning in 1841 , cadets at the United States Military Academy at West Point , New York wore personal insignia of this type known as Gold Castles on their uniforms as they became commissioned officers in the U . S . Army . In 1902 , the Corps Castle was formally adopted by the Army as the insignia of the Corps of Engineers . On uniforms , the logo is customarily gold in color , although it was changed to silver from gold from 1894 – 1921 . In visual color media , the Corps Castle logo is customarily presented in red and white colors . History & origins . The origin of the turreted castle as a symbol of the Corps of Engineers is shrouded in mystery . Unfortunately , the official records of the Corps housed at the Military Academy at West Point disappeared in a pre - Civil War fire in 1838 that destroyed the building containing the records . French connection . As a consequence , many speculative stories about the origins of the engineers have been advanced . One story traces the origins to a French connection . During the American Revolution , the Continental Army filled its necessity for trained military engineers by either borrowing them from France or having French engineers volunteer for service in the Continental Army . Stories about castle origins credit these French engineers , in particular , General Louis Lebegue Duportail , Chief Engineer , Continental Army , 22 July 1777 – 10 Oct . 1783 , with a design based on a castle - style fortification in Verdun , France . These French engineers disappeared from the scene before the castle design appeared in the American Army . Williams explanation . While there may be some truth to the French connection , the origins are also attributed to Colonel Jonathan Williams and a member of his staff , Alexander Macomb . Williams — grandnephew of Benjamin Franklin — assisted Franklin during his tenure as envoy to France during the American Revolution . After the war , he adopted engineering as a profession . In 1801 , Williams was a major , Corps Artillerists engineer , and Inspector of Fortifications . In 1802 , President Thomas Jefferson appointed him commander of the newly created Corps of Engineers and the U . S . Military Academy at West Point . Thus , he was the first Chief Engineer and First Superintendent of West Point of the reestablished Corps . Through his work as Chief Engineer , there is a clue as to who designed the Corps insignia . Between 1807 and 1812 , he designed and constructed Castle Williams to defend New York Harbor . The gateway to that castle - style fortification bore an eagle over the center . Other examples included Castle Pinckney in Charleston , South Carolina and Castle Clinton , which also defended New York Harbor . An assistant on his staff was Colonel Alexander Macomb , who became the Chief Engineer , 1 June 1821 through 24 May 1828 . In 1828 , he was elevated to Commanding General of the U . S . Army . In 1807 , he made the earliest known drawing of the Engineer Button adorned with a castle motif , worn on the uniforms of the West Point cadets during the War of 1812 . Another engineer officer — Colonel Richard Delafield , superintendent of the military academy — added the turreted castle to the new uniform for the West Point cadets in 1838 . Macomb — as Commanding General of the U . S . Army — had an active part in the design of the new uniform . The castle was also a major element in the architectural design of the buildings at West Point , as typified by the old library built in 1841 that survived until 1961 , when it was torn down . Delafield supervised the design and construction of the buildings destroyed by the fire , including the old library . From the evidence , one would conclude that Williams and Macomb , both familiar with French military tradition and heraldry , designed not only the Corps castle emblem but also the Essayons button . Although Macomb ’ s design appeared in 1807 , the authoritative description of the button appeared in February 1840 , in General Orders 7 , AGO : ‘ Essayons , ’ a bastion with embrasures in the distance , surrounded by water , and the rising sun , the figures to be of dead gold upon a bright field . ” While the designs of the emblem and the button have changed , the castle remains a distinctive symbol of the U . S . Army Corps of Engineers . Captain Alden Partridge , Acting Superintendent of the United States Military Academy from 1808 - 1817 , was described by General George D . Ramsey : " Captain Partridge was never known to be without his uniform . . . His was that of the Corps of Engineers with embroidered cuffs and the Essayons button . . . "