Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1863-04-30
From the Cincinnati Enquirer.


The London Times of March 18th, haz another d.
rect correspondence from the rebel States dated
gusta January 26th 1t is written in the usual style
OF the Confederate correspondence of the Times, more
eulogstc OF the rebels than the rebel papers
themselves The following account of the powder mills
established by the Confederate government contains
some valuable information
When. upon the 18th of April, 1861, Fort Sumter
surrendered to General Beauregard and the Coufede-
rates, not one single pound of gunpowder was any,
where manufactured il the Confederacy. A rigorous
blockade Of the seaports of the South was Immediately
commenced through which tbs principal ingredient of
gunpowder ealtpeer had to be largely sucked in. At
this jun cture it seemed advisable to President Davis to
intrnst to Colonel Raines, formerly an officer OF the
United States army the responsibility OF planning and
building large government mill for the manufacture
of gunPowder For this post Colonel Rains possessed
eminent qualifications. He had been professor of
chemistry at West Point and for some years since eav-
ing the army be had been at the head large iron
works at Nswburg, on the Hudson. Augusta in Geor-
gla, was selected the site of the intended MILL and
never both regards the person and the situation pitch
ed upon happier sagaciy evince by the President
Following, so tar as he acquainted with it, the
plan upon which the gunpowder mill at Watbam Alb
hey, belonging to the English government, is built
Colonel Rains proceeded to construct the works
snry for his purpose and the which has attend
ed his Efforts has been such could have been
believed before the pressure of and privation had
awakened Southern ingenuity and enterprise. The re-
suit Is that, at the cost of about 100000, of the
perfect RunpOWQer lnlll8 In the world has been
produced, which turns out Eve thousend pounds of
powder per day. and cocd produce double that amount
II worked day and night and much more if ked un-
der the exgehcy OF pressing demand.
The cost of this powder in spite of the costlness of
the salpetre which has been introduced through the
blockade, lsabout four cents per pound which is about
the same as its cost in England. The mill has now
been constantly at work tor many mouths and
quently, moi powder than the Conederacy is likely to
require for years to come has already been produced
There II another government powder mill at Columbia,
in South Carolina, working, L believe, to supply
the wants. mot very large yeti of the Confederate
navy But all the gunpowder issued for the service OF
the Confederate armies of Virginia and the West and
also for the defense of Charleston and Vcksburg has
come out OF the mill at Augusta and it was stated to
me- ny an ordnance officer in Charleston that the DOW
der which he had recently received there and tested was
very nearly if not entirely up to the standard of the
finest English manufacture.
The extreme elaboration with which the Confeder.
ate government has engaged in many large and costly
undertakings requiring long time for their completion
and much ingenuity in their dsgn is the best earnest
OF the quletness and confidence with which they have
from the very commencement looked at their ndepen-
aence o. at thing which they could not fail to obtain
These government powder mills at Columbia and Al-
gusta are by no the sole achievements of the
Confederaes at home n support of their soldiers in
the held 1t may be noticed in the North, although
tne necessity for the erection of government powder
mill has often been represented to the War Department
at ashlngton such mill has ever been erected 1t
mas been found that private interests have been too
strongly represented in Congress to admit OF the with
araWal OF the government patronage from the great
private firms in Connecticut and Delaware between
which it is believe, divided. In hundreds of matters
that necessity, which thought by the North GER
tain to crush the Southern power of resistance has but
developed energy fer which the world and especial
y England, was very little prepared.