Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-04-10


knowledge. Some years ago the charge
that some Of the Federal soldiers wore
| oreast-plates was denied and decried as a
| gross SANDER. and IN reply thereto / pub
Hshed in the Nation the statement here
| mace. These, no doubt represented a
lew sporadic cases, worn without the
Know ledge OF others The Confederate
soldiers had TO rely for improved arms
on captures on the battlefield, and on
importation. when the blockade could be
avoided, having available no large
| armory.
| The Tredegar Iron-Works at Rich
mond, Va, was the chief mandatory OF
seige and field-guns. all cast iron and
smooth bore. The large Columbiads were
made there. also the howitzers Pinch
bronze Napoleons, etc. But the highly
| valued banded Parrot 3-inch rifles. with
which the army was well supplied, were,
as a rule, captured on the battlefield.
| As the war continued great difficulties
| were experienced in obtaining the need
| ful ordnance supplies, and many devices
| were resorted to. After the battles about
| Chattanooga, Tenn, when the Confede-
| racy lost possession of the copper mines.
| no more bronze Napoleons could be
| made; but, instead thereof a light cast
| iron l2-pounder. we'll banded after the
| manner OF the Parrot guns, was made.
| and found 10 be equally as effective as
! the Napoleon.
At the beginning Of the war II must be
| remembered the Confederacy had no i'm
| proved arms. no powder-mills. no arse
| nails no armOries, no cap machines. and
| no improved cannon. All supplies. at
| first were obtained by importation.
| though the blockade subsequently cut off
| this foreign supply. All arms We're per-
| cussion-cap muZzle leaders. In the be-
| ginning the old fint-lock smooth-bore
| muskets were changed to percussion-cap
! lock, nd issued to the troops.
To keep a supply Of percussion caps
| was a difficult and very serious problem.
as the demand for caps was about twice
| as great as it was for cartridges.
The machines made after the United
| States pattern did not yield a large sup
| ply, and simpler and much more efficient
| machines for making, hitting, pressing
and vanishing caps were invented and
! made by southern mechanics.
After the Federals obtained possession
Of the oopper-mines Of Tennessee great
anxiety was excited as to the future
| store Of copper, from which to manufac-
| ture percussion caps.
The casting Of bronze feld-guns was
| Immediately suspended, and all available
copper was carefully boarded for the
manufacture Of caps. 1t soon became APP
parent that the supply would be exhaust
| ed. and the armies rendered useless un-
| less other sources of supply could be OBJ
tanned. No reliance could be placed on
the supply from abroad, though large or
ders were forwarded, so stringent was the
blockade; of course the knowledge of this
scarcity Of copper was not made public.
r..r,nr MO- n
render available, If possible, some Of the
copper, turpentine. and apple-brandy
stills which still existed in North Caro-
lima in large numbers.
Secretly. with the approval Of the Chief
of Ordnance an officer was dispatched,
with the necessary authority to purchase
or impress all copper suAs found avail
able. and ship the same, cut into strips,
to the Richmond Arsenal BY eXtraOr-
binary energy he was enabled to forward
the amount necessary for our use. The
strips Of copper Of these old stills were
reroIed and handed over to the cap
manufactures. And thus were all the
caps issued from the arsenal and used
by the armies Of the Confederate
States, during the last twelve months Of
the war, manufactured from the copper
stills of North Carolina.
After the completion Of the cap-ma-
chimes. which were an improvement on
the old United States machine, eight
hands only, two being men, the others
boys and girls, frequently manufactured
from the strip copper over 100000 caps,
within eight hours, stamping filling, pre-
pairing and vanishing them.
These cap-machines thus had a capacity
Of producing q million day.
These caps made at the arsenal were
Fra. E.rfF 1Er ~ a,1 L
superior in resisting effects Of moisture
and in general efficiency
For the completion of these machines
the Confederate Government awarded
tho inVentor-an employee of the drse-
nal-the sum of $l25000, being then equal
to 1900 in gold.
To manufacture the illuminate of mer-
curry, we needed nitric acid and mercury
quantity OF mercury was obtained
early in the war from Mexico. To make
nitric acid we required nitre and sui
phuric acid. The sulphuric acid we manu-
featured in North Carolina, after many
failures and difficulties, especially in OBJ
tanning the lead TO line the chambers.
Nitre was made by the Nitre and
Mining Bureau, especially organized for
that purpose. Everywhere about the en-
vlrons Of Richmond could be seen large
earthern ricks and heaps which con-
tanned dead horses and other animals
designed for use In the manufacture Of
nitre The available earth from caves
was also made 10 yield its quota Of nitre
With this sulphuric acid and nitre, on the
banks Of the James river, we manufac-
turcd the nitric acid required in the man
ufacture of illuminate.
Near the close of the war the supply
Of mercury became exhausted. Here was
a most serious difficulty We had not, and
could not obtain, the mercury, an essen
tial material with which to manufacture
illuminate of mercury, and without caps
the army could not fight, and must be
disbanded. This was an extremely Sc
rious situation, as no mercury could be
obtained In the limits Of the Confederacy.
We began 10 experiment on substitutes.
and fortunately found in Richmond two
Observation-Disclosures of potash and SUI
phuret OF antimony-which, when pro
perlv combined, answered the purpose
Satisfactorily. And the battles aiSlnd
Petersburg during the last few months Of
the war were fought with caps filled with
this novel substitute. our lead was OBJ
tanned chiefly and in the last years Of
the war entirely from the lead-mne near
Wythevlle, Va.
The mines were worked night and day.