The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1904-01-21
HARPER'S FERRY GUN MACHINERY.
How It Went South, and How II Was Brough,
North Again.

| EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: Please
permit word by way of informa ton rel
alive to the capture and use of the Har-
pers Ferry Arsenal property, not gener-
ally found in the history of the civil war.
1t will be remembered that on Sept.
10. 1862. Col. Miles, then commanding at
Harpers Ferry, surrendered with 1900
men, to the rebel Jackson.
Jackson at once proceeded to ship the
machinery used by the United States in
Harper's Ferry for the manufacture Of
arms to Fayetteville, on the Cumberland
| it was placed in operation, manufacturing
arms for the rebel army, until Sherman,
in March, 1865, put them out OF business,
when they loaded the machinery on the
cars OF a coal road going from Fayette-
vile to Egypt, in Chatham County, where
they unloaded and secreted it. Egypt was
| noted for its big coal mines, owned and
operated by Philadelphia capitalists be-
fore the war, and the mines had been coll
| fiscated by the rebel government, and
leased to a firm styled Malette u Brown,
who operated it by men conscripted for
| the service.
On the removal Of the. Twenty third
on duty in Washington City during the
last days of January, and until the capture
OF Richmond, April 3, 1865. was in
charge of the shipping of troops and
stores to North Carolina. At that time
and for year previous was on the staff
Of Gen. Schofield as A. A. @. NJ, Twenty
| third Corps, in charge OF ordnance trans
portal ton. under Col. ]. 4. Boyd. Chief
| Quartermaster.
When the junction was formed between
Sherman and Schofield, at Goldsboro, n.
| c., | joined my command at that place,
and was placed in charge Of the Twenty
third Corps trains and teams on our move
to Raleigh. f..,+
When the Paroling Commission was or
ganized,yto parole, Johnst0n's army. was
made member OF it, aIid with Capt. e..
A. Lyon now of the IntHrior Department.
constituted the O.. NJ. Department of the
Commission. l furnished the stationery
and paper for printing thefparoles. Hay-
| ing finished that duty IsfetNrned to Ra-
headquarters, met a citizen sna med Silas
Burns, who came FROM Chatham County
to inform Gen. Schofield about the, Har-
per's Ferry Arsenal property. May B was
directed, to proceed to Chatham County and
procure this arsenal property. Accordingly,
on the morning of MaH 8 j took 96 six
mule teams. aud started for Egypt, on that
duty. arriving in Egypt May II, where.
caught Col. Northrop, formerly Commits
sary-G General, c. s. A.. trying to escape.
Re was on the run, armed with three re-
yolvers. l stopped him. and assured him
that he need not run; that peace Ind been
declared: but be was 50 used TO running
that he hardly knew how to stop
| ! found most OF the Arsenal property
and loaded it on ms wagons to move to
Raleigh. found, also. other stores, in
ending one 1x-pound Napoleon gun, to-
gether with onexload Of musket barrels
| without stocks.
Very many Interesting events occurred
| in tho few days that remained in Egypt.
L nth II n Id
| Fayetteville and brought back one of the
lessees, named Brown, who had secreted
| the valve of the pump in the big mine, 460
feet below the surface. put him down
the shaft to replace the valve, and the az
grieyed conscript miners We're determined
| been fer the strong guard i placed over
the machinery, he would never have seen
daylight again.
/ notified the Philadelphia capitalists
| and former owners by wire. | also put
| the engineers to work and kept the wa
ter pumped out of the mine. ! hauled the
| arsenal property to Raleigh, where 1t was
loaded on cars for Washington.
| While gathering together the machinery,
dies, ETC., / found the die used to impress
the image OF the eagle on the Harper's
Ferry musket lock. 1t was the one used
at Harper's Ferry for the same purpose,
but the U. s: A. had been plowed out,
keyed in, making it read G. s. A., instead
of u. 8. A. This was very fine piece OF
mechanism. At the close of the war took
this die to Washington, and at the Arse
nal wharf. at Washington. d. c., it was
tested with the stamp Of the eagle on the
old Harper's Ferry musket, and verified
as the one used at Harper's Ferry. / am
still in possession of this die as relic.
| Efforts have been made to secure it to be
placed in relic collections, but / retain
possession. l might add that during the
| war, years before and years after, kept
a diary, recording events each day, and
| this enables me to give the day and dates
OF all events with which was connected.
w. j. NELSON.