The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-03-06
THE ARSENAL
AT RICHMOND.
Interesting Review 81 the Work S
1t Did forathe Confedc-
IL rate Armies.
WAS AT FOOT OF SEVENTH ST.

Included Browns Island, Where
"a an Explosion Occurrcd-A1n1-
ccdotcs and "reminiscences.
william Le Roy Brcum, while president
.of the Alabama RolytechniciI Institute, All
81 burn. andswho was formerly lieutenai1t-
colonel OF ordnance Of the Confederate
army. commanding the arsenal at Hicii-5
mond, wrote the following: 81
5 Early in 1885 II was appointed COM
,1andant of5.the Richmond arsenal. Here
the greater partffof the ordnance and
ordnance stores were prepared forgthe use
g4Sof tho Confederate armies.
The arsenal occupied a NUM- Der Of large
tobacco factories and other buildings a
and near the foot of Seventh Street, near
The Tledegar Iron Works. between Canal
street and the James River. 1t included
all the machine shops for working wood
and iron organized into different depart
5ments. each under subordinate officers.
arranged to manufacture ordnance stores
FOR the use OF the Confederate army.
Cannon were mauc at the Iredegar
Iron Works including siege and field
5{Es guns. Ma poleons, howitzerss and banded
caet-iron guns. cteel Il MS We're no made.
sS we had no facilities for making steel
and no time to experiment. |
Tie steel guns used by the Confedcr-;
ates were highly valued, and, with the
5le3ception OF a few purchased abroad
were an$captured from tile Federals.
5s& at the4 beginning Sof@the war then
chnely belonging to tho armory at lar
per's Ferry, was removed TO R1chmond,
@ and there established In the .-ihtc Ar
&s inory.i This armory manufactured glynf1eld
rifles but the product was very small,
not exceeding five8 hundred pcrlimonth.
With the exception Of "a few thousand
rifles. the soldiers tglhoS hegnninStnfithc
war were armed with the old smooth
bore muskets, ard with old Austrian and
Belgian rifles imported. These they OK
changed for Enfield rifles as they were
favored by the fortunes of}wai.
In the. summer of 1862. after the seven
days battles around Richmond between
General Lee and General Mcclellan. men
were detailed to collect arms from the
W field, which were carriedBtO the Richmond
} arsenal and then as quickly as possible
repaired and rcissued to&thef army. SUBJ
~ scqucntly, through tho blockade runners,
4tt. a large importation of excellent rifles was
received and distributed
BREAST PLATES.
When the men detailed for this purpose
q were collecting the thousands Of Enfield
81 rifles leftlhy the Federals on the battles
iielus around Richmond. | remember see
# ing a few steel breast plates that had
a been worn by tho Federal soldiers who
were killed in battle. They Were solid
in ~ scl, t,nI IA q chs
5 and were worn under the cont. These
were brought as curlosities the arsenal
and had been pierced by bullets. ! re-
member this as 4 fact Of my own KIN ow-
X ledge Some years ago the charge that
4 some ofthe't Federal soldiers wore breast.
"A plates was denied ana decrerl rs "a gross
4s Islander and in reply ,thcreto, published
Mn the Nation the statement hero, made
&@1bese no doubt rcpresentedfa few srora-
e. die cases, worn without the knowledge q.
t others. The Confederate soldiers had &
rely for improved arms OH captures 'oI
the battlefieds and on importation, whei
iii .he blockade could be avoided, huvint
available no large arnory.
IN The Tredegar Iron Works at Richmond
Va, was the chief mandatory of scg
x aud field guns, all cast-iron and smootI
bore. The large Columbiads were mad
there also the howitzers, twelve-nc
bronze Napoleons, etc. But the hlghl
valued banded Parrot threc-inch rifles
with which the army was We.- supplied
were as a rule, captured on the hattie
field.
As the war continued great dtiicultic
were experienced IN obtaining the need
ful ordnance supplies, and many device
We're resorted 10. After The battles abou
Chattanooga, Tenn, when the Contedel
r.@acy lost possession OF the copper nine!
no more bronze Napoleons conid be made
but instead thereof light GASTRIC
twelve-pounder. well banded after I'll
manner OF the Parrot guns, was mad
and found TO be equally as effective I;
a the Napoleon.
GAPS"
At the beginning Of the war II mus
n be remembered that The Coniadcrnpy la
no improved arms no powder mus, i
II arsennls, no armorles. no cap machine
~ und no Improved cannon All supplies
4 first. were obtained By ilnportatio
though the blockade subsequently, cut {
@ tt!s foreign supply. An aims were pc
H cussion cap rluzze laaacss IN thr i
* ginning the old tllnt-Ioclt smoosh,bo
& ;nnsBcts we're changed - percussion q
N lock and issued 70 ti1e troops
- 10 keep a supply OF pqrenssiop en-
@ Was Il difficult and very serious probcl
as the demand Tor tho caps was abo
s9 twice as great as II was Tor cartTidgt
The nuphineB made after tho Unit
at states pattern did not yield alarge su
iiy. and @smpler and much more eiicle
5rgchines for making. fitting, pressr
f md vanishing caps wefe invented a
H9 made by southeIn mechanics
After tbs F'edeials obtained ppssessl
Sst ihs COPPER mines 81 Tsnnsssee .gFe