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©Virginia Military Institute Archives [email protected] www.vmi.edu/archives Arms for Virginia On the Eve of the Civil War The Armory Commission Letters of Col. Francis H. Smith Transcribed & Annotated by Col. Edwin L. Dooley, Jr. The majority of letters included in this work are the property of the Virginia Military Institute. This material may be used freely by individuals for research, teaching, and personal use as long the Virginia Military Institute Archives is cited. Letters included from other sources are identified in the text and given their proper attributions. See endnotes for details about the names and topics highlighted in bold type*. Many of the notes also contain links to additional material. Background: Following the raid in October 1859 on the Federal Arsenal at Harper‘s Ferry, Virginia, by the abolitionist John Brown,* officials in Virginia were convinced that the state‘s defense forces, the militia,* needed to be improved and better armed. In 1860, the Virginia General Assembly passed legislation to improve the militia and to arm it appropriately. By law, the U.S. Secretary of War was not authorized to sell U.S. arms to individual states, beyond the issue of their annual quota,* unless the U.S. arms had been condemned. Consequently, the options open to the state of Virginia for acquiring additional reliable weapons were either to retool and refurbish its supply of flint lock muskets, or to purchase arms from private gun makers in the north, or to purchase arms from abroad (prices were considered excessive), or to manufacture its own arms. To solve this problem, the Virginia General Assembly appropriated funds on 21 January 1860 for the purchase and manufacture of ―Arms and Munitions of War‖ and created a three-member commission* to oversee this project. Governor John Letcher,* newly inaugurated as Governor of Virginia, appointed the following three men to the commission: Col. Philip St. George Cocke,* Maj. George W. Randolph,* and Col. Francis H. Smith.* At the time, Col. Smith was Superintendent of the Virginia Military Institute where he had served since its founding in 1839. He was also responsible for the Lexington Arsenal* (a state arsenal) located at VMI. The commission, known as the Armory Commission or the Armory Board, began its work shortly after being appointed. In February-March, 1860, the three commissioners and Governor Letcher visited the Springfield Arsenal and Armory,* at Springfield, Massachusetts, the West Point Foundry,* at Cold Spring, New York, and the Harper’s Ferry Arsenal and Armory,* Harper‘s Ferry, Virginia, to examine weapons and machinery for the manufacture of small arms. Soon thereafter, Colonel Smith contacted James Tyler Ames,* of the Massachusetts Arms Company,* Chicopee Falls, Mass., to arrange the purchase by the state of Virginia of machinery to produce small arms. The plan was to transport the machinery to the Richmond Arsenal and Armory* where arms could be manufactured for militia companies in the state. In the end, negotiations with Ames were broken off and the commissioners purchased Enfield muskets* from private arms merchants England and entered into a contract on 23 August 1860 with Joseph R. Anderson* of the Tredegar Iron Works in Richmond to manufacture arms there. (See endnote under ―proposition made to Mr. Ames‖ for an account found in Colonel William Couper, One Hundred Years at V.M.I. (Richmond: Garrett and Massie, 1939), hereafter cited as Couper, One Hundred Years at V.M.I. 1 ©Virginia Military Institute Archives [email protected] www.vmi.edu/archives At the same time that the Armory Commission was negotiating the purchase of machinery to manufacture arms, efforts were being made to acquire examples of up-to-date rifles, pistols, and guns (cannons) to be tested at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington. The Armory commissioners believed that these tests would furnish them with ideas for improved and inexpensive weapons to be manufactured at the Richmond Arsenal and Armory. Responsibility for carrying out these tests was given to several VMI faculty members, including Major Raleigh E. Colston* and Major Thomas J. Jackson,* who was then serving on the VMI faculty as professor of natural and experimental philosophy (physics) and instructor in artillery. (See endnote under ―Weapons testing at VMI by Maj. Jackson and others.‖) When the war broke out, the Federal Arsenal and Armory at Harper‘s Ferry was destroyed and abandoned by the retreating Federal guard, but the shops, over 400 machines for the manufacture of muskets and rifles, thousands of tools, and many small arms components were saved and were confiscated by Virginia Militia. This salvaged matérial was sent to the arsenal at Fayetteville, N.C., and to the Richmond Arsenal and Armory. According to Herb Fisher, in ―The Virginia Manufactory of Arms,‖ Notes on Virginia (Richmond: Virginia Division of Historic Landmarks, Winter, 1988), p. 27, ―The Richmond Armory, together with the adjacent Tredegar Iron Works, and the Confederate Laboratory, located in the rear of the armory on Brown‘s Island, produced close to half of the armaments and ammunition used by the Confederate forces.‖ # # # # # The following letters document the efforts of Col. Smith and the Armory Commission to obtain arms-making machinery. They also document efforts to obtain examples of up-to-date small arms and cannon for testing at VMI, and they include occasional correspondence with militia company commanders who were urgently appealing to Col. Smith and the Commission for weapons to arm their units. The correspondence can be found in letterpress form in volumes of the Outgoing letters of Francis H. Smith, Superintendent of the Virginia Military Institute (located in Archives, Preston Library, VMI, Lexington, VA. No separate reports on weapons testing at VMI have been located at the Institute, nor is there any mention of weapons testing in the 1860 VMI Annual Report or in the Minutes of the Board of Visitors for 1860. 2 ©Virginia Military Institute Archives [email protected] www.vmi.edu/archives This is an example of the condition of the letters in Smith‘s letter book. On the left, the letterpress process has produced a fairly legible copy (enhanced here by computer software). On the right, the ink of the letterpress copy has been degraded by moisture damage that occurred many years ago. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [Note: The following letter is the first extant from Smith following John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry on 16-18 October 1859. Smith’s letter reflects rising concern in Virginia over the state of its defenses and it points to the special role that Smith and VMI would play in the coming year.] Va Military Institute Nov 1st 1859 Gen’l Wm H. Richardson* Adj‘t Gen‘l [Adjutant General of Virginia] Sir, I have the honor to submit the enclosed report in obedience to orders rec‘d from the Adjutant General‘s office dated October 29th 1859. I beg leave to state that the muskets on deposit at this arsenal [the Lexington Arsenal* located at VMI] are for the most part flint locks and are not to be relied upon for service. I would therefore renew the recommendation which I have made on a former occasion viz that percussion locks* be substituted for the flint locks. The deficiency of fixed ammunition at this arsenal has induced me to submit the accompanying 3 ©Virginia Military Institute Archives [email protected] www.vmi.edu/archives recquisitions. To this I would add 200 of the most approved rifles & a few revolvers. Considering the emergency that may require the (immediate?) use of Artillery as well as Cavalry I would respectfully suggest that from 30 to 40 horses be provided for the Institution, that the Cadets may be instructed in Cavalry & Horse Artillery. With this provision for this important Military school those who are to be the future officers of our Militia will be thoroughly trained in these most important arms & besides at a moment‘s warning 200 Cadets well disciplined for service in either the Cavalry Artillery or Infantry will be in readiness to meet the call of the state whenever & wherever that shall be made. The horses will thus not only add to the efficiency of the school of a military institution but will afford facilities for a prompt transmission of (unclear) of duty & danger. /FHS/ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (Note: See Correspondence of the Fredericksburg News* from a correspondent who visited Lexington, 7 November 1859 in endnotes.) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Va Mil: Institute Nov 22d 1859 His Excellency Henry A. Wise* Charleston Va Dear Sir, In obedience to the instructions conveyed to me by your telegraphic dispatch, I have kept a detachment of the corps of Cadets, 80 in number, with a battery of Howitzers ready for service at a moment‘s call, and beg leave to state that the command is provided with all the appliances for taking care of themselves upon the field of duty now claiming their services. The Commissary has his cooking implements in order, & we are thus in a state of preparation much more complete than that attends the ordinary militia command. In addition it gives me pleasure to state, that Messrs Harman & Co have placed their stages & entire stock at Lexington & Staunton at my command, & they will transport my detachment at a moment‘s call, free of charge. This tender is very creditable to these gentlemen, and I mention it specially to you, as showing the patriotic spirit that actuates them. These facilities will enable me to reach Winchester* in 20 hours after notice & you may therefore (rely?) upon dispatch in our movements as soon as ordered. I am at your service for duty in advance of the Corps, should it be required. /FHS/ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Va Mil: Institute Nov 19th 1859 His Excellency H.
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