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The Bullets of Selma
The Arsenal of Selma, Alabama made many implements
of war
for the South during the early 1860's. But the most widespread
instruments of destruction are the various bullet styles which
were created here and issued throughout the Confederacy.
By Dean Thomas
(Originally Published in American
Digger Magazine)
Click
on the photos to enlarge
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After
the fall of New Orleans in April 1862, Confederate Chief of Ordnance
Josiah Gorgas ordered Capt. James L. White, commanding the Mount
Vernon (Ala.) Arsenal, to find a more secure location for his facility.
Mount Vernon was
only twenty miles north of Mobile, which many believed
to be the Yankees next target. On May 2 Gorgas telegraphed White
to move all his machinery and valuable stores to Montgomery; however,
in reply to a communication from White, Gorgas advised White on
May 20: "Go to Selma if you think preferable." And, on
May 23 Gorgas sent a letter to White:
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| Map
of Selma, April 1865, from "Atlas to accompany the Official
Records" |
"...Authority to establish yourself at Selma was telegraphed
to you on the 20th. It will ... be as good a point for work and
equally as safe. You will require moderate sized shops and Laboratory
with corresponding store house."
At the same time that White was establishing the Selma Ordnance
Depot, recently hired Confederate Superintendent of Laboratories,
Capt. John W. Mallet, was ordered on his first tour of inspection
of the southern cartridge making manufactories. After several preliminary
stops, Mallet arrived in Selma during the first week of July 1862.
He noted in a "Memoranda at Selma Ordnance Depot" that:
"Balls are trimmed by hand, not swaged. About 200 barrels
of powder on hand, principally fine grained rifle powder. About
50,000 lbs. of lead. Plenty of (fair) paper. Twine coarse, and not
easily procured. A supply of French percussion caps (from Mobile).
Lubricant used = 4 pts. wax & 1 tallow. Separate filling room
for cartridges, well arranged. Good Laboratorian much wanted."
And on July 9, Mallet wrote to Gorgas:
"...At Selma there is nothing doing as yet, except the manufacture
of small arms cartridges, which are turned out pretty rapidly, with
a very fair supply of powder and lead on hand - about 50,000 lbs.
of the latter. This is the first establishment I have seen in which
the cartridges are filled in a separate room, which is here quite
well arranged. A good Laboratorian is greatly wanted at Selma. If
one is available anywhere else Capt. White will be very glad to
get him...."
Nicholas J. Fogarty had been White's "Laboratorian" at
Mount Vernon and was brought to Selma in the move, but for whatever
the reason, ended his association with White after working only
17 days in June 1862. At any rate, the types of small arms cartridges
initially made at Selma were the same as had been fabricated at
Mount Vernon:
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.577/.58
Enfield rifle & rifle musket
.69 cal. rifled musket
.54 cal. Miss. rifle
.69 cal. musket ball
.69 cal. musket Buck & Ball
.69 cal. Buck Shot
.36 cal. Colt Navy
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left:
.577 cal. Enfield rifle, English pattern with cone-shaped
cavity
right: .577/.58 cal. Enfield or rifle musket, U.S. pattern
with plug-shaped cavity |
During
the ensuing year, the Selma Arsenal Laboratory was relied upon to
supply small arms ammunition to all the troops in the State of Alabama.
On May 20, 1863, Lt. Col. White reported that "the laboratory
will turn out about 25,000 or 30,000 cartridges per day when supplied
with material." And interestingly, three weeks later on June
10 in a letter to Capt. Mallet, White had more to say on the subject:
"...The manufacture of cartridges for small arms is subject
to frequent interruptions, from the want of lead, and of caps. This
is very injurious in every way. We must necessarily keep a certain
number of hands on the rolls, which work is not very profitable
during the suspension of cartridge making. It is therefore more
costly than to work without interruption. Operatives who work by
the piece are sometimes difficult to get, because no promise can
be given of steady employment. We are now wanting about one million
of caps to supply cartridges that are without. We can make fifty
thousand cartridges per day, if we could only work without interuption...."
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| Selma
Arsenal label for 10 cartridges, June 1864 |
The
"Summary Statement of Work Done at Selma Arsenal Laboratory
during the month of May 1863," listed a total
of 646,160 cartridges fabricated:
123,500
.57 cal. Enfield rifle
440,500
.69 cal. Musket ball
22,350
.54 cal. Miss. rifle (round ball)
360
.52 cal. Hall's carbine
3,390
.52 cal. Sharps rifle
44,000
.69 cal. Buck Shot
60
.44 cal. Colt Army pistol
12,000
.36 cal. Colt Navy pistol
Commencing
in May, samples of this production was sent to Capt. Mallet in Macon,
Ga. on a monthly basis. Lt. Col. White hoped they would "compare
favorably with any which may be sent to you." White got
his wish. Mallet reported that: "In the main they are amongst
the handsomest and the best specimens of Laboratory work
I have received."
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Steve Burgess/American Digger Magazine |
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