| The following is quoted from Bruce, "Virginia Iron
Manufacture in the Slave Era," published in 1930. The book
references and partially quotes letters to and from the Tredegar
Iron Works which are now too fragile to be allowed to be seen by
researchers. Should the letters be found in other locations, the
quotations will be updated. |
| |
| pp. 411 - 412 |
| In the same month
{January, 1863} William A. Wadley, whom President Davis not
long before had appointed assistant adjutant general with the rank
of Colonel to take charge on the part of the government of all the
railroads in the Confederacy, framed a constructive report on the
railway situation and handed a copy of it to General Anderson for
criticism. Wadley offered to the roads a double mode of relief
through the importation of pig iron and by additional blast furnaces
which the railroad companies should themselves put into operation.
{J. R. Anderson and Company to the Hon. James
A. Seddon, Secretary of War, January 31, 1863, Tredegar Letter Book
(MS.)} |
| At Colonel Wadley's request, the
ironmaster made his reply to the Secretary of War. He tersely
rejected the first proposition. If there were no other obstacles to
be surmounted in importing iron, the fact that no foreign iron could
be obtained suitable for railroad wheels, which constituted the
greater part of the deficiency in pig iron of the Confederate road,
rendered the plan impracticable. In England wrought iron wheels were
used. As to Colonel Wadley's second proposition, if there were any
Virginia blast furnace not already in operation the ores of which
were suitable for the manufacture of car wheels, Anderson who had
scoured the country for them was not aware of it, and if there were,
it was now too late to collect labor and professional knowledge to
make iron that would be available during 1863. |
| These "remarks" which the ironmaster
"took the liberty to make to the Secretary of War, possibly
concerned exclusively the Tredegar Iron Works. Anderson placed the
equipment of railroads next in importance "to putting arms in the
hands of our troops, feeding and clothing them -- and essential even
to accomplish these objects." And who knew better than he who had
tried at the beginning of the War to feed his works with ores from
the bounteous distant field, and who had already begun to depend for
provisions on the granaries of the lower South? |
| Without qualification he endorsed as
essential the quota which Colonel Wadley in his report set for the
Tredegar. The railroad chief had requested from Anderson an annual
amount of five thousand one hundred tons of which the ironmaster
should cast twenty-five hundred tons into wheels, one hundred tons
into "tyres," and roll the remainder into bars. For his own part
Anderson made no plea that the railroads should aid him, as Colonel
Wadley had suggested, by endeavoring to increase the supply of pig
iron. Possible, Anderson thought that the railroads had already a
task which overstrained their capacities. He accepted a quota of
about four thousand tons, provided the government would cooperate
with him and supply him necessary additional teams and labor.
Fearless of this new burden, he wrote to the secretary: |
| "I beg you will observe that the making
Rail Road wheels & tyre iron will in no wise interfere with making
Cannon or other Ordnance operations, or lessen the quantity, because
these branches are all distinct and prosecuted by different workmen
in separate apartments." |
| He had just completed a mill of power
equal to any in the United States or in England, which was adapted
to the purpose of making railroad tires. |
| "Nor will it lessen the quantity of
iron," he continued, " to be appropriated to these purposes, because
we do not use the Gun Iron for wheels, or even the tools &
machines used for the purpose, are not used for the others. |
| "If the Government then will turn over
to us Forty wagons & teams to haul the Pig Iron to Staunton, from
the 'Columbia,' 'Carolina,' & 'Fort,' furnaces, operated by us in
Shenandoah County, & the 'Liberty' furnace in the same county whose
product is taken in part by us & in part by the Ordnance Department
-- will direct that such conscripts as are now at the Furnaces shall
be detailed, not exceeding 200, we think as we may ask for [them];
further, will turn over to us the negroes hired by the Government in
North Carolina, some 150 which Col. Wadley informs me are not wanted
by the Government. I pledge myself to you Sir, that the part of the
service proposed by Col. Wadley's report to be assigned to this
establishment, will with the blessing of Providence be performed."
{ibid} |
| With these project on hand Anderson
expected the Tredegar works to consume twenty thousand tons of pig
iron if he could get it during the year 1863
{J. R. Anderson and Company to Major R. Snowden Andrews,
Acting Inspector of Ordnance, January 24, 1863, ibid}, and he
apportioned is as follows: for cannon iron twenty-five hundred tons
"which," said he "I propose to be intact under all circumstances;"
for railroad supplies four thousand tons; for projectiles and other
foundry work, for gun carriages, etc., and for plating gun boats,
the residue of 13,500 tons. From the Tredegar pig iron furnaces and
from private contracts he counted on receiving a thousand tons a
month and the government was pledged to furnish to the Tredegar
works, if possible, and equal number of tons. No less bold than the
clause concerning the detail of men in the contract of April 29,
1862, was the stipulation in the same contract, that the War and
Navy departments should transfer to J. R. Anderson and Company as
much of the pig iron which they had purchased from other sources as
Anderson and his partners might require to execute their contracts
with the two departments. {J. R. Anderson to
Hon. James A. Seddon, Secretary of War [about the 23rd of] December
1862, and January 9, 1863, Tredegar Letter Book (MS)}. |
|