| Richmond, July 1, 1864 |
| |
| The President |
| |
| Sir, |
| I deem it proper to bring to your
notice the inclosed statements of the several officers in charge of
naval ordnance works, disclosing as they do an evil from which
serious embarrassments to the public interests are suffered. |
| The letters inclosed show that much of the
machinery and power of these valuable establishments are lost to the
Government for the want of a few mechanics who are in the field and
who, from time to time, have been asked for. The Selma works cannot
make more than one gun in a week, whereas with a proper number of
mechanics it could manufacture, with carriages and equipments
complete, three in a week, and in a few months one every day; and
not only our vessels at Mobile, but all the land works for its
defense, could be supplied with heavy banded and rifled ordnance. It
has sufficient tools and power to furnish all the allot and shell
for the Navy, whereas it has not been able to supply them for the
few guns it has made.
|
| Lieutenant McCorkle, at Atlanta, reports that
he cannot fill even the limited orders sent him for munitions of war
for the want of mechanics.
|
| Chief Engineer Ramsay, at Charlotte, says that
"a number of the most important tools of the shops are idle a
large portion of the time for the want of mechanics to work
them." He refers also to his inability, without mechanics, to
do the work required of him on locomotive engines for railroads, and
says that though working at night and on Sunday he cannot fill the
orders sent him for munitions of war.
|
| These reports possess special interest at this
time, when we are informed by the proprietors of the Tredegar Works
that they cannot furnish us with gun-iron, the Grace furnace having
been destroyed by the enemy.
|
| The weight of the guns now employed in our
land works renders their removal upon the withdrawal of troops
impracticable; and should we be compelled to retire from Richmond
the largest portion of such guns in the Confederacy would
necessarily be lost. These considerations suggest the importance of
having a supply of such guns distributed at many points. There is
not a spare one in the Confederacy.
|
| The reports of the enemy's naval officers
commanding iron-clad ships concur with the results of our own
experiments in showing that the heavy navy rifles are the most
effective ordnance yet used against those vessels. Their range and
accuracy are very satisfactory; and, while some of them have been
fired without visible strain from 500 to 1,500 times in conflict,
none of them have burst when properly handled. In establishing the
battery at Howlett's recently we were compelled to remove one
VII-inch rifle from Drewry's Bluff--the only one at that point--and
one from the gun-boat Drewry; and the gun which was dismounted in
this battery by the enemy still remains unbanded for the want of
mechanics to do the work.
|
| Under these circumstances I have the honor to
suggest that a board of army and navy officers be directed to
ascertain and report the number and class of mechanics required to
develop the full power of the public shops employed upon munitions
of war, and that details to meet these demands be made from
conscript camps or the Army.
|
| With great respect, your obedient servant |
| S. R. Mallory |
| Secretary of the Navy |
| |
| [Inclosure No. 1] |
| Commandant's Office, Naval Station |
| Charlotte, N. C., May 5, 1864 |
| |
| Commander John M. Brooke |
| Chief Bureau Ordinance and Hydrography, Richmond, Va. |
| |
| Sir: In answer to your letter of the 2d
instant, directing me to inform you more clearly of the necessity of
detailing additional mechanics to be employed in these works, I have
to state that a number of our most important tools are idle a large
portion of the time for the want of mechanics to work them, and some
of these tools, the steam hammer for instance, are the only tools of
their class in the Confederacy, and many of the large forgings
required in the building and arming of war vessels can only be made
with the assistance of these tools.
|
| In addition to this there are now six
locomotives on the railroads between Wilmington and Richmond thrown
out of use owing to their crank axles having been broken, and new
axles can only be forged at this establishment. The Secretary of the
Navy has ordered this work to be done here, as the locomotives are
greatly needed to transport supplies to the Army and Navy, but it is
impossible to make any considerable headway on them, as our present
force is inadequate to manufacture projectiles, gun carriages, etcc.,
for arming vessels as fast as they are required. At this time we are
working at night and on Sundays and still are not able to fill
orders for munitions of war as is desired.
|
| I understand from you that the iron-clad
Virginia at Richmond is now in readiness for action except her gun
carriages and wrought-iron projectiles, which are being made at
these works. If we had a full force of mechanics this work would
have been finished in one-half the time.
|
| The following is a list of the additional
mechanics required to give employment to the tools, forges, and
furnaces now in operation:
|
| Seven machinists, eight blacksmiths, eight
gun-carriage makers, two blockmakers, one pattern maker, one
coppersmith, two molders.
|
| Very respectfully, your obedient servant |
| H. Ashton Ramsay |
| Chief Engineer, C. S. Navy, in Charge |
| |
| [Inclosure No. 2] |
| Naval Ordinance Works |
| Atlanta, May 7, 1864 |
| |
| Capt. J. M. Brooke, C. S. Navy |
| Chief of Ordnance and Hydrography |
| Navy Department, Richmond, Va. |
| |
| Sir: In reply to your letter of the 2d instant
I would state that there are employed at these works at present
three molders, four machinists, and one blacksmith, exclusive of the
foreman. I require, to perform ordinary work, nine molders, five
blacksmiths, and eleven machinists. I have been prevented from
manufacturing munitions of war (enough to supply orders) by the want
of mechanics. At one time last year I had no lumber for shell boxes,
and the commander of the camp of instruction in this district
refused to detail a sawyer who owned a mill on the ground that the
man wished to get out of the Army by obtaining a contract.
|
| I have been for four months unable to have
forged the wrought-iron bolts for the Brooke gun for the want of
blacksmiths. Major-General Maury detailed a second-rate blacksmith
to me, but revoked the order two weeks ago, remanding him to his
regiment, although wrought-iron bolts will be an important item in
the defense of Mobile. Nearly all the lathes are idle for want of
hands. The officers do not seem to be aware that each rifle shell
has to be turned in a lathe.
|
| I have asked for details until I am tired; and
even those conscripts who are unwillingly detailed to the works are
accompanied by so many orders and so many papers (the orders are
changed once a week) that a clerk is constantly employed to try and
keep their papers correct.
|
| It would appear that officers employed in
manufacturing ordnance are not deemed patriotic by the Conscript
Bureau, as they seem to think that an officer who asks for the
detail of a man to do Government work is doing something wrong. They
require so many descriptive lists of him, so many certificates, that
it is absolutely appalling. I think with the additional number of
mechanics mentioned above, detailed for the war, I could prepare six
times (or more) as much ammunition and ordnance stores as I do now.
|
| Very respectfully, your obedient servant |
| D. P. McCorkle |
| Lieutenant, Commanding Naval Ordnance Works |
| |
| [Inclosure No. 3] |
| Selma Cannon Foundry |
| May 8, 1864 |
| |
| Commander John M. Brooke, C. S. Navy |
| In Charge, etc., Richmond, Va. |
| |
| Sir: Our facilities for completing guns have
been lately much increased by improvements in the machinery for
boring and turning the gains and bands. But these improvements will
not benefit us if our blacksmith force is not increased. We want
more good blacksmiths for heavy forging. We now do not average more
bands than for one gun a week. If the bands could be forged
elsewhere it would assist.
|
| Very respectfully |
| Catesby Apr. Jones |
| Commandant |
| |
| [Inclosure No. 4] |
| Naval Gun Foundry and Ordinance Works |
| Selma, May 14, 1864 |
| |
| Commander J. M. Brooke |
| Office of Ordnance and Hydrography, Richmond, Va. |
| |
| Sir: Yours of the 2d instant in relation to
the number of mechanics needed for these works has been received. I
have repeatedly called the attention of the Department to this
subject. Had my applications for mechanics been granted the
rolling-mill would have been in operation last fall and it would
have rolled iron enough for all our vessels, and we would also have
cast guns for all their batteries and furnished them to the
fortifications. The rolling-mill is not yet in operation. We now
cannot turn out more than one gun a week, but with a proper number
of mechanics could turn out three a week, and in a few months one a
day. We have not been able to furnish shot and shell for the guns we
have made. We ought to supply the whole Navy.
|
| In addition to our present force we could
employ with great advantage to the Government twenty-five molders,
twenty-five machinists, and twenty blacksmiths, and if the works are
to be increased, forty carpenters and masons.
|
| Very respectfully |
| Catesby Apr. Jones |
| Commandant |