Feature Articles

Single most lacking item of horse equipments…

That the most deficient item of issue horse equipment in all of the Confederacy was curry combs and brushes...

Saddle blankets made of Spanish moss! Really?…

That a blanket made of Spanish Moss was one of the most common saddle blankets issued in the Confederacy...

Breast Straps NOT common in east but were in west…

That breast straps were NOT a regular item of issue from the Richmond arsenal but were for most western arsenals...

“Halter-bridle” combinations….

That for most of the war, the halter and bridle as separate items were issued to cavalry troopers from the Richmond Arsenal.  Out west, most arsenals made and issued a “combination” halter and bridle.  By the end of the war, Richmond also adopted the...

The Richmond Arsenal “issue” single-ring halter…

That the Richmond Arsenal issue halter was a simple “single-ring” halter...

Saddles made of “cloth”?…

That large number of trooper’s “enamelled cloth” saddles were made at western arsenals, especially in Columbus Georgia.  They were universally abhorred by cavalryman!...

“Unauthorized” saddle manufacturing in the west…

That the western arsenals had a difficult time providing adequate saddlery forcing western cavalry commanders such as Wheeler, Morgan and others to establish their own unauthorized manufacturing operations...

The Jenifer saddle’s inventor “sued” the Confederacy!…

That in spite of the fact he freely gave the use of his saddle pattern to the Confederacy in 1861, Walter Jenifer later sued the War Department for patent infringement and actually “won” his case and a sizeable award of money!...

The Atlanta Arsenal saddle production….

That the west’s largest saddle supplier, the Atlanta Arsenal produced both the McClellen and the “Texas” saddles at varous times even while the official saddle was the Jenifer and before being ordered to switch to the Texas saddle...

Richmond Arsenal saddle production…

That the Confederate Richmond Arsenal produced at least two different versions of the Jenifer, two McClellen patterns and one “in-between” transition saddle for troopers during the war...

Historical Overview

Each arsenal in the confederacy produced different types of saddlery and equipment.  The articles in this section provides detailed information about the most formidable arsenals...

Atlanta Arsenal Annual Reports

ANNUAL REPORT OF OPERATIONS AT THE ATLANTA ARSENAL C S A COMMANDED BY MAJOR M. H. WRIGHT, ORDNANCE OFFICER, DURING THE CURRENT YEAR ENDING JUNE 30TH, 1863...

Sources for the Atlanta Arsenal Information

NATIONAL ARCHIVES, WAR DEPT. COLLECTION OF CONFEDERATE RECORDS-CHAPT. IV, GROUP 109. Records of the Ordnance Bureau, Vol. 8, 9, 19, 78 & 79, 104, 105. Records of contracts and Ordnance stores purchased, received and issued at Nashville and...

Atlanta’s Horse Equipment Contract Manufacturers

Barber Greenwood & Co.- Cartersville, Ga.: 1862 contracts to Atlanta Arsenal. E.W. Gower-Gunnesville (sp):1862 contracts to Atlanta Arsenal. J.B. Langford & Son-Atlanta:1862 contracts to Atlanta Arsenal. W.G. Turner: 1862 contracts to Atlanta...

Atlanta Arsenal’s Saddle Manufacturing

1861                   1862                  1863                  1864                 1865 ATLANTA McClellan:                                                  Spring 1862 – Feb 1863...