The city of Columbus Georgia was a very important contributor to the Confederate war effort. Located on the Chattahoochee River in southwest Georgia it was also a major railroad and shipping center and therefore critical for Southern manufacture. A spur of the Montgomery and West Point Railroad crossed the river from the west while the […]
Richmond
Clarksville Ordnance Harness Shops Production
The following production output from the Clarksville Shops represents the only complete records available. June 1862 through August 1863: Wheel and lead harness 1,146 sets* Jenifer Saddles 206 “Plain” Jenifer Saddles 98 Officers Quilted (seats) & Hoods (Stirrups) Saddle 102 “Shafted” (seats) Jenifer Saddles 4 Skeleton Jenifer Saddles 5,350 Skeleton McClellan Saddles 230 Single English […]
Richmond Saddle Issues
Just a few days prior to the evacuation of Richmond in April of 1865, an editorial was published in the Richmond Enquirer showing the principal issues from the Richmond Arsenal from July 1st 1861 through January 1st 1865 . This list, provided by Chief of Ordnance Josiah Gorgas, indicates that 69,418 cavalry saddles (possibly including […]
Richmond Saddle Production
“TROOPERS” SADDLE MANUFACTURING: 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865 Civilian Purchases, some manufacturing April – Fall 1861 of various models* —————– 1st Model “Patent” Jan. – Nov. 1862 Jenifer ——————– 2nd Model Nov. 1862- Spring 1863 New Jenifer* ———- Jenifer/McClellan June – Nov. 1863 and “Transition “ Saddle ——– 1st Model McClellan Nov. 1863 – April […]
Richmond / Clarksville Saddles & Horse Equipments
Trooper’s Saddles: Predominantly “Skeleton” Jenifer (or “New” Jenifer) pattern saddles were issued to troopers until the summer of 1863. At the same time the McClellan saddle (or some variance of it) was manufactured in limited numbers by a few commercial contractors until the summer of 1863 when the Ordnance Department began a gradual changeover of […]
Richmond Arsenal
The Richmond Arsenal was established with the Confederate government’s move to Richmond from Montgomery Alabama in May 1861. On June 2nd, Josiah Gorgas arrived in Richmond and sought to find locations for Confederate ordnance establishments and his headquarters. The James River front proved to be a natural location, for clustered in a surprisingly small area […]