Confederate Leatherworks

[lukegilly13]

Alright....I have been researching confederate leatherworks for about a year now and I'm probably missing something...but I can't figure out how/where confederate depots/arsenals obtained cap pouches, waist belts, and cartridge boxes. I can find images...I can find originals...I can find pictures of originals....but where did they come from. Sure, I know there's the St. Louis depot, Atlanta Depot, and others that produced. But I do not understand the process of actually supplying troops. Here is what I begin looking to answer. I am putting together an impression of a VERY early war 1861 confederate soldier straight from Camp Lee in Richmond. Would they have been issued accoutrements on arrival there and if so where from? I find it hard to believe that the confederacy mass produced these things that early in the conflict and had the means of shipping them to VA. Is there a possibilty that some came from VMI? Wouldn't they of had to been at least a copy of an earlier version of federal gear? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[woodsda]

Re: Confederate Leatherworks

Luke,

Try reading the book Confederate Industry by Harold S. Wilson. It gives a broad overview of the supply system for the confederacy, but it is pretty good in telling you when and where soldiers got equipment. I hope it helps some for your impression.

[lukegilly13]

Re: Confederate Leatherworks

Thanks....just located the book from Amazon.....does it discuss the entire process? I'm struggling to find any listings of cartridge boxes, cap pouches, etc in the listings of shipments. It usually says something like 1200 jackets, 1632 trousers so on and so forth...sometimes even including knapsacks and haversacks...but I can't find them in the Richmond area saying anything about leathers.

[woodsda]

Re: Confederate Leatherworks

this book is a review of the whole Confederate Industrial operation from before the war till the end. Like I said it is broad but it gives good refrences to where you might be able to dig deeper. As far as manufacture for leather goods, I believe it was farmed out to contracting like clothing and than collected back up at the various depots. I have really never come across any information on the contrary.

[Texasbutternut]

Re: Confederate Leatherworks

In East Texas on Hwy 190 near Jasper in Newton County, there is a roadside marker of interest:


"Supply and military center in the Civil War. Target area for Federals
trying to move up the Sabine or across Louisiana and take Texas.
Confederates built breastworks and maintained arsenal in Burkeville.

Major supply route ,"The Old Beef Trail" begun 1823 through area later
Newton County, was road taken by thousands of cattle being sent from Texas
to feed armies and civilians as far eastward as Mobile, Alabama. Sabine
ferries were equipped with cattle pens: also ferrymen kept oxen trained to
lead herds swimming across the river. Some local beef went eastward, too.
Farrsville, a town founded about 1850 on Cow Creek, had a military
campground and corrals furnishing fresh stagecoach teams. Its tanning vats
and shops made boots and shoes for the Confederacy. Its water mill ground
corn for bread, sawed lumber, ginned cotton-products used in supplying the
South.

The commissioners court made appropriations to outfit military units,aid
dependent families, and supply the people with cotton cards to turn the
lint into batts for spinning, weaving and knitting. The county, which voted
178 to 3 for secession, sent about 400 soldiers into the Confederate Army."

[roundshot]

Re: Confederate Leatherworks

Early war Virginia troops typically drew arms and equipment from the Richmond Armoury. One representative issue to a Pulaski company included: 70 altered muskets, 10 bayonet scabbards,78 cap pouches, 20 sets plates, 180 yards webbing, 16 cartridge boxes. Remember, states were the primary entity in those days and not as dependent on a central authority. Check out tis excellent article:

http://www.stonewallbrigade.com/articles_1861_impression.html

[David Fox]

Re: Confederate Leatherworks

Luke: North and South, most of the older States had been accumulating accoutrement for decades pursuant to the 1808 Militia Act. The Mexican War generally and (at least in the South) John Brown's raid stimulated additional acquisitions. As to leather gear, there would be varying amounts of obsolescent early U.S. patterns of bayonet scabbards, cartridge boxes (Jarnigan makes examples of these), and belts plus more-or-less current M.1839 cartridge boxes and the like slumbering in the various State and soon-to-be looted U.S. arsenals. Belicose South Carolina contracted for its own equippage, of course. I've a South Carolina M.1839 box w/ entwined brass "SC" on the lid, tarred in the approved militia fashion, supported by a web shoulder strap boasting a plain rectangular brass breast plate. It's stencilled inside w/ the Yankee contractor's name.
What I'm saying is: I believe you'll find that the vast majority of the Boys of '61 were equipped with pre-war U.S. and sundry militia pattern accoutrement.
Judge David Fox

[David Fox]

Re: Confederate Leatherworks

Luke: For a "very early" Confederate Virginia impression, one would needs not look to Confederate production but to what was slumbering in State and Federal arsenals across the South in 1861. This would include a potporri of leather accoutrement acquired over the decades before the war both under the 1808 Militia Act and items contracted-for over the years for specific purposes or specific militia needs. For infantry, as an example, there would be a dog's breakfast of obsolescent U.S. patterns of belting, boxes, and scabbards as well as peculiar State contracted pieces. The Mexican war and John Brown's raid stimulated acquisition of more recent patterns, especially in States such as Virginia and South Carolina. For instance, I own a reasonable approximation of a U.S. M.1839 .69 calibre round ball box made by a Yankee company, tarred in the approved State/militia fashion, bearing an intertwined "SC" and suspended from a white cloth web shoulder sling w/ plain rectangular brass breast plate, thus being an admixture of old Federal regulation tricked-out with State distinctions. The vast majority of the Confederate Boys of '61 who were lucky enough to receive any combination of military accoutrement headed for the front with a .69 calibre pumpkin slinger, flint or conversion, and old U.S. pattern leather gear, perhaps with web or leather belting in white. Many, perhaps most, wore civilian style waist belts with plain open frame buckles.

[vamick]

Re: Confederate Leatherworks

Early war Virginia troops typically drew arms and equipment from the Richmond Armoury. One representative issue to a Pulaski company included: 70 altered muskets, 10 bayonet scabbards,78 cap pouches, 20 sets plates, 180 yards webbing, 16 cartridge boxes. Remember, states were the primary entity in those days and not as dependent on a central authority. Check out tis excellent article:
http://www.stonewallbrigade.com/arti...mpression.html

Thanks for that link, I live in Pulaski and James Walkers house still stands 4 miles from my house..tho its been a bit 'remuddled' as of late as a business for a bail bondsman of all things! :( it still retains its stately limestone front columns tho

[lukegilly13]

Re: Confederate Leatherworks

Thank you all! I was not putting the whole john brown's raid thing together. For some reason I was overlooking that there would of been cartridge boxes, cap pouches, etc at that asenal. This would link the '39 patterns to the harper's ferry muskets flint or conversion that were present at say Bull Run.
Now, I've begin searching through archives for legal documents and goverment papers (other than the 2nd amendment) that allow for states to begin stockpiling this equipment. I know it's out there...the fun is finding! Sure they saw the war coming..but the equipment to supply state militia units was not necessarily in foresight of civil war (earlier in the 1800's)...but just militia needs/operations in general...right?
So it is safe (north and south) hoarded these supplies for years and some even developed their own state patterns and accessories?

[PenPusher]

Re: Confederate Leatherworks

Luke,

I've been researching the supply of accouterments to Louisiana units using the Confederate Citizens File on www.footnote .com.

In La. the quartermaster sent notes to Magee, Horter & George or James Cosgrove (The only manufaturers I have researched so far) asking them to supply a named company with X number of Rifle or Musket Cartridge Boxes, Cap pouches, Waist Belt & Buckles, Shoulder Straps and Bayonet Scabbards. The manufacturer then shipped the consigment direct to the company commander whether at Camp Moore or at some other point. This system operated from May 1861 until early 1862 based on the records I've found. Goods were shipped direct to Pesacola (Dreaux's Battalion), Camp Moore, Camp Lewis and Vicksburg for example.

Canteens, Knapsacks and Haversacks seem to have been ordered in bulk quantities (1000 to 2500) by the state and then issued when the companies went on active service. Whether Va did the same thing I don't know but I would suggest you look at the Citizens File on Footnote and peruse any of the Virginia companies manufacturing accouterments. Happy searching.

[lukegilly13]

Re: Confederate Leatherworks

Alan,
Thanks for the link. Sounds like i'm finding similar info on VA....I will spend a lot of my night looking at those notes! Thanks again!

Luke

[lukegilly13]

Re: Confederate Leatherworks

For those who are involved in this research or at least are as interested as I...I don't mind shooting this out there. I was looking through some documents through the University of North Carolina. I found a transcribed copy of Gov. Letcher's speech. But after that was a LOT of ordinance information. I found this interesting:

INVENTORY OF ISSUES
From the Virginia State Armory from April 1, 1861, to June 14, 1861, inclusive.
9,233 Cartridge Boxes,
4,842 Bayonet Scabbards,
5,123 Cap Pouches,
9,500 Belts and Plates,
275,000 Yards of Webbing for Belts,
2,054 Rifles and Carbines,
562 Pistols,
1,813 Sabres,
25,850 Flint Muskets,
11,636 Altered Percussion Muskets,
4,118 Original Percussion Muskets,
1,540,850 Cartridges for Small Arms,
1,540,850 Caps for the same,
53 Iron Cannon, six and twelve pounders,
39 Brass Cannon, six and twelve pounders,
14 Rifle Cannon, six pouuders,
9 Howitzers, twelve pounders,
6,000 Friction Tubes,
11,258 Rounds Fixed Ammunition for Artillery.
Of the artillery, fifty pieces were mounted in this city.
Are these the Harper's Ferry type we talked about earlier? Has anyone ever seen one with a Richmond stamping?
http://docsouth.unc.edu/imls/message/message.html

[PenPusher]

Re: Confederate Leatherworks

Luke,

I would be very interested to hear if you find any issues to Capt. G. Otey of the Richmond Otey Battery. Many thanks.