CSA Nitre & Mining Bureau Force 11/22/64

[DaveBrt]

Found in the National Archives, Secretary of War Letters Received

Confederate States of America
War Department
Nitre and mining Bureau
Richmond Va. Nov. 22d 1864

Hon. James A. Seddon
Secy. of War

Sir,
I respectfully request the following increase of force for the Nitre & Mining Bureau east of the Mississippi River, as per accompanying detailed Statement, to meet the ordnance requisitions of the coming year.
Respectfully Submitted
I. M. St John
Col. & Chf of Bu

Now Employed Increase Required
Virginia 2696 948
Tennessee 370 185
N. Carolina 1254 624
S. Carolina 449 97
Georgia 469 237
Florida 23 12
Alabama 625 1652
8590 3755

 

[milhistbuff1]

Found in the National Archives, Secretary of War Letters Received

Confederate States of America
War Department
Nitre and mining Bureau
Richmond Va. Nov. 22d 1864

Hon. James A. Seddon
Secy. of War

Sir,
I respectfully request the following increase of force for the Nitre & Mining Bureau east of the Mississippi River, as per accompanying detailed Statement, to meet the ordnance requisitions of the coming year.
Respectfully Submitted
I. M. St John
Col. & Chf of Bu

Now Employed	Increase Required​	Total Increase Required​
White	Negro	White	Negro​
Virginia	Iron	841​	941​	420​	471​
Genl. Mining	181​	25​	91​	12​
Nitre	658​	50​	329​	25​	1342​
Tennessee	Iron	209​	124​
Nitre	101​	51​	185​
N. Carolina	Iron	230​	448​	115​	224​
Genl. Mining	107​	86​	51​	123​
Nitre	383​	40​	194​	20​	627​
S. Carolina	Iron	230​	448​	115​	224​
Genl. Mining	107​	46​	51​	123​
Nitre	383​	40​	194​	20​	214​
Georgia	Nitre	96​	375​	50​	187​	237​
Florida	Nitre	1​	22​	1​	11​	12​
Alabama	Iron	380​	2252​	190​	1120​
Nitre	245​	441​	122​	220​	342​
3602​	4988​	2959​

Interesting source here, thanks for sharing it. I wonder if the summary or details of those requisitions survives. Would make a handy comparison for what was expected of the labor force.

 

[Michael C. Hardy]

If we just had a little more information... I know that during the war, iron was mined in Lincoln County and Mitchell County (now Avery County) in North Carolina. Rumor is that the Cranberry Iron Mines (Mitchell County) were destroyed in a raid in July 1864. Several of the workers at the Cranberry Mines were avowed "Unionists." They kept out of the Confederate army by mining iron for the Confederate war effort at Cranberry. I sure wish there was a break down of numbers for the different sites.

 

[milhistbuff1]

If we just had a little more information... I know that during the war, iron was mined in Lincoln County and Mitchell County (now Avery County) in North Carolina. Rumor is that the Cranberry Iron Mines (Mitchell County) were destroyed in a raid in July 1864. Several of the workers at the Cranberry Mines were avowed "Unionists." They kept out of the Confederate army by mining iron for the Confederate war effort at Cranberry. I sure wish there was a break down of numbers for the different sites.

Agreed, i'd imagine some of that iron wound up in Federal hands where feasible due to the Unionist members or a tip off to the location, hence the raid.

 

[DaveBrt]

Sorry for the messy first post. After several failures, I got something useful posted -- look at the post again. There is a lot more info in the document, but I am not going to spend the weekend trying to post it since the software does not like spreadsheets.

 

[DaveBrt]

Interesting source here, thanks for sharing it. I wonder if the summary or details of those requisitions survives. Would make a handy comparison for what was expected of the labor force.

No likely; I have seen very little of the N&MB records, except is documents saved by the recipients.

 

[DaveBrt]

Agreed, i'd imagine some of that iron wound up in Federal hands where feasible due to the Unionist members or a tip off to the location, hence the raid.

The iron production was usually shipped as soon as possible to the nearby railroad. What had not been shipped would have been too difficult to haul through the mountains to Knoxville for use there (Knoxville had no rail connection to any Union transportation facility).

 

[milhistbuff1]

The iron production was usually shipped as soon as possible to the nearby railroad. What had not been shipped would have been too difficult to haul through the mountains to Knoxville for use there (Knoxville had no rail connection to any Union transportation facility).

Thank you, I was thinking of small pieces not worth transport with main loads. E.g enough for small tools e.g hammer heads, screws etc.

 

[milhistbuff1]

No likely; I have seen very little of the N&MB records, except is documents saved by the recipients.

Thanks, I suppose they went up in the Richmond blaze/were lost...

 

[Missouri Swampfox]

Interesting source here, thanks for sharing it. I wonder if the summary or details of those requisitions survives. Would make a handy comparison for what was expected of the labor force.

ORA Series IV, Vol. 3, pp 695-702 gives a pretty comprehensive report from St. John for 1864.

 

[milhistbuff1]

ORA Series IV, Vol. 3, pp 695-702 gives a pretty comprehensive report from St. John for 1864.

Thank you.

 

[DaveBrt]

Thank you, I was thinking of small pieces not worth transport with main loads. E.g enough for small tools e.g hammer heads, screws etc.

The iron sites usually made ingots for the major foundries and small amounts of domestic products (whatever they could get away with under the gaze of the Government inspectors) such as skillets, plow blades, replacement parts for broken items that were keeping out of production facilities deemed essential to the local inspectors (a bolt holding together a frame making cloth for the government).

 

[milhistbuff1]

The iron sites usually made ingots for the major foundries and small amounts of domestic products (whatever they could get away with under the gaze of the Government inspectors) such as skillets, plow blades, replacement parts for broken items that were keeping out of production facilities deemed essential to the local inspectors (a bolt holding together a frame making cloth for the government).

Thanks, understood.

 

[Mississippian1861]

Thomas Green Clemson, whose Will founded what would become Clemson University, was part of the Nitre and Mining Bureau in the Trans-MS.

 

[Missouri Swampfox]

Thomas Green Clemson, whose Will founded what would become Clemson University, was part of the Nitre and Mining Bureau in the Trans-MS.

I have the book about him. Very busy man.