Charles Tillinghast James
Born: September 15, 1805
Birthplace: West Greenwich, Rhode Island
Father: Silas James 1758 – 1836
(Buried: Silas James Lot West, Greenwich, Rhode Island)
Mother: Phebe Tillinghast 1768 – 1848
(Buried: Silas James Lot West, Greenwich, Rhode Island)
3.8 in. James Solid Shot
Patented by James 2/26/1856
by U.S. Gov. Employee
Natl. Museum of Am. History
Wife: Lucinda Waite 1809 – 1901
(Buried: Swan Point Cemetery, Providence, Rhode Island)
Children:
Abby James Slocum 1830 – 1907
(Buried: Swan Point Cemetery, Providence, Rhode Island)
Charles Tillinghast James Jr. 1836 – 1845
(Buried: Swan Point Cemetery, Providence, Rhode Island)
Lucinda Elizabeth James 1840 – 1851
(Buried: Swan Point Cemetery, Providence, Rhode Island)
Walter James 1843 – 1870
(Buried: Swan Point Cemetery, Providence, Rhode Island)
Education:
Self – taught in Mathematics and Mechanics
1838: Received Honorary Master of Arts from Brown College
6-pdr. Gun altered with the 3.8-inch James Rifle System
Designed by Charles Tillinghast James
©Michael Kendra, Antietam NB, November 2019
Occupation before War:
Worked in the small mills in Quinebaug Valley of Connecticut
Helped Supervise the Startup of Mills in Providence, Rhode Island
1834: Brought on to overhaul Steam cotton manufacturing mill
Leading Engineer and Advocate for Steam Mills
Designer and Promoter of Steam Mills for small seaport towns
1839 – 1846: Owner of Southern half of Brewster – Coffin House
1845 – 1846: Promoter of mills in Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Involved with the Graniteville Mill in South Carolina
14-pdr. James Rifle
Designed by Charles Tillinghast James
©Michael Kendra, Gettysburg NBP, February 2020
1851 – 1857: United States Senator from Rhode Island
1856: Granted his first patent for “improvements to a cannon projectile” called the James Federal Pattern Projectiles
Civil War Career:
Developer of the James Rifle and a rifling system for Artillery
1862: Granted a second patent for an improved version of the James Federal Pattern Projectiles
1862: On October 16, James was demonstrating his projectiles to a group of foreign military officers gathered on Long Island, while nearby one of his workers was attempting to remove a fuse/cap from a loaded artillery shell, when the shell exploded, killing the worker instantly and fatally wounding James himself.
Died: October 17, 1862
Place of Death: Sag Harbor, New York
Cause of Death: Mortally Wounded in an accidental explosion.
Age at time of Death: 57 years old
Burial Place: Swan Point Cemetery, Providence, Rhode Island
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