Existing comment:
Springfield Armory
On April 18, 1861, less than 24 hours after Virginia seceded from the Union. Federal soldiers set fire to the Armory and Arsenal at Harpers Ferry to keep them out of Confederate hands. The Government now had only one place to rely on for its supply of arms -- the Springfield Armory.
When the war started the Armory was producing only 800 guns a month, put out by about 250 employees. They quickly geared up and by the end of the conflict the Armory had produced more than 805,000 guns and employed 2,600 workers. |