Existing comment:
Tennessee:
Arms manufacturing in Tennessee was principally by private firms such as the Nashville Plow Works, Memphis Novelty Works, and TM Brennan foundry. The fall of Nashville and Memphis early in 1862 closed these plants. The Tennessee Armory at Nashville repaired arms and converted sporting guns to military pieces and was preparing to produce a breech-loading arm when it received the needed machinery. The threat of approaching Union troops diverted its whole operation to Atlanta, Georgia. The capture of much of Tennessee in 1862 endangered the vital supply line that Tennessee's railroads provided between Virginia and the southwestern states. Ironically, much of that part of Tennessee that remained under Confederate control was pro-Union and contributed little to the war effort. |