Asheville Armory

Name	Street	Town	State	From	To
Asheville Armory		Asheville	North Carolina	1861	1863
Asheville Armory		Columbia	South Carolina	1864

Patent	Date	Remarks

Contract	for

Product
In 1861 Col. R. W. Pulliam returned to Asheville and became associated with the firm of Gaines Dever and Company, mechants in Asheville. At the same time he became an agent for the Ordnance Bureau of the Confederate States. He should collect, purchase and repair small arms for the Confederates. Pulliam encouraged Col. Ephiram Clayton (operater of a planning mill) and Dr. George Whitson to form a parntership to repair and manufacture small arms. Pulliam feiled to inform Richmond for Approval and made his own agreements with suppliers in the name of the Ordnance Bureau. Master armourer was Mr. King, formally of Harpers Ferry Armory. King informed Col. J. Gorgas, Chief of Ornance in Richmond, that he had 200 rifles ready and asked for shipping instructions. Gorgas was surprised and sent Maj. W.S. Downer, to Asheville. Downer sent a report to Gorgas on Nov. 22, 1862. " Richmond, Va., Nov. 22, 1862 Colonel: I beg to report that on my visit to Ashrville Armory, I became casually aware of many things in connection with the administration which it may be of interest for the Department to know. Not having been authorized to do so I did not feel at liberty to make any official enquiry but my general duty to the welfare of the service compelled me to notice what I herewith report. I find that the concern at Asheville was first conceived by Messrs. Clayton. Whitson and Pulliam. Mr. Clayton is a carpenter and own the property. Dr. Whitson is a gentleman of general genius but no practical knowledge of mechanics. Mr. Pulliam was a member of the firm of Gaines Dever & Co., who are merchants of this place. Messrs. Whitson & Clayton were the superintendents of the mechanical operations and Mr. Pulliam the business man of the concern. As far as I can learn, the tools and machines, before Mr. King arrived at Asheville, were mere makeshifts and the work carried on almost at the discretion of the men employed. Consequently the guns were made worthless and the labor performed (at the expense of the Department) worse than thrown away. I find that Mr. King is a young mall of a good deal of talent, self confidence and energy but extremely ignorant of the rules of official etiquette. On his arrival there he took charge of the workshops and made his own appointments of foreman in a great measure. Mr. Clayton is now foreman of Carpenters and Dr. Whitson assistant foreman in the manufactury department. Mr. Pulliam has a great deal of private business to attend to, which from what I can learn, keeps him absent from the Armory the greater portion of the time. I believe that Mr. Pulliam has been in the habit of exercising too little authority and Mr. King too much. No official discipline has been enforced. This state of things led to fault-finding and jealousy between Mr. King and Pulliam which caused the present unpleasant state of feelings. During Mr. Pulliam's absence at Charleston two weeks ago, a gentleman told Mr. King that Mr. Pulliam had said he was going to Richmond to make an effort for his removal. On this information Mr. King wrote you a foolish letter of which he informed me, the folly of which I explained to him. I find also from Mr. Pulliam's information that he is mixing up public affairs with his own business which will apt to lead to great confusion in his accounts. For instance, buying meal, flour, etc. to sell to the workmen at a price, as he states, to cover expenses, and accounting for the funds so expended, as cash on hand. He informs me also that he keeps his cash, etc. at the store and when the men have signed the roll, gives them an order on Gaines Dever & Co. for the money. The appointment of a military storekeeper, with stipulation that he is to have no clerk, would entail no extra expense on the Armory and would preclude any difficulty arising in rcgard to money matters. As to the conscript business, of which Mr. King also wrote you, Mr. Pulliam made an error, he stated the whole matter to me and I told him frankly that I knew his intentions were correct but he had done wrong and I knew hls action would not be sustained. He made application for the detail of the conscripts for Govt. business and then made him oversear on his place and put a negro slave in his place at the work for which he was detailed. I did not feel at liberty to offer advice to the officers except in cases in which it was asked. I would respectively suggest also in regard to the property at that place that the Govt. is paying a largr rent, over 20% on the valur of the property, and at the same time making improvements which will more than double in value, which will by law revert to the owner of the land. The property can be bought now as is with all the machinery, including the steam engine (which is worth over $1500) wood planncr, whip saws, etc., for the sum of six thousand dollars. I would therefore respectively recommend that it be purchased becausc if the Armory is merely a temporary thing it will ensure to the government the benefit of the increase value of the property by reason of the improvements made at our cost. The office and blacksmith shop now being crected will cost more than the price at which it is offered. Asking pardon for the lengthy communication, I am respectfully. W. S. Downer. Supt. of Armories Gorgas acted immediately. Within 30 days of Downer's report he had appointed Capt. Benjamin Sloan as new commander at the Asheville Armory and relieved Mr. Pulliam from duty. End of January 1863, Sloan advised Gorgas having 200 rifles ready except the stocks which were made entirely by hand. He sought stock making machinery to speed up the stocking. Mid February he advised Gorgas that the stocking was a major problen and that he only had 100 of the 200 ready to ship. The remainig 100 would be ready by March 10th. Sloan had problems to get barrels and stocks and finally did set up furnaces and forges. He made his own stocking machinery and produced his own stocks. By summer 1863 151 persons worked for the Asheville Armory. By October 1863 the Armory was in striking distance of the fedral troups. On October 26, 1863 the first wagon train arrived to move the Armory to Columbia, South Carolina, next door to the C.S. Arsenal and Depot and the Navel Powder Works. Six month later so about April 1864 all machinery were removed. The buildings of the Asheville Armory were destroyed by Stoneman's federal cavalry on April 28, 1865. .58 caliber percussion, Enfield type rifle. The first 200 were hand made and had no provision for a bayonet. Barrel lengths vary from 33 to 33 5/8 ". Stocks have flat buttplates ore standard curved plate. The flat plate riflese are stamped ASHEVILLE, N.C. in the stock whereas the Curved ones ar stamped on the lock plate. Produced were 200 worthless rifles, 200 by March 1862. Quaterly reports of September 30, 1863 clearyl shows 200 guns made during the 3rd quarter. This would be 600 but very likely in the 2nd. quarter also 200 guns were made. So we arrive at a total production of 800 rifles. Certainly the production continued until October 26 when the first wagon train arrived for evacuation and about 60 more rifles can been added to the 800 made until September 30, 1863. So far we know. 200 of the Asheville Armoury rifles were shipped to Col. White at Selma, Alabama but records show that the boxes were broken open in Knoxville, Tennessee and guns were distribued to citizens. However, within one week they were recovered and made on the way. 200 more were shipped to the Atlanta Arsenal. For the remaining 400 to maximum 500 no shiping records have been discovered.

Product

In 1861 Col. R. W. Pulliam returned to Asheville and became associated with the firm of Gaines Dever and Company, mechants in Asheville. At the same time he became an agent for the Ordnance Bureau of the Confederate States. He should collect, purchase and repair small arms for the Confederates. Pulliam encouraged Col. Ephiram Clayton (operater of a planning mill) and Dr. George Whitson to form a parntership to repair and manufacture small arms. Pulliam feiled to inform Richmond for Approval and made his own agreements with suppliers in the name of the Ordnance Bureau. Master armourer was Mr. King, formally of Harpers Ferry Armory.

King informed Col. J. Gorgas, Chief of Ornance in Richmond, that he had 200 rifles ready and asked for shipping instructions. Gorgas was surprised and sent Maj. W.S. Downer, to Asheville. Downer sent a report to Gorgas on Nov. 22, 1862. " Richmond, Va., Nov. 22, 1862 Colonel: I beg to report that on my visit to Ashrville Armory, I became casually aware of many things in connection with the administration which it may be of interest for the Department to know. Not having been authorized to do so I did not feel at liberty to make any official enquiry but my general duty to the welfare of the service compelled me to notice what I herewith report. I find that the concern at Asheville was first conceived by Messrs. Clayton. Whitson and Pulliam. Mr. Clayton is a carpenter and own the property. Dr. Whitson is a gentleman of general genius but no practical knowledge of mechanics. Mr. Pulliam was a member of the firm of Gaines Dever & Co., who are merchants of this place. Messrs. Whitson & Clayton were the superintendents of the mechanical operations and Mr. Pulliam the business man of the concern. As far as I can learn, the tools and machines, before Mr. King arrived at Asheville, were mere makeshifts and the work carried on almost at the discretion of the men employed. Consequently the guns were made worthless and the labor performed (at the expense of the Department) worse than thrown away. I find that Mr. King is a young mall of a good deal of talent, self confidence and energy but extremely ignorant of the rules of official etiquette. On his arrival there he took charge of the workshops and made his own appointments of foreman in a great measure. Mr. Clayton is now foreman of Carpenters and Dr. Whitson assistant foreman in the manufactury department. Mr. Pulliam has a great deal of private business to attend to, which from what I can learn, keeps him absent from the Armory the greater portion of the time. I believe that Mr. Pulliam has been in the habit of exercising too little authority and Mr. King too much. No official discipline has been enforced.

This state of things led to fault-finding and jealousy between Mr. King and Pulliam which caused the present unpleasant state of feelings. During Mr. Pulliam's absence at Charleston two weeks ago, a gentleman told Mr. King that Mr. Pulliam had said he was going to Richmond to make an effort for his removal. On this information Mr. King wrote you a foolish letter of which he informed me, the folly of which I explained to him. I find also from Mr. Pulliam's information that he is mixing up public affairs with his own business which will apt to lead to great confusion in his accounts. For instance, buying meal, flour, etc. to sell to the workmen at a price, as he states, to cover expenses, and accounting for the funds so expended, as cash on hand. He informs me also that he keeps his cash, etc. at the store and when the men have signed the roll, gives them an order on Gaines Dever & Co. for the money. The appointment of a military storekeeper, with stipulation that he is to have no clerk, would entail no extra expense on the Armory and would preclude any difficulty arising in rcgard to money matters. As to the conscript business, of which Mr. King also wrote you, Mr. Pulliam made an error, he stated the whole matter to me and I told him frankly that I knew his intentions were correct but he had done wrong and I knew hls action would not be sustained. He made application for the detail of the conscripts for Govt. business and then made him oversear on his place and put a negro slave in his place at the work for which he was detailed. I did not feel at liberty to offer advice to the officers except in cases in which it was asked. I would respectively suggest also in regard to the property at that place that the Govt. is paying a largr rent, over 20% on the valur of the property, and at the same time making improvements which will more than double in value, which will by law revert to the owner of the land. The property can be bought now as is with all the machinery, including the steam engine (which is worth over $1500) wood planncr, whip saws, etc., for the sum of six thousand dollars. I would therefore respectively recommend that it be purchased becausc if the Armory is merely a temporary thing it will ensure to the government the benefit of the increase value of the property by reason of the improvements made at our cost. The office and blacksmith shop now being crected will cost more than the price at which it is offered. Asking pardon for the lengthy communication, I am respectfully.
W. S. Downer. Supt. of Armories

Gorgas acted immediately. Within 30 days of Downer's report he had appointed Capt. Benjamin Sloan as new commander at the Asheville Armory and relieved Mr. Pulliam from duty. End of January 1863, Sloan advised Gorgas having 200 rifles ready except the stocks which were made entirely by hand. He sought stock making machinery to speed up the stocking. Mid February he advised Gorgas that the stocking was a major problen and that he only had 100 of the 200 ready to ship. The remainig 100 would be ready by March 10th. Sloan had problems to get barrels and stocks and finally did set up furnaces and forges. He made his own stocking machinery and produced his own stocks. By summer 1863 151 persons worked for the Asheville Armory. By October 1863 the Armory was in striking distance of the fedral troups. On October 26, 1863 the first wagon train arrived to move the Armory to Columbia, South Carolina, next door to the C.S. Arsenal and Depot and the Navel Powder Works. Six month later so about April 1864 all machinery were removed. The buildings of the Asheville Armory were destroyed by Stoneman's federal cavalry on April 28, 1865.

.58 caliber percussion, Enfield type rifle.

The first 200 were hand made and had no provision for a bayonet. Barrel lengths vary from 33 to 33 5/8 ". Stocks have flat buttplates ore standard curved plate. The flat plate riflese are stamped ASHEVILLE, N.C. in the stock whereas the Curved ones ar stamped on the lock plate. Produced were 200 worthless rifles, 200 by March 1862. Quaterly reports of September 30, 1863 clearyl shows 200 guns made during the 3rd quarter. This would be 600 but very likely in the 2nd. quarter also 200 guns were made. So we arrive at a total production of 800 rifles. Certainly the production continued until October 26 when the first wagon train arrived for evacuation and about 60 more rifles can been added to the 800 made until September 30, 1863.

So far we know. 200 of the Asheville Armoury rifles were shipped to Col. White at Selma, Alabama but records show that the boxes were broken open in Knoxville, Tennessee and guns were distribued to citizens. However, within one week they were recovered and made on the way. 200 more were shipped to the Atlanta Arsenal. For the remaining 400 to maximum 500 no shiping records have been discovered.