Located on Brown's island in the James River. In the early part of the war,
cartridge-making was conducted at Thomas' factory, but the operations were moved
to Brown's Island, apparently over concerns about safety.
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
7/4/1861; lengthy (and graphic)
account of an explosion near Thomas' Factory and the State Armory which
killed local chemist Joseph Laidley |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
7/8/1861; word of caution about
conditions at the cartridge making facility at Thomas's Factory |
|
Richmond
Whig |
7/9/1861; description of the "cartridge
factory", later the C. S. Arsenal, and cautions regarding safety |
|
Richmond
Whig |
7/11/1861; percussion caps will be
manufactured at Brown's Island |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
7/13/1861; description of cartridge
making in Thomas' factory, and refutation of the claim that care is not
taken there |
|
Richmond
Whig |
7/22/1861; 370 women and girls are employed
making cartridges |
|
Richmond
Enquirer |
8/2/1861; 200 white girls needed to work at the
C. S. Laboratory making cartridges |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
8/16/1861; list of donations to the St. Charles
Hospital - includes donations from the children at the Lancastrian school,
as well as the workers of the C. S. Laboratory |
|
Richmond
Examiner |
9/27/1861; Fire at C. S. Laboratory |
|
Richmond
Enquirer |
9/27/1861; fire at the laboratory in Thomas'
factory - workers flee, but fire is contained |
|
Richmond
Whig |
9/27/1861; Fire at the C. S. Laboratory - urges
movement of laboratory from a central location for safety reasons |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
10/5/1861; 100 women wanted to work at the C.
S. Laboratory at 7th and Arch streets |
|
Richmond
Enquirer |
10/5/1861; 100 white girls needed to work at the C. S.
Laboratory, corner 7th and Arch |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
10/8/1861; 100 women needed to work at the C.
S. Laboratory |
|
Richmond
Enquirer |
10/12/1861; 100 white girls needed to work at
the C. S. Laboratory making cartridges |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
1/28/1862;
large explosion at Govt. Laboratory, foot of
7th St. - many injured |
|
Richmond
Enquirer |
1/28/1862; explosion at the Confederate
Laboratory |
|
Richmond
Whig |
1/28/1862; Explosion at the
Confederate Laboratory, on Byrd Island |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
1/31/1862; none of boys hurt in
recent lab explosion. Govt now building storehouse at “upper extremity” of
Brown’s Island for fuse work |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
2/6/1862;
Chas. Schop, age 19 & Jno. Fitzpatrick, age
17, both died 2/4 from injuries at CS Lab explosion |
|
Richmond
Enquirer |
2/22/1862; immigrant workers at C. S.
Laboratory arrested for not taking the oath of allegiance - released after
some confusion |
|
Richmond
Whig |
3/27/1862; man severely injured in
an explosion of a shell at the "Laboratory, on Byrd Island" |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
5/3/1862; two men badly injured at CS Lab, 7th St, unloading shell |
|
Richmond
Enquirer |
5/5/1862; reports on victims of an explosion at
the C. S. Laboratory |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
5/6/1862; W. N. Smith at Confederate Laboratory, 7th & Arch, needs 200
laborers |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
6/12/1862; W. N.
Smith adv - needs 100 young ladies to make cartridges at C. S. Laboratory |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
7/9/1862; man
shoots himself in hand in front of Thomas’ Factory, unloading captured arms |
|
Richmond
Examiner |
7/26/1862; Medical Purveyor's office receives a
generous donation from employees at the C. S. Laboratory |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
8/2/1862; Capt.
W. N. Smith at CS Laboratory wants 200 girls to make cartridges |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
8/6/1862; fatal explosion at the C.
S. Laboratory on Brown's Island |
|
Richmond
Enquirer |
8/6/1862; fatal accident at the C. S.
Laboratory on Brown's Island - explosion of fulminating powder |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
8/8/1862; details of William Pratt,
the victim of the recent explosion on Brown's Island |
|
Richmond
Enquirer |
8/8/1862; correction regarding the city of
origin of the man recently killed at the C. S. Laboratory |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
10/6/1862; W. N.
Smith wants 25 laborers at Richmond Arsenal, Laboratory Department. |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
12/16/1862; Capt.
W. N. Smith, C. S. Lab., 7th & Arch, adv for 100 girls to “work on
cartridges.” |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
1/2/1863;
Confederate Laboratory has moved to Brown's Island, and 300 females are now
working there. Describes the island's prior uses. |
|
Richmond
Dispatch |
1/5/1863;
excellent description of the Confederate Laboratory |
|
Richmond
Enquirer |
1/6/1863; Excellent description of
C. S. Laboratory |
|
Richmond
Examiner |
3/14/1863; Explosion at C. S. Laboratory |
|
Richmond
Enquirer |
3/14/1863; Explosion at C. S.
Laboratory |
|
Richmond
Whig |
3/14/1863; Mayor
Mayo seeks the aid of the YMCA and donations for the relief of the sufferers
of the Laboratory explosion |
|
Richmond
Whig |
3/14/1863;
Explosion at the Confederate Laboratory on Brown’s Island. Wounded taken to
General Hospital No. 2. Important geographical details. At the time of the
explosion, firemen were fighting the blaze that destroyed the Public
Warehouse. |
|
Richmond
Sentinel |
3/16/1863; description and details of the
Brown's Island Confederate Laboratory explosion |
|
Richmond
Whig |
3/16/1863; Mayor
requests that Brown’s Island sufferers report to him their locality and
condition for the reception of charitable contributions |
|
Richmond Whig |
3/16/1863; More
important information about the Brown’s Island explosion – names Mary Ryan
as the culprit, and gives extensive lists of the victims, both dead and
wounded. At this time there were 34 dead and 29 wounded. |
|
Richmond Whig |
3/16/1863; Lee
Mallory to give the proceeds of tomorrow night’s exhibition at Metropolitan
Hall to the Brown’s Island sufferers |
|
Richmond Whig |
3/16/1863;
Obituary for Rev. John Woodcock, died 3/14 of burns received in the Brown’s
Island explosion |
|
Richmond
Sentinel |
3/17/1863; no more deaths from the laboratory
explosion - donations for their relief have been pouring in |
|
Richmond Sentinel |
3/17/1863; committee appointed to disburse
contributions to victims of the Laboratory explosions |
|
Richmond
Whig |
3/17/1863; Harry
Macarthy, “Arkansas Comedian” to donate proceeds of his 3/18 show at the
Broad Street Theatre to Brown’s Island sufferers |
|
Richmond Whig |
3/17/1863; Depot
for donations to Brown’s Island victims has been set up at 10th and Bank
streets. |
|
Richmond
Sentinel |
3/18/1863; Mary Ryan, who caused the explosion
at the Confederate Laboratory, has died of her wounds |
|
Richmond
Sentinel |
3/20/1863; another man dies of his wounds after
the Confederate Laboratory disaster |
|
Richmond
Sentinel |
3/21/1863; 14-year old girl dies of her wounds
from the Laboratory explosion |
|
Richmond
Sentinel |
3/26/1863; benefit to be held tonight at the
Market Hall for the victims of the Laboratory explosion |
|
Richmond
Examiner |
4/4/1863; buildings of the C. S. Laboratory
have been rebuilt |
|
Richmond
Sentinel |
4/13/1863; body of a Laboratory explosion
victim found in the "race leading to
Haxall’s mills." Notes that 50 deaths have thus far resulted from the
explosion |
|
Richmond Whig |
4/13/1863; “Local
Summary:” old lady mangled at the Petersburg depot; 331 Yankee prisoners
were sent to City Point for exchange; shooting affair near the Spotswood
Hotel; Martha Burley, Brown’s Island victim, found in the river near
Haxall’s Mill |
|
Richmond
Sentinel |
11/24/1863; bake-house,
slaughter-house and general store-house are built at the Confederate
Laboratory to pay their employees with the output of said buildings |
|
Richmond
Whig |
4/21/1864; explosion at the
Laboratory - percussion caps explode, but no one was injured |
|
Richmond
Sentinel |
4/21/1864; small explosion occurred
in the percussion cap factory on Brown's Island |
|
Trowbridge,
John T., The South... |
1866 account of the author's travels
to Richmond and the adjoining battlefields. Good material on Belle Isle,
Brown's Island, Libby Prison, battlefields near the city |
|
Civil War Times Illustrated
(Oct. 1982), pp. 36-41. |
Burton, David L. "Friday the 13th:
Richmond's Great Home Front Disaster." |
