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
Sentinel |
3/16/1863; description and details of the
Brown's Island Confederate Laboratory 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
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
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." |
