The Richmond Arsenal was established in May 1861 when the Confederate government was moved to Richmond from Montgomery Alabama. This arsenal grew to be the Confederacy’s largest ordnance facility and likely responsible for supplying approximately one-half of all Confederate issues during the war. Located here were Confederate Ordnance Bureau headquarter’s offices, the Richmond Armory and Arsenal, Depot, Laboratory and the Artillery Workshops. These institutions were clustered in the old Virginia Armory, several old tobacco warehouses, on Byrd Island, Brown’s Island and various other buildings largely along 7th and Cary Streets between the Kenawaha Canal and the James River. Their location put them virtually adjacent to the precious iron supplies at Richmond’s great Tredegar Iron Works. The Ordnance Depot, Armory, Arsenal and other facilities were completely destroyed in the fiery conflagration that accompanied the Confederate evacuation of Richmond in April 1865.

Horse Equipment: Until early 1862, all arsenal horse equipment manufacturing had been done at the Artillery Work Shops in Richmond but that spring this production was moved to the newly established Ordnance Harness Shops at Clarksville in south central Virginia (see Clarksville). Under the direct supervision of the Richmond Arsenal, all equipment produced at Clarksville was shipped to Richmond for issuing to the Army of Northern Virginia.

    Great numbers of cavalry trooper’s and officer’s equipments were manufactured at Clarksville until early spring 1863 when Supt. of Armories at the Richmond Arsenal, Major W.S. Downer, began seeking outside contracts with commercial suppliers for the majority of his trooper’s equipment. At that time, saddle trees, mountings and other needs were routinely shipped from Clarksville to Richmond for dispersal to commercial "finishing" contractors. However, by early 1864 the pressures of resource shortages, transportation and labor had combined to greatly hinder the capabilities of outside producers. Hence Clarksville once again, with assistance from a handful of suppliers, became the main source of all horse equipment until the end of the war. Throughout the war the lion’s share of finished horse equipment and manufacturing resources that was imported by the Bureau from abroad went to the Richmond Arsenal.

    The Clarksville Ordnance harness Shops was the only source of artillery harness and saddlery for the Richmond Arsenal and subsequently the Army of Northern Virginia.

Richmond Arsenal Saddles & Horse Equipments: To obtain more detailed information about Richmond Arsenal or Clarksville horse equipment patterns, production and issuances including Ordnance Manual specifications for leather and hardware send $10 to Ken R. Knopp, Confederate Horse Equipment, P.O. Box 1322, Hattiesburg, Miss. 39403.

*****    Be sure to request Richmond/Clarksville Saddle Production specs!

**    Note: If you are constructing your own saddle and wish the detail measurements and a copy of the skirt pattern from an original Richmond Arsenal Officers saddle please send along another $5. (Note: Officer’s skirt patterns would differ slightly from the trooper’s pattern.)