Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 29.djvu/162

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146 Southern Historical Society Papers.

was not the kind intended by the military board, Edgar K. Tryon & Co. offered to alter to percussion the whole quantity of rifles and muskets which the State had, at $2 each, this including cleaning and resighting.

Governor Ellis, under date of January 29th, wrote to Tryon & Co. : ' ' Do you propose to do the work of altering in North Caro- lina? lam not willing to send our guns out of the State at the present juncture." In reply, Tryon & Co. said they could only do the work to advantage in Philadelphia, but that the Governor need send only 2,000, 3,000, or 5,000 guns at a time, and when these were finished and forwarded more could be sent to Philadelphia.

George W. Grice, of Portsmouth, Va., offered to alter the flint- and-steel muskets to percussion for $1.45.

The Merchants' Shot-Tower Company, of Baltimore, offered to furnish soft pig lead at $5.75 per 100 pounds.

A. Hitchcock, " late master armorer at the United States arsenal at Watervleit, N. Y.," made an estimate for gun-carriages and equipments for batteries, also infantry equipments, pistols, lead, caps, camp-kettles, 500,000 minie balls, 6,000 altered muskets, etc., the whole amounting to $125,000. Hitchcock also made proposals for doing the work of altering the State's muskets at Newbern and to make bullets and cartridges near there; shipments of articles above referred to be made from New York to Norfolk, Newbern or Wilmington. Lieutenant Lee made an adverse endorsement on Hitchcock's proposal, saying the latter had not signed it, was a drinking man, and his bids were generally too high.

Thomas McKnight, of New York, under date of February ist, offered to furnish the State with arms, saying he and his associates had furnished them to Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi. He of- fered Colt's revolvers at from $18 to $25; minie muskets, to use either cap or Maynard primer, for $13; United States rifles, with sword bayonets, $21; Sharp's breech-loading rifles, $40, and car- bines, $30.

February 2d, Governor Ellis ordered 50,000 pounds of lead from McKnight, of New York, at 5}^, to be delivered at Wilmington, N. C. He said : " I wish to avoid the risk of seizure and therefore make the delivery at Wilmington one of the conditions of the contract. Direct to Brown, DeRosset & Co., Wilmington."

Dancy, Hyman & Co., of New York, wrote the Governor that they would buy lead and powder, rifles, tents, k'napsacks, etc. ; that they were filling an order for Rocky Mount for thirty Mississippi