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 Confederate Ordnance. 319

for their leader, Lieutenant Bowling. There are only two survivors of this wonderful battle, but many citizens who remember all the in- cidents perfectly.

Mrs. HAL W. GREEK,

Historian of Dick Dowling Chapter, Beaumont, Texas.

[From the Baltimore, Md., Sun, September, 1901.]

CONFEDERATE ORDNANCE.

The Good Work Done by General Gorgas in His Department.

Mr. Levi S. White thus tells how he became an agent of the Con- federate States in Baltimore during the civil war:

"Early in 1861 I became acquainted with General Gorgas, chief of the Confederate States Ordnance Department, one of the ablest men in the Confederate service and I will say it was marvelous how much was developed under his skillful management. He resigned from his position in the United States Ordnance Department, went to Richmond, and was at once placed at the head of the Confederate States Ordnance Department, which at that time was destitute of almost everything except brains and energy.

." When I first met General Gorgas he said to me: ' Can you get me some chlorate of potassium ? We have very few musket caps. I have started a factory for making them, but have no chlorate of potassium, and can't find any in the country. If you can speedily get a few hundred pounds you will render me a great service.' From chlorate of potassium is made the fulminating powder of caps and shells, and it is, therefore, a very necessary article for ordnance.

" I returned at once to Baltimore, but could find none in first hands. I wired a friend in New York, Mr. Joseph D. Evans, for- merly of Richmond, and he obtained for me two cases about 500 pounds which was all he could obtain. This was shipped at once by canal line to a commission merchant on south Frederick street, and immediately upon delivery was carried to a wharf and sent by boat to Curtis creek as Mr. Evans had wired me that detectives were after it. They traced it to Frederick street; came there about two hours after it had been hauled away, and it was then being boated to Arundel's hospital shore. A vigorous search was made