Repository

Heinz History Center

Title

Bureau of Ordnance and Hydrography Correspondence to the Fort Pitt Foundry

Creator

Bureau of Ordnance and Hydrography

Collection Number

MSS 989

Extent

.25 linear feet (1 box)

Date

1853-1856

Abstract

Established in 1842, Bureau of Ordnance and Hydrography operated within the U.S. Navy. The bureau was responsible for the procurement, storage, and development of arms as well as providing nautical charts and equipment. The Bureau of Ordinance and Hydrography Correspondence to the Fort Pitt Foundry includes correspondence, contracts, invoices, and diagrams pertaining to the development and purchase of 9, 10, and 11-inch guns and shells.

Language

The material in this collection is in English.

Author

The guide to this collection was written by Matthew D. Strauss.

Publisher

Heinz History Center

Address

1212 Smallman St.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
library@heinzhistorycenter.org
URL: https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org

History

The Fort Pitt Foundry traced its beginnings to the Joseph McClurg works, which were founded in 1804 in downtown Pittsburgh. Soon after it moved to a location in the Strip District between 12th and 13th Streets. During the Civil War, the firm produced 60 percent of the Union's heavy artillery. It was particularly known for making large cannons, including those designed by John A. Dahlgren and Thomas Jackson Rodman. In 1864, the foundry cast Rodman's 20-inch caliber cannon.

Scope and Content Notes

The Bureau of Ordinance and Hydrography Correspondence to the Fort Pitt Foundry includes correspondence, contracts, invoices, and diagrams pertaining to the development and purchase of 9, 10, and 11-inch guns and shells. The correspondence, much of which is addressed to the firm's partners Knap and Wade, contains specifications to which the bureau was desiring to have these items made. Included amongst the correspondence are contracts for producing these items and invoices. The diagrams include depictions of a 9-inch shell gun and an 8-inch shell. The collection also letters, notes, specifications, and reports authored by John A. Dahlgren, who designed cannons that were used extensively in the Civil War.

Conditions Governing Access

None.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Purchase from Lewis Leigh Jr. in 2015.

Archives accession # 2015.0127

Preferred Citation

Bureau of Ordnance and Hydrography Correspondence to the Fort Pitt Foundry, 1853-1856, MSS 989, Detre Library and Archives, Senator John Heinz History Center

Processing Information

Preliminary processing by Matthew D. Strauss on 10/10/2017.

Conditions Governing Use

Property rights reside with the Senator John Heinz History Center. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permission to reproduce or publish, please contact the Library and Archives of the Senator John Heinz History Center.

Subjects

Corporate Names

• United States. Navy.
• Fort Pitt Foundry (Pittsburgh, Pa.)

Personal Names

• Dahlgren, John Adolphus Bernard, 1809-1870.

Other Subjects

• Military weapons.

Container List