Ordnance & Ordnance Stores, To Be Sold At Public Auction, December 20, 1866, at Augusta Arsenal (Georgia). Bidder's penciled notes and prices next to the majority of lots, indicating that this copy was likely present at the auction. 13 x 14.5 in.
Augusta Arsenal was established by the U.S. Government in 1829 for the purpose of supplying arms and munitions to be used in campaigns against the Cherokee, Muscogee, and Seminole, but also played an important part in outfitting Mexican War forces ca 1846-48. When Georgia seceded in 1861, Governor Joseph E. Brown demanded the arsenal be surrendered to the state, which it reluctantly was after 600 militiamen showed up at the gates, outnumbering the federal force of 82. It was greatly expanded under Confederate control and produced a significant portion of the materiel used late in the war. Augusta Arsenal was not surrendered until May 3, 1865, and contained massive stores. We could find no records of this 1866 auction, but it is likely most ordnance sold was melted down. The arsenal served as a repair, storage, and transport depot during the Spanish-American and World Wars, but was closed in 1955 and exists today as the campus of Augusta State University.
Condition: Fold line, top edge torn.