Diary of Private Lewis C. Paxson, Monday, September 8, 1862

We received our guns, which were mostly Harper's Ferry barrel repaired with Springfield lock. I fired 11 shots. Subscribed toward a drum, 10c.

SOURCE: Lewis C. Paxson, Diary of Lewis C. Paxson: Stockton, N.J., 1862-1865, p. 4

Private Daniel L. Ambrose: April 27, 1861

After the organization of the regiment, on the twenty-seventh, they are marched from Camp Yates to the armory, where they receive their arms—the Harper's Ferry altered musket—after which the regiment marches to the depot and embarks for Alton, Illinois, where the regiment arrives at 4 P. M., and are quartered in the old State Penitentiary. With men who were eager for war—whose hopes of martial glory ran so high—to be quartered in the old criminal home, grated harshly, and they did not enter those dark recesses with much gusto.

During our stay here, the regiment was every day marched out on the city commons by Colonel Cook, and there exercised in the manual of arms and the battallion evolutions, until they attained a proficiency surpassed by none in the service.

SOURCES: Daniel Leib Ambrose, History of the Seventh Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry, p. 7

Washington News

WASHINGTON, April 29. – The Commission on ordnance and supplies have, it is said, rejected all the foreign contracts, and considerable curtailed those for the manufacture of arms in the United States.

The Ordnance Officer has issued proposals for manufacturing, within one year, Springfield rifled muskets and Harper’s Ferry rifles, together with carbines, revolvers, sabres, swords, scabbards, &c., sufficient for the use of the army.

The Department reserves to itself the right to reject any bid and to consider none made thro’ any agent, broker or party, other than the regular manufactures.

Several days ago the House passed a resolution directing the Secretary of War to communicate all the facts and circumstances within his knowledge, relative to the late evacuation by our troops, of Jacksonville, Florida.

The Secretary replies that he conceives it to be the province of the President to furnish information concerning military operations, but that the President has directed him to say that the evacuation was for reasons not deemed compatible with the public interest to disclose.

Prof. Bache of the Coast Survey, reports that next to Port Royal, St. Helena Sound is the [best] harbor on the Southern Coast. Two channels of 15 feet each at mean low water enter, and from the Sound the Country may be penetrated by gunboats nearly to the railroad. The width of the sound renders all its shores healthy, as all are freely reached by the sea breezes, and the other sea island especially is will situated for settlement and commercial town. If ever other interests than planting ones rule in this region, he looks to see its commercial advantage made use of, and the lumber from the heads of the Ashpoo and Cambahee finds a market nearer these great rivers than either Savannah or Charleston.

Wm. Ryan Hall has been appointed acting volunteer lieutenant in Com. Foote’s flotilla.

– Published in The Burlington Weekly Hawk-Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Saturday, May 3, 1862, p. 4