James Henry Burton

With Adams was another long-time employee of the United States Arsenal at Harpers Ferry, James Henry Burton. Bom at Shenondale Springs, Virginia, August 17, 1823, Burton attended school in Pennsylvania, but entered the machine trade in Baltimore at the age of 16. In 1844 he took a job at the rifle works under John Hall and in 1845 was appointed foreman. He rose to Master Armorer within 10 years, and attracted the attention of the British who came to the United States, inspecting arsenals in 1855, in connection with the parts. Shown here is unique version with Special Model 1861 bands and lock. Plate is dated 1864; has 1864-type U.S. bevel Sharps rifle contract. Offered a good position he resigned from Harpers Ferry and from then until 1860 was Chief Engineer of the Enfield Royal Small Arms Factory. While there, he became acquainted with the tool-making firm of Greenwood & Badey in Leeds, from whom Enfield purchased gunmaking equipment; this contact was to be renewed when Burton worked for the South.

He returned to Virginia in 1860 and accepted a position with Joseph R. Anderson at the Tredegar Works, in connection with their contract to make the machinery for the Richmond Armory. By June, 1861, the Tredegar machinery and the Harpers Ferry equipment were in operation; on July 12, George W. Munford, Secretary of the Commonwealth, tendered the services of the booming Richmond Armory to the use of the Confederate State Government.
Prior to the setting up of machinery, the Armory had issued 10,000 U. S. flintlock muskets to both state and C.S. troops, and 50,000 “Virginia flintlock muskets, these last plainly known by the stamp ‘Virginia’ upon the lock.” With Colonel Burton as Superintendent of Armories of the Confederacy, was Solomon Adams as Master Armorer of the state, General Gorgas moving in with his family as the Government shifted north from Montgomery. The Richmond Armory was ready for full-scale manufacture of Rifle Muskets by Springfield Armory standards.
To use in making muskets, Adams had 20,000 seasoned musket stocks obtained in an exchange from Harpers Ferry before the raid, plus such quantities of parts of arms as were salvaged. In June of 1860, parts of arms in progress were valued at $93,573. At the time of Jackson’s raid, there were 4,287 arms in store, of different types, valued at $60,000. Cannibalized, finished up, placed into seasoned stocks, these parts of arms and burned guns made bright were among the first issues from Richmond’s newest arms factory. Said General Gorgas:
The machinery of the rifle musket (caliber .58) retained at Richmond, got to work as early as September, 1861. If we had possessed the necessary number of workmen this “plant” could have been so filled in as to have easily produced 5,000 stands per month, working night and day. As it was, I don’t think it turned out more than 1,500 in any one month.