A period photo showing Brown’s Island and the Confederate States Laboratory in the distance. It is said the Laboratory was built on the island due to its separation from the city by water and the hazardous nature of creating explosives. It is estimated that the laboratory produced around 200,000 small arms cartridges a day, or about 1,200,000 a week. To put that in perspective. a major battle engaged by the Confederacy’s main army, the Army of Northern Virginia, commanded by Robert E. Lee, required an estimated five million small arms cartridges and around 40,000 rounds of artillery ammunition.
Government Works
The Confederate Government have established quite a settlement on Brown's Island, a place formerly devoted to cock fighting and similar amusements, and have now nearly three hundred females employed in the workshops located on the island, making up ball cartridges and other small ammunition. The place wears quite a thriving aspect.
A Memorial to the victims of the Confederate States Laboratory Explosion which occurred March 13th 1863, killing forty-five individuals and leaving twenty-three others injured. Most of the killed and injured were young girls who worked in the factory producing ammunition for the Confederate war effort.
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