1862 — Nov 5, Confederate arsenal explosion, College Green, Jackson, MS –47-48
–47-48 Blanchard range.[1]
— 48 The Mississippian, 11-7-1862, in Howell.[2]
— ~47 Egan. “The Jackson Arsenal Explosion.” Women in the Civil War blog. 3-9-2017.
— ~40 Bergin, B. Washington Arsenal Explosion: Civil War Disaster in the Capital., 2012, p.41.
— ~40 Calos. “Brown’s Island munitions explosion was worst wartime disaster in Richmond.”
Narrative Information
Egan: “A deadly explosion occurred at the Jackson Arsenal in Jackson, Mississippi on November 5, 1862….The building in which the explosion occurred was a large, two-story brick one, formerly a boys’ schoolhouse that had been converted to an arsenal just that year. The site was known as College Green…The upper level of the building was used for the construction of ammunition, the work being performed by women and children. The lower level was used for making artillery shells.[3]….
“In the cartridge assembly room, loose grains of powder — often scattered on the tables — would sometimes stick to the bottom of the copper pans of wax used to waterproof cartridges. That day, a fresh barrel of powder had been opened in the room Earlier, at around 11 AM, one male worker had complained to the foreman about powder flashing when he would put the pan over the flame of a lamp in order to melt the wax. The foreman did nothing and the young man quit that day in frustration; he was the last known worker to leave the building alive.[4]….
“This incident killed roughly forty-seven people; of those known to have been killed, at least seventeen were women and girls.[5]….” (Egan, Raina G. “The Jackson Arsenal Explosion.” Forbidden, Hidden and Forgotten: Women Soldiers of the Civil War [blogspot]. 3-9-2017.)
Howell: “….According to one historian: ‘In 1862 the boys school building was converted into an arsenal and occupied by about eighty men, women and children, manufacturing cartridges for the Confederacy.’….
“On…November 6th, The Weekly Mississippian, a Jackson newspaper reported:
A Dark Day For Jackson.
Yesterday afternoon about three o’clock a terrific explosion took place at the Arsenal in this city, blowing up the Magazine and producing a fearful shock throughout the city and its suburbs, killing all the hands engaged in making cartridges and completely destroying all the vast army stores that had been gathered there. The scene after the explosion is described as heart-rending. Mangled bodies of men, women and girls who had been employed in making cartridges were scattered in every direction!
Many bodies were so terribly lacerated as to render recognition wholly impossible. We are not able today to give the names of that ill-fated band — about thirty-four — who were so hurriedly ushered into eternity, or the extent of the loss sustained in the munitions of war, but will do so tomorrow. The sight was dreadful in the highest degree, and the loss of ammunition heavy. Jackson will long remember and mourn the sad occurrence.”
“On November 7th The Mississippian reported more fully:
About half past three o’clock on Wednesday afternoon, (the day before yesterday) our city was the scene of one of the most appalling disasters that it was ever our misfortune to witness, the results of which are heart-rending. At the above hour one of the buildings, about three squares back of the Bowman House, used by the Ordnance officers for the manufacture of ammunition, exploded with an awful crash that shook every house in the city, and caused the greatest alarm and excitement — in an instant astonishment and horror was depicted in every face, and soon hundreds were running with breathless haste to the locality of the sad occurrence. A scene here met the eye that caused the stoutest heart to quail! The two story brick building used as the laboratory was blown to the smallest atoms, and the debris were scattered for several hundred yards around. All the men and women employed in the building at the time, had been hurled to instantaneous destruction. Shockingly mangled bodies of both sexes lay around in the most frightful and horrible positions, besides blackened and disfigured so as to almost defy identity as human beings! One man had a leg torn off and his brains literally blown out. The body of a poor girl was hanging by one foot to the limb of a tree, she was evidently dead, but her clothes were still burning. Other bodies were blown to the distance of from fifty to one hundred and fifty yards, and presented a mutilated and most shocking appearance. The packages of powder and the shells were yet continually exploding as the fire of the burning ruins reached them, and many who attempted to go nearer, in order to render assistance, if needed, were thus warned to desist until the danger was over.
The fire engine was promptly on the ground, but could not do much owing to the want of water.
In a short time many of the friends and relatives of the unfortunate victims were on the spot, and scenes of the most affecting and heart-rending character took place as the awful fatality was known. Several surgeons and humane gentlemen endeavored to find some who had not been killed outright, but the only one we saw who seemed to have any chance of recovery was a sentinel! — his thigh was broken and he was otherwise wounded, he was carefully placed on a cot and borne off by friends. Another sentinel, about one hundred yards or more from the explosion, was hit in the back by a flying brick, — and but slightly injured. James Carnes, a carpenter was also slightly hurt in the side. These three were the only one outside the building who were hurt.
The officers in charge of the Arsenal, are we learn, Colonel A. P. Stockton, Captain W. Tams, Lieutenant R. S. Kinney, and Capt. H. Fisher. Col. Stockton had fortunately been called away. Captain Tames and Captain Fisher were not in the immediate vicinity of the explosion luckily, and Lieutenant Kinney was providentially absent, sick in his room. [Which explains the problem, all of the officers, save one superintendent, were not on duty at the site.] At the time of the explosion, the laboratory held only a few hundred rounds of fixed ammunition, and about two hundred pounds of powder, so that the pecuniary loss is quite inconsiderable. The cause that led to this tragical occurrence, must like others of a similar nature, remain, a mystery. It is most positively known that there was no fire within several hundred feet of the laboratory, and no satisfactory account can ever be given of the cause of this direful calamity. The officers mentioned, are well known to be skillful, experienced and cautious, and the employees had often been warned of the dangerous character of the materials they worked with — only two out of twenty one young women are known to be saved — twenty-nine bodies through the humane exertions of the Mayor and his attendants, have been gathered together for burial. Some of them have not been recognized, so severely have their features and bodies been distorted.
The other buildings of the Arsenal were comparatively injured, but some of the dwellings in the immediate vicinity, were considerably damaged. Their occupants had a wonderful escape, and were terror-stricken for hours after the occurrence. While our community mourns over the sad reality of the frightful destructions of life, we are all seriously reminded of the great uncertainty of human affairs. We trust, that we may never again have to relate such agonizing details of the loss of human beings — The unparalleled fact, of the greater portion of the victims being helpless women is dreadful indeed, and serves to make this the most truly melancholy record we ever penned. — Owing to the confusion and excitement in the city , we were unable to give our readers anything like a definite statement of this sad and lamentable affair. We are indebted to the courtesy of Capt. Henry Fisher, military store keeper, for the following lists of the killed, those who are known to be safe and those not heard from — the latter we have hope will yet report themselves safe.
KNOW TO BE KILLED. [48 names listed]
Thomas Halley, laborer
John Corcoran, ”
John Blake, ”
P. Somers, ”
J. Tiemay, ”
Charles Little, ”
William McCook,”
A. W. Moore, superintending laboratory.
Louis Divine, cartridge-maker
John Wall, ”
Ed. Wall, ”
John McNeil, ”
F. Olin, ”
W. Stowers, ”
Geo. Stowers, ”
A. J. Patterson, ”
John Tafley, ”
Laura Hickey, ”
Lucy Gray, ”
Nancy Gray, ”
Leona Head, ”
Sarah E. Jones, ”
Adela Hurd, ”
Caroline Muller, ”
Emily Grey, ”
Sarah James, ”
Cammie March, ”
Mary Powers, ”
Letitia Shannon, ”
Mary Burns, ”
Thomas Wallace, laborer.
John Heaply, cartridge-maker.
Chas. Herr, ”
W. Brey, ”
M. Stafford, ”
J. Harrigan, ”
Mary Henderson, ”
Nelly Powell, ”
Emma Moody, ”
Martha Patterson, ”
W. T. Millett, ”
E. Monahan, ”
H. Donald, ”
F. Muller, ”
A. S. Langley, ”
L. Boston, ”
James Cames, laborer, slightly injured in the side.”
Another Victim. — We learn this morning, that a deaf and dumb boy by the name of Joel Crane, who was not mentioned in our list of the casualties yesterday, was killed in the explosion of the ordnance building, Wednesday evening.”
“As is the case with most disasters, confusion reigned and is evidenced by the following news article:
In the list of casualties attending the explosion of the Ordnance building on Wednesday evening, the fate of Henry Donnell and W. S. Millett, was put down as unknown; the facts were far different. Henry Donnell and W. S. Millett, were the first discovered and removed, and were consigned to the tomb the following evening.
We also would make this correction–instead of F. Olin, it should have been Oliver H. Olin who was killed. F. Olin was not hurt.
- Monahan and Emma Moode were also put down as “fate unknown,” but both bodies were found, and as in the case of all who were in the ill-fated building, their sad fate is too well known. Not one of that ill-starred band is left to tell of the awful disaster.
“Luther S. Braechtel, a State Treasury Department Clerk, penned in his daily journal that night:
‘Terrible accident today at 3½ P.M. Government Arsenal (North School House) blew up causing death of between 35 & 40 personnel — All inside were killed so that no one can account for the explosion supposed to be accidental — the exact number of lives lost cannot be ascertained.’….
“The Mississippian’s prediction that ‘Jackson will long remember and mourn the sad occurrence,’ it was forgotten by succeeding generations to the point that not even the location of the mass burial sites within the confines of Greenwood Cemetery (the Old City Cemetery of Civil War times) is noted and can be found!”
New York Times, “From the Grenada Appeal, Nov 6th.–Shortly after 3 o’clock, this afternoon, the building in this city used as a cartridge manufactory, having a large amount of powder stored in it, was blown up, causing a fearful concussion and a great loss of life. Of its occupants, boys girls and young ladies, not one is known to have escaped. In the existing confusion and excitement it is impossible to learn the number certainly lost, It is not less than thirty, and may far overreach that number. The cause of th explosion is yet unknown.
“The Appeal thus comments on the disaster:
The explosion of the Government arsenal at Jackson, Miss., announced in our telegraphic column, is another of those occurrences[6] incident to war, and of which we have been called upon to make several announcement since the commencement of the present contest. Our only additional information in such as we have been to glean from passengers who arrived this morning, and who, having left shortly after the occurrence of the accident, could give but little.
The building occupied was a large two-story brick, formerly used as a city school-house. The upper story was used for the construction of ammunition for small arms, the work in which was performed by young ladies and boys and girls. The lower story was devoted to the preparation of shell, etc. One gentleman informs us that the report was that the accident originated in the latter department, and was caused by picking a shell. The walls of the building, were entirely demolished, and the wood-work instantly set in a blaze; and so intense was the heat, and the danger from the continual explosion of the shells in the building as the fire reached them, that it was impossible, up to the time the train left, to render any assistance to the unfortunates surviving the explosion, if there were any. For the same reason the exact reason, the exact loss could not be ascertained, but the scattered remains of some thirty that were blown to a distance had been collected.
The explosion was distinctly heard at Canton. In the city its effects were visible in every direction. Shattered windows, several squares distant, attested its destroying force. At one time it was feared that a frame building, a short distance from the scene, in which a large amount of powder was stored, would be fired by the rest or the exploding shells, but up to our latest advices it had escaped. The lamentations of these who had relatives and friends engaged in the building are represented to have been heart-rending, and continued up to the departure of the train, not one was known to have escaped from the building, yet an anxious hope was pervading the entire community, thousands of whom were interested, that some one was uninjured, and consequently a friend saved.”
(New York Times. “The Explosion of the Rebel Arsenal at Jackson, Miss.” (From the Grenada Appeal, 11-6-1862.) 11-23-1862.)
Rent: “Few know of the horrific past a quiet block in Downtown Jackson has experienced… when Jackson’s Confederate arsenal exploded on November 5th, 1862.
And at 3:10 that afternoon, this quiet little knoll that we’re standing on right now and where that building is pretty much located turned into a volcano. According to the witnesses, it blew the place into atoms. The cannonballs that were being refilled were exploding, the bullets were exploding, the wreckage was ablaze, bodies were thrown all over the place. [Statement of historian Grady Howell, Jr.]
“Arsenals had one purpose: the production and storage of weapons for either the Confederacy or Union armies. No photographs or sketches exist of Jackson’s arsenal, a converted boy’s school. However, its appearance and size could’ve resembled the headquarters for the State Department of Education, formerly Central High School….
“…for years Jackson’s worst disaster went unexplained, but through a little research, Mr. Howell was able to shed some light on what happened here and to debunk any of the conspiracy theories. It came down to one thing: poor quality control. ‘Black powder, while they were fabricating the cartridges on the tables, was spilling on the tables. There were open kegs of black powder that they were getting ready to use for the manufacturing of more munitions.’….” (Rent, Jeff. “Jackson’s Worst Disaster.” 2-19-2002.)
Sources
Bergin, Brian (Edited by Erin Bergin Voorheis). Washington Arsenal Explosion: Civil War Disaster in the Capital. Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2012. Accessed 1-22-2015 at: https://books.google.com/books?id=BylUaHKUsDoC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=true
Calos, Katherine. “Brown’s Island munitions explosion was worst wartime disaster in Richmond.” Richmond Times-Dispatch, VA. March 4, 2013, updated March 5, 2013. Accessed 1-22-2015 at: http://www.richmond.com/news/local/city-of-richmond/article_9683aac6-847f-11e2-b033-0019bb30f31a.html
Egan, Raina G. “The Jackson Arsenal Explosion.” Forbidden, Hidden and Forgotten: Women Soldiers of the Civil War [blogspot]. 3-9-2017. Accessed 7-27-2019 at: https://forbiddenhiddenforgotten.blogspot.com/2017/03/recently-i-came-across-rainas-facebook.html
Howell, H. Grady Jr. “The Most Appalling Disaster. Jackson Mississippi Arsenal Explosion November 5, 1862.” Website accessed 1-22-2015 at: http://battleofraymond.org/howell.htm
Daily Ledger, New Albany, IN. “Terrible Accident at Jackson.” 11-15-1862, p. 1. Accessed 7-28-2019 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/new-albany-daily-ledger-nov-15-1862-p-1/
New York Times. “The Explosion of the Rebel Arsenal at Jackson, Miss.” (From the Grenada Appeal, 11-6-1862.) 11-23-1862. Accessed 7-27-2019 at: https://www.nytimes.com/1862/11/23/archives/the-explosion-of-the-rebel-arsenal-at-jackson-miss.html
Rent, Jeff. “Jackson’s Worst Disaster.” 2-19-2002. Accessed 1-22-2015 at: http://www.unexplainedfiles.com/2002/02/jacksons-worst-disaster.html
[1] For the low end of the range (47) we use the number of the Egan article on the topic, and for the high-end we use the fatality count (which includes the names of victims) found in The Mississippian of Nov 7, 1862.
[2] We use this figure as the high-end of the estimated fatality range. We recognize, though, that there could well be errors of commission or omission.
[3] Cites: New York Times. “The Explosion of the Rebel Arsenal at Jackson, Miss.” (from the Grenada Appeal, Grenada Miss.)
[4] Cites: H. Grady Howell. “The Most Appalling Disaster: Jackson, Mississippi Arsenal Explosion, November 5, 1862,” 2002.
[5] Cites: Brian Bergin. The Washington Arsenal Explosion: Civil War Disaster in the Capital. 2012, p. 41.
[6] In NYT digital version of the article there are question marks for unreadable text. We have consulted other articles and are able to fill in those words that were machine-unreadable in the NYT digital version, and put those words