TFSmith121
Banned
Meigs was QM; his responsibilities did not include ordnance
Meigs was Chief of the Quartermater Department, and he did an excellent job; his responsibilities did not include ordnance, however.
The chiefs of the Ordnance Department were:
Henry K. Craig (to April 23, 1861);
James W. Ripley (to September, 1863)
George B. Ramsay (to September, 1864)
Alexander B. Dyer (to postbellum)
Ripley gets some criticism regarding his focus on what was in production (M1861) and available (various rifled versions of previous standard designs and what could be acquired in Europe, both for the US forces and to deny said material to the rebels). Given the realities of the 1861-62 mobilization, I don't really see that the US had any options but standardizing on muzzle-loading rifles in 1861-62, whether .54, .577. .58. or .69 caliber. Arming more than a million men required praticality, period.
Best,
I highly doubt that. If you are going to blame anyone who is not a line commander, it would be Montgomery Meigs, the Quartermaster general of the Union Army. What Northrup was to the South, Meigs was to the North. Though at least Meigs could feed the Union Army and keep up the flow of weapons and ammunitions. But the greatest indictment against him was the near-impossibility of getting what were already proven weapons in Europe introduced into the USA. Mainly on the basis that they were too wasteful of ammunition. You know...machine guns..
Meigs was Chief of the Quartermater Department, and he did an excellent job; his responsibilities did not include ordnance, however.
The chiefs of the Ordnance Department were:
Henry K. Craig (to April 23, 1861);
James W. Ripley (to September, 1863)
George B. Ramsay (to September, 1864)
Alexander B. Dyer (to postbellum)
Ripley gets some criticism regarding his focus on what was in production (M1861) and available (various rifled versions of previous standard designs and what could be acquired in Europe, both for the US forces and to deny said material to the rebels). Given the realities of the 1861-62 mobilization, I don't really see that the US had any options but standardizing on muzzle-loading rifles in 1861-62, whether .54, .577. .58. or .69 caliber. Arming more than a million men required praticality, period.
Best,