Semmes, Paul Jones, 1815-1863 [Contract with Robert P. Parrott to buy 16 rifle cannons for Georgia]
Order a pdf of this item here.
Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC00474 Author/Creator: Semmes, Paul Jones, 1815-1863 Place Written: s.l. Type: Autograph manuscript Date: 19 December 1860 Pagination: 11 p. : docket ; 32 x 20 cm. Order a Copy
Unsigned copy, written on one side. Contract to buy cannons, guns, and ammunition from Colt, Dupont, Ames, etc. to prepare Georgia for war. Semmes acted as agent for Georgia in preparation for the Civil War. Docket in Semmes' hand. "... This Contract made and entered into... That the said Robert P. Parrat hereby covenants and agrees to manufacture furnish and deliver on board Steamer in the Port of New York and bound for Savannah Georgia suitably prepared and packed for safe transportation within sixty days from the date just above written... (16) Sixteen Rifle Cannons..." New York was a center for arms deals by Southern states in preparation for secession. Semmes, a Georgia banker and plantation owner, was serving as agent for Georgia as that state prepared for Civil War. Parrott was the inventor of a superior rifled cannon known as the "Parrott Gun." Two dockets; one on verso of page six, the other on the last page.
Citation Guidelines for Online Resources
The copyright law of the United States (title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specific conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be “used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research.” If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of “fair use,” that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law.