Chap. 7. 



POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS. 



129 



CHAMPLAIN ARSENAL 



BUILDINGS, ORDNANCE, AND STORES- 



to Major George Talcott of the United 

 States ordnance, and in June, 1826, pub- 

 lic notice was given by him, inviting pro- 

 posals for furnishing materials for con- 

 structing a wharf, dwelling house, maga- 

 zine and arsenal, upon the ground belong- 

 ing to the United States. In August of 

 the same year, Lieut. W. T. Willard was 

 assigned as an assistant to Major Tnlcott, 

 and took the charge and immediate su- 

 perintendence of the public property and 

 the workmen employed in the public ser- 

 vice. Tlie first appropriation made by 

 congress for constructing public buildings 

 was fifteen thousand dollars. In April, 

 1827, Lieut. Vv'illard was relieved of the 

 command of this post by Lieut. J. M. 

 Washington, and during this and the fol- 

 lowing year the principal buildings were 

 completed. 



The following is a statement of the 

 public land, buildings, «fcc. with their es- 

 timated value, as reported September 30, 

 1841, viz : 



28 acres of land, $2,100 



Arsenal, three stories high, 80 by 

 36 feet, built of stone andcov- 

 • ered with slate, 9,000 



Officers quarters, 36 by 30 feet, 

 covered with slate, with frame 

 kitchen and wood shed at- 

 tached, 4,000 

 Magazine, 40 by 19, stone, cov- 

 ered with slate, 3,000 

 Gun house, 100 by 26 feet, 



built of wood, 1,000 



Armorer's and carpenter's shop, 

 40 by 30 feet, built of wood, 

 with two rooms furnished for 

 quarters, 600 



Laboratory, 26 by 19 feet, built 



of wood, 350 



Blacksmith's shop, 20 by 14 feet, 



built of wood, 200 



Barn, 38 by 28 feet, built of wood, 400 



Ice house, built of wood, 50 



Two cisterns, wharf, crane, fen- 

 ces, and other improvements, 2,675 



Total, $23,375 



A large portion of the ordnance stores 

 now deposited at this arsenal, except small 

 arms, were used at Plattsburgh during the 

 last war with England. The amount of 

 ordnance and ordnance stores on hand on 

 the 30th September, 184] , was as follows, 

 viz. — 9 pieces brass cannon, 26 pieces iron 

 cannon, 27 artillery carriages, 16,570 round 

 shot and shells, 8,200 pounds grape shot, 

 4,077 muskets with bayonets, 401 rifles 

 (Hall's patent) with bayonets, 500 sets in- 

 fantry accoutrements, 48,638 pounds pig 

 lead ; also, a large quantity of artillery 

 equipments, canister and strapped shot 



and shells, cannon and musket powder, 

 fi.\ed ammunition for cannon and small 

 arms, cartridge bags, laboratory paper and 

 stores, musket and rifle flints, musket bul- 

 lets, buck shot, i&c. valued at $82,878,56 

 Also, armorer's, carpenter's, 

 smith's and laboratory tools 

 and materials for use at the 

 post, valued at 1,323,26 



Recapitulation. 

 Value of public grounds, buildings and 

 improvements, $23,375,00 



Value of ordnance and ord- 

 nance stores, 82,878,56 

 Value of tools and materials, 1,323,27 



$107,-576 S3 



Lieut. Washington retained the com- 

 mand of the arsenal until January, 1833, 

 and was succeeded by Lieut. D. H. Vin- 

 ton ; in November of the same year Lieut. 

 Vinton was relieved by Lieut. Charles 

 Ward, who commanded until March, 1836, 

 and was succeeded by Capt. Allen Lowd. 

 Capt. Lowd was relieved in September, 

 1837, by Lieut. J. B. Scott, who com- 

 manded until August, 1838, and v/as suc- 

 ceeded by Isaac H. Bogard, Esq. military 

 store keeper. In December following, 

 Mr. Bogard was relieved by Lieut. W. 

 H. Fowler, and in June, 1839, Lieut. 

 Fowler was relieved by Major Silas Hal- 

 sey, military store keeper, v;ho is the pres- 

 ent commandant at that post. 



Soon after the organization of the Uni- 

 ted States ordnance corps, in 1832, one 

 blacksmith and two artificers were as- 

 signed to this post to be employed in 

 cleaning and repairing small arms, pre- 

 serving public property and other public 

 services. 



By special authority from the secretary 

 of war, the government of the state of 

 Vermont has permission to use a portion 

 of one of the public buildings for storing 

 state's property, and about 4,300 muskets, 

 80 rifles, and 3 six pounders, guns,be]ong- 

 ing to the state of Vermont, are now de- 

 posited in the arsenal, valued at $31,500. 



The Champlain arsenal is the only mili- 

 tary establishment of the United States 

 within the limits of Vermont. During 

 the colonial wars some military works 

 were erected on the eastern shore of the 

 lake, particularly a strong stone windmill 

 on what was called Windmill point, nearly 

 opposite to Crown point. During the 

 revolution fortifications were erected upon 

 Mount Independence, opposite to Ticon- 

 deroga, and during the last war with 

 Great Britain, breast Vv^orks were thrown 

 up at Burlington and at the mouth of Ot- 

 ter creek, but no fortifications have ever 

 been erected in Vermont, which were 



Ft. II. 



17 



