Encyclopedia · People, inventors, and ordnance officers

James H. Burton

James H. Burton (1823-1894) was an armorer and ordnance officer, a master armorer at Harpers Ferry before the war who became a Confederate superintendent of armories.

Also known as: James Henry Burton.

Born1823
Died1894
Before the warMaster armorer at the Harpers Ferry Armory
Confederate roleSuperintendent of Confederate armories

Armorer North and South

James H. Burton learned his trade as an armorer at the Harpers Ferry Armory, where he rose to master armorer and contributed to the improvement of small-arms ammunition. His skill in arms manufacture was widely recognized before the war.

In the Civil War he served the Confederacy as a superintendent of armories, organizing Southern arms manufacture, a task of great difficulty in a region short of machinery and skilled labor.

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