Traveling Forge

A traveling forge, when combined with a limber, comprised wagons specifically designed and constructed as blacksmith shops on wheels to carry the essential equipment necessary for blacksmiths and artisans to both shoe horses and repair wagons and artillery equipment for both U.S. and Confederate armies during the American Civil War, [# The Ordnance Manual For The Use Of The Officers Of The Confederate States Army, 1863 reprinted by Morningside Press 1995,ISBN-10: 0-89029-033-4
# The ordnance manual for the use of officers of the United States army. reprinted by Scholarly Publishing Office, University of Michigan Library, December 22, 2005, ISBN-10: 1425559719] , as well as by western European armies. [An Aide-Memoire to the Military Sciences volume 1" by Royal Engineers, British Service, 1845, Col. G.G. Lewis, senior editor]

An American Civil War era traveling forge contained 1200 pound of tools, coal and supplies. These tools and supplies included a bellows attached to a fireplace, a four-inch wide vise, 100 pound anvil, a box containing 250 pounds of coal, 200 pounds of horse shoes, four foot long bundled bars of iron, and on the limber was a box containing the smith's hand tools. [# The Ordnance Manual For The Use Of The Officers Of The Confederate States Army, 1863 reprinted by Morningside Press 1995,ISBN-10: 0-89029-033-4
# The ordnance manual for the use of officers of the United States army. reprinted by Scholarly Publishing Office, University of Michigan Library, December 22, 2005, ISBN-10: 1425559719] A battery wagon accompanied each traveling forge carrying additional blacksmith, wheelwright, and carriage repair supplies. [The ordnance manual for the use of officers of the United States army. reprinted by Scholarly Publishing Office, University of Michigan Library, December 22, 2005, ISBN-10: 1425559719]

American Civil War era traveling forge wagons evolved from crude blacksmith carts used during the American Revolutionary War as well as from equipment used in Europe during the 1840s. British traveling forges were documented in "An Aide-Memoire to the Military Sciences volume 1" by Royal Engineers, British Service, 1845, Col. G.G. Lewis, senior editor.

British traveling forges likely had canvas covers as indicated by the number and spacing of wood arches above the bellows, and what appears to be cord anchor points on the sides of the bellows house. A canvas cover would have been logical as protection of the bellows from the weather, and in accordance with the standard practice of covering wagons at that time. This canvas cover evolved into the wooden cover of the U.S. version of the traveling forge.

The U.S. mid-1800s traveling forge was standardized for U.S. manufacturers in the drawings created by Captain Albert Mordecai circa 1850 under commission by the federal government. Copies of Captain Mordecai'a drawings are currently published by Antique Ordnance Publishers. The book "Field Artillery Traveling Forge book No. 61" published by Antique Ordnance Publishers contains most of the measured drawings and other information necessary to reproduce the traveling forge. Additional crucial information covering measurements, construction and materials used with the traveling forge may be found in the "Ordnance Manual of 1863".

The Ordnance Manual of 1863 says that in use, the traveling forge was hooked to the back of a limber that was identical in construction to the limbers used to pull field cannon, except for the internal arrangement of the limber chest. The Ordnance Manual of 1863 details information about the wheels, paint, wood and iron parts used on the traveling forge, as well as the tools stored in the traveling forge's limber chest and in the battery wagon for use by the blacksmiths and artisans.

During the Civil War, a traveling forge was provided for each cannon battery, and other traveling forges accompanied each army to provide service to equipment and horses. Portable sheet metal "Mountain Forges" were provided to units with mountain howitzers which were primarily deployed in mountainous areas unaccessible to the No. 1 cannon carriage and wagons. [# The Ordnance Manual For The Use Of The Officers Of The Confederate States Army, 1863 reprinted by Morningside Press 1995,ISBN-10: 0-89029-033-4
# The ordnance manual for the use of officers of the United States army. reprinted by Scholarly Publishing Office, University of Michigan Library, December 22, 2005, ISBN-10: 1425559719]

References

* "An Aide-Memoire to the Military Sciences volume 1" by Royal Engineers, British Service, 1845, Col. G.G. Lewis, senior editor.
* "Civil War Field Gun Limber, Book No. 21" by Antique Ordnance Publishers Inc.
* "Field Artillery Traveling Forge book No. 61" by Antique Ordnance Publishers Inc.
* "Making a wheel - how to make a traditional light English pattern wheel (1997)" by John Wright and Robert Hurford, published by Natural England Countryside Agency Archive, free download of book at their web site: http://www.countryside.gov.uk/LAR/archive/publications/makingawheel.asp, ISBN 1869964578
* "The Civil War Mountain Artillery Portable Forge, Book Number 29" by Antique Ordnance Publishers Inc.
* "The Ordnance Manual For The Use Of The Officers Of The Confederate States Army, 1863" reprinted by Morningside Press 1995,
ISBN-10: 0-89029-033-4
* "The ordnance manual for the use of officers of the United States army. " reprinted by Scholarly Publishing Office, University of Michigan Library, December 22, 2005, ISBN-10: 1425559719
* "Wheelwrighting : A Modern Introduction" (Spiral-bound), (2003) Bruce Morrison and Joyce Morrison, Cottonwood Press (2003), ISBN-10: 0973194707, 371 pages
* "Wheelmaking: Wooden Wheel Design and Construction", (1996) Carriage Museum of America, Don Peloubet (Editor), paperback 248, ISBN-10: 1879335735, ISBN-13: 978-1879335738

External links

* [http://travelingforge.home.comcast.net/~travelingforge/links.html A directory of traveling forge related websites]
* [http://wiki.bgcmonline.org/bin/view/BlacksmithInfo/AntiqueOrdnancePub Contact information for Antique Ordnance Publishers]
* [http://artificer.suddenlaunch3.com/ Discussion forum on the construction of traveling forges]
* [http://wiki.bgcmonline.org/bin/view/BlacksmithInfo/CivilWarPeriodTravelingForge Further information on the American Civil War Traveling Forge as well as American Civil War period blacksmithing;
The Blacksmithing TWiki Encyclopedia]