Erskine S. Allin, Director of the U.S. Armory in Springfield, Massachusetts: Inventing and Manufacturing the New Weapons that Won the Civil War

This is a significant historical account of the U.S. Armory in Springfield, Massachusetts which provides us with new and detailed information about how Armory Superintendent Erskine S. Allin became both an inventor of new technology and an innovator in the introduction of interchangeable parts for weapons that helped win the Civil War. The history of the United States Armory at Springfield is one that is deeply rooted in American politics and can be traced prior to the American Revolution. Any study of the institution will include the names of George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Henry Knox, and eventually, Erskine Allin. Furthermore, any comprehensive study of the institution and its members will require a detailed examination of the acts of Congress, presidential directives and actions of major actors from within the federal bureaucracy. Established by an act of Congress, the Armory at Springfield would be instrumental in the successes of the American military from the Revolution to well into the twentieth century. The institution, as well as the individuals within its employ, demonstrates the complexity of the world of politics, history, and military affairs.