Item description: Letter, 10 September 1861, from J.[?]O.H.P. Henderson to Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard, enclosing a drawing of Henderson’s invention (a shielded battery).

Item citation: From folder 8 of the Edward Porter Alexander Papers, #7, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Item transcription:

Oxford Ga. Sept 10th 1861

Gen’l Beauregard

Commander CSA

Dear sir: Enclosed please find a drawing of a portable shielded battery, which I freely give to the Southern Confederacy hoping that the suggestion set forth in it at least may lead to some practical use. The design may admit of some alterations, my first idea was to make the shield separate from the piece of artillery, but have concluded it would be better to have them constructed together, if not too heavy. The block of iron as represented extending the whole length width may be redused in width admitting only two or even one bore.

The principle of the shield might be applied to vessels of light draft.

Yours

Most Respectfully

J.[?].O.H.P. Henderson

[drawing of shielded battery]

AA Best spring steel plate 2 inches thick

BBBB Plates made of tough wood, and the plates being suspended over each other by springs between the bottom plate being fast to the frame work, and a block of iron sufficiently thick to bore out tubes of any calibre deemed proper, say that would carry from one to a five pound ball.

DDD tubes in block of iron.

E a cilender made to revolve in a space cut out of the block of iron, and holes bored in it corresponding with the tubes in the block of iron answering for a powder bed or minnie ball being a [brich?] loading arrangement the block of iron should be placed on a pivot at centre; in order to cut it to any angle as well as to elevate or depress it

F an inverted tung or directing levor

G the motive power