Union Ordinance General ALEXANDER DYER- Ltr Signed

Alexander B. Dyer (1817-1874) Union General. Dyer was the ordinance czar who directed the outpouring of small arms, artillery and ammunition for the Federal war machine. In the first year of the war, as boss of the National Armory at Springfield, Massachusetts, he quadrupled the daily output of rifles to 1,000 a day. During the war, he invented several cannon projectiles. Lincoln considered him one of the Union's most effective and indispensable administrators. 7 ¾" x 9 ¾" letter signed, "A. B. Dyer," Ordinance Office, June 9, 1866, to William Cloyston. "…I have no authority to sell arms at private sale. There may be a sale of condemned stores at Springfield Armory…you may then have an opportunity to purchase such a relic….