Robert Archer and Company's Axes
- 7 days ago
- 3 min read
In 1837, Francis Brown Deane Jr. established the Tredegar Iron Works along the banks of the James River in Richmond Virginia. As the foundry grew, it’s management saw the need for a purchasing agent to acquire raw materials for the business, and in 1841 Joseph Reid Anderson, a 28 year old graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, was given the job. Anderson’s connections throughout the growing U.S. Military establishment allowed him to not only be an efficient procurer of needed supplies and materials, but also led to a large number of contracts for products needed by the military, including cannons, railroad materials, and ordnance. His success for the company led to connections within it, and with support from investors, he was able to purchase the company in 1847.
General Joseph Reid Anderson
As the years led up to the American Civil War, Anderson’s leadership grew the company exponentially, and by the time the War officially started in 1861, Tredegar was one of the largest foundries in the confederacy. A staff of around 250 was increased to 1500, a large portion of whom were slaves. The massive facility with low cost labor led to a high output, and by the end of the War, over half of the cannons used by the Confederate Army had been produced there in Richmond at the Tredegar Works. In addition to cannons and munitions that were vital to the longevity of the southern army, a large portion of the iron used in the new ironclad battleships was produced at the facility. Needless to say, the Tredegar Iron Works was a vital piece of the Confederate war machine.
Early View of the Tredegar Iron Works
Anderson’s accelerate success prior to the war that led to his ownership of the iron works was due, in part, to connections with strategic investors, one of whom was Dr. Robert Archer. Archer was a well known military surgeon who Anderson had become acquainted with in 1836 while working with the Army Corp of Engineers at Fort Monroe near Norfolk, Virginia. The connection led Anderson to meet Archer’s daughter, Sara Elizabeth Archer, who Anderson would marry in 1837. When the time came for Anderson to make his financial move to acquire the Tredegar Works, Archer became one of his son-in-law’s primary investors, as well as one of the directors of the Iron Works. When the war was over, and the Tredegar Iron Works was reorganized into the “Tredegar Company”, both Archer and his son Robert S. Archer would be primary stock holders and sit on the Board of Directors. Just as the Tredegar Iron Works was a vital piece of Confederate weapon production, Dr. Robert Archer was a vital piece of the leadership of the Tredegar Iron Works.
However, as Anderson solidified his hold on the Works and grew it as a business, Archer assisted financially and diversified his investments with other business opportunities in the iron hardware world. One of these opportunities was the establishment of “Robert Archer & Company’s Hecla Iron Works”, a manufacturer of axes, hatches, and other edge tools. Thought the company was owned and run by the Archers, advertisements noted that makers of the tools themselves were under the direction of a “George Reynolds” of Connecticut who was assisted by his 3 sons. Advertisements for the Archer and Company axes lasted through 1856, mostly in newspapers local to Richmond. Around 1855, Robert Archer and Company acquired the Armory Iron Works of A.C. Layne and Company and began leaning more heavily on the production of railroad related products such as rail bolts, spikes, and chairs. No mention has been found as to the exit of George Reynolds from the company, however, at nearly the same time R. Archer and Company axes began to disappear from advertising in Virginia, Blodgett Edge Tool Company axes began to be advertised from Manchester, New Hampshire. That company, starting in 1856, was supervised by George Reynolds, and his three sons, Henry C., Lewis L., and George B., were noted as representing the same firm.
Though likely produced for no more than 5 years, R. Archer and Co’s axes have numerous interesting connections with both the American Civil War and production by other “famous” axe companies. At this time, I have not seen a verified R. Archer axe, but I’ll be keeping my eyes open with hopes of holding one some day soon.
