Extract of Court Martial Hearing, Charleston, S.C., May 20, 1863, regarding the fall of the city of New Orleans, Louisiana.

Testimony of Samuel Wolfe:

Question by Maj. Gen. M. Lovell:
State what suggestions and aid you received from General Lovell in your operations, and what results, if any, were achieved.

Answer. General Lovell suggested that the necessities of the Government were such as to require the full use of the foundry. We set a number of men at work to make the patterns for field pieces and 10 inch mortars, and at last patterns for 10 inch columbiads.; also the requisite shot and shell for those guns. The patterns of the 10 inch columbiads were completed about the time the city fell. We cast a number of field pieces (probably six were finished) and several 10 inch mortars, one of which was completed. We had employed over 100 men. I was not aquainted with the buisness myself, but my employees were. Among them was an artillery officer, who was skilled in the fabrication of arms & etc. General Lovell called very frequently at the foundry and urged forward the completion of the the guns ordered by him and the ordnance officer. Our supply of iron best suited for guns was quite limited, and General Lovell gave us an order for 100 very large water pipes, a portion of which we used. General Lovell also found that we needed a very large lathe for the working of the heavy guns, and provided us with one from the other side of the river, by permission of the Government. General Lovell, early in March, issued an order to the effect that the foundry was in the hands of the Government and the employees in its service, for the purpose of protecting them from the militia officer and to secure the entire services of the foundry; but this was unnecessary, as it had been purchased for Government use alone. At the suggestion of General Lovell we were putting up reverberatory furnaces, which were nearly completed when the city fell. General Lovell frequently tendered me money, which I declined to take.

Series I-Volume 16 OR Page 606