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Article: Ordnance
- Article from:
- Dictionary of American History
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ORDNANCE
ORDNANCE
originally referred to military firearms: gun tubes, ammunition, and auxiliary equipment supporting the immediate firing process. Since about 1890, however, technical revolutions in weaponry have continually broadened the meaning of the term, and in America it now stands for all types of weapons and weapons systems.
Army Ordnance
In the United States the manufacture of ordnance has traditionally been a federal concern. In 1794 Congress authorized the establishment of arsenals for the development and manufacture of ordnance at Springfield, Massachusetts, and at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. In 1812 Congress created a U.S. Army Ordnance Department to operate them. A major ...