This Day in History: Gun Maker Leech & Rigdon Dissolve ~ VIDEO

By Logan Metesh

Opinion

Georgia – -(AmmoLand.com)- On December 13, 1863, Thomas Leech and Charles Rigdon formally dissolved their business partnership, thereby effectively ending “Leech & Rigdon,” which was the second-largest revolver manufacturer for the Confederacy.

It was not, however, the end of the operation. Instead, Rigdon teamed up with Jesse Ansley and a few others and resumed production as “Rigdon, Ansley & Co.”

Leech & Rigdon

To make sense of all of this, we need to back up to the 1850s. Thomas Leech initially established himself as a cotton broker in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1854. He and four other British investors set up shop at 35 Front Row Street in Memphis. With the outbreak of the Civil War, Leech began dealing in the lucrative military contractor trade.

On August 29, 1861, he took out an ad in the Memphis Daily Appeal for 10,000 pounds of zinc, copper, and brass “for military purposes.” Less than three weeks later, the newly-formed “Thomas Leech & Company” had been formed, and another ad appeared, this time announcing that he would be taking orders for swords, sabers, …Read the Rest

Source:: AmmoLand