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Office of Central Bureau of army Supplies
Nashville
His Excellency Govr. McGoffin
Frankfort Ky --
D Sir
One of the greatest wants we are likely to encounter in the impending war, is gun poweder
The Bureau of which I am a member have reason to believe we can secure a large amount of sulphur -- enough in all probability to make half a million of pounds of powder. Salt-petre or nitre is all that is now needed to beign the manufacture of it on a respectable scale Your state abounds in nitre-caves, amongst others, & most important is the Mammoth cave Can you not at once set many men at work to make the needed salt-petre? Its manufactureing is as simple as it is possible to be. Neither skill nor science being indispensible
If you Can do this, it will render us independent of the world for powder. for besides the Nitre caves -- your hills contain millions of tons of material (pyrites) from which in an emergency we can extract the sulphur
Will you give the matter attention if so I would be pleased to know it
Respectfully
S D Morgan
Chairman Executive Committee