Linda,

I wonder if Kirk was working at the Ordnance plant at Tyler. Below is a short history of the plant, note the part about (Machinery and men evacuated from Arkansas). I will bet they had a chemical lab there.

C.S.A ORDNANCE PLANT - Bergfeld Park, Tyler - Travel Information Marker - 1963

NEAR SITE OF C.S.A. ORDNANCE PLANT
FOUNDED 1862 BY J. C. SHORT AND WM. S, N. BISCOE (BOTH GUNSMITHS) AND COL. GEO. YARBROUGH. IN 2-STORY BRICK MAIN BUILDING, ON 125-ACRE SITE, CONTRACTED TO MAKE FOR STATE OF TEXAS 5,000 RIFLES FOR THE ARMING OF TROOPS IN THE CIVIL WAR. AFTER TROUBLE OBTAINING MEN AND MATERIAL, PLANT WAS SOLD IN OCTOBER 1863 TO THE CONFEDERATE GOVERNMENT. SHORT AND BISCOE STAYED ON
WITH THE PLANT, TO CONTINUE MAKING GUNS.

WITH MACHINERY AND MEN EVACUATED FROM AREAS UNDER SIEGE IN ARKANSAS, OPERATED UNDER COMMAND OF LT. COL. G. H. HILL. PLANT INCLUDED LEATHER SHCP, TIN SHOP DRY KILN, CARPENTER SHOP. THE 150 TO 200 MAN WORK FORCE HAD (BESIDES GUNSMITHS AND GUARDS) BUTCHERS TANNERS, BLACKSMITHS, DRAFTSMEN, CARPENTERS, HARNESS
MAKERS, AND COAL BURNERS; GUNS MADE .54 CALIBER, LONG AND SHORT HILL RIFLES; LONG AND SHORT TEXAS RIFLES; AUSTRIAN, ENFIELD AND TYLER RIFLES, WITH BARRELS 27 TO 37-1/2 INCHES LONG. SOME WERE EQUIPPED WITH STEEL TIPPED BAYONETS INVENTED BY SHORT. DURING
3 MONTHS OF 1864, PRODUCTS MADE WERE 394,156 CARRIDGES, 411 RIFLES AND 3,531 CANTEENS. 160 GUNS WERE REPAIRED.

MANY TYLER RIFLES WERE SENT TO TROOPS FIGHTING NORTH AND EAST OF RED RIVER, TO PREVENT A FEDERAL INVASION OF TEXAS.

Thanks,
Gary D. Bray