Charles Tillinghast James | |
|---|---|
 | |
| United States Senator fromRhode Island | |
| In office March 4, 1851 – March 3, 1857 | |
| Preceded by | Albert C. Greene |
| Succeeded by | James F. Simmons |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1805-09-15)September 15, 1805 |
| Died | October 17, 1862(1862-10-17) (aged 57) |
| Resting place | Swan Point Cemetery,Providence, Rhode Island |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Lucinda James |
| Profession | Manufacturing engineer |
.jpg)
Charles Tillinghast James (September 15, 1805 – October 17, 1862) was a consultingmanufacturing engineer, early proponent ofsteam mills (especiallycotton mills), and United StatesDemocraticSenator from the state ofRhode Island from 1851 to 1857.[1]
Charles T. James was born inWest Greenwich, Rhode Island on September 15, 1805, the son of Silas James and Phebe Tillinghast James. Silas was a local judge, and the Tillinghast name was an old and respected one in New England.[2] He married Lucinda Waite James and they had four children, Abby, Charles Tillinghast, Lucinda Elizabeth, and Walter. Abby married Colonel John Stanton Slocum of the2nd Rhode Island Infantry; he was killed in action at theFirst Battle of Bull Run on July 21, 1861.[3]
Charles T. James had a largely self-taught knowledge of mathematics and mechanics, and received an honorary Master of Arts degree fromBrown College in 1838.[4] He was particularly interested in textile machinery. In the early 1830s he worked in small mills in theQuinebaug Valley of Connecticut, later supervising the startup of mills in theProvidence area. His reputation had grown such that by 1834Samuel Slater brought him to Providence to overhaul the Steam Cotton Manufacturing Company mill, built in 1828 as the first large Americansteam-powered mill. This work made James realize the potential of steam mills, and he became a leading engineer and advocate of them, particularly in coastal towns and the South.
James was successful in designing and promoting steam mills for small seaport towns; these generally had no experience with mills and needed his expertise in factory design and equipment selection.[5] James researched the best equipment and manufacturers; the equipment he specified included pickers, breaker cards, drawing heads, Providence Machine fly frames, Mason finished cards, and spinning equipment looms. James preferredsteam engines from Providence'sIndia Point Works, owned 1843–1846 byFairbanks, Bancroft and Company, which later becameCorliss, Nightingale and Company.[6] He promoted steam mills in seaports that had seen a great reduction in business because of the centralization of trade in bigger ports such as Boston. This occurred due to the centralizing technology of canals such as theMiddlesex Canal, the rapid growth of railroads, and bigger ships. These "decayed" smaller seaports such as Newburyport and Salem would be able to get coal and cotton supplies directly from the ships and export their steam mill products directly by ship again.
In 1839–1846 Charles T. James owned the southern half of the Brewster-Coffin House (High St.) inNewburyport, Massachusetts.[7] During this time he worked on several steam mill projects in the area. Steam mills promoted by Charles T. James in Newburyport included the Barlett Mill, the James Steam Mill (built in 1843 with 17,000 spindles) and the Globe (later Peabody) Steam Mill (built in 1846 with 12,200 spindles). He also promoted mills inPortsmouth, New Hampshire 1845-6, the Naumkeag Steam Cotton Mill inSalem, Massachusetts, the Essex steam mill, and theConestoga Steam Mill inLancaster, Pennsylvania in 1844-45. Later he was closely involved with theGraniteville Mill in South Carolina withWilliam Gregg.
At some time James achieved the rank of major general in theRhode Island militia, probably in the 1840s.[8]
James was elected to the US senate as a Democrat in 1850. While there he chaired theSenate Committee on Patents and the Patent Office and theSenate Committee on Public Buildings, and advocated for protectivetariffs.[9] He did not stand for reelection and left when his term ended in 1857, reportedly due to financial difficulties.[1]
James developed a family of early rifled projectiles[10] and arifling system forartillery that saw use by the Union Army in theAmerican Civil War. The weapon most correctly called aJames rifle is a 3.8 in (97 mm) weapon commonly called a14-pounder James rifle, usually made of bronze; this was the only gun designed entirely by James that saw extensive service. Except for the material, it closely resembles the wrought iron3-inch Ordnance rifle that saw more widespread use. His rifling system was used to convert pre-warsmoothboreM1841 6-pounder field guns,[11][12][13] 32-pounder, 42-pounder, and other weapons to rifles firing his projectiles; in some Civil War-era documents these are also called "James rifles". Large-caliber guns with his rifling system and projectiles, along withParrott rifles, were used in the breaching ofFort Pulaski in April 1862; this was probably James' most significant contribution to the war. After the war, the rapid reduction of Fort Pulaski was used to justify stopping work on masonry forts and led to a brief period of new construction of earthwork forts.[1][14][15]
On October 16, 1862, during the demonstration of a projectile atSag Harbor,Long Island, New York, a worker attempted to remove a cap from ashell. It exploded, killing the man and mortally wounding James, who died the next day.[16] Following his death, few of his weapons were produced.[14] His projectiles were gradually replaced withHotchkiss projectiles due to stripping of the leadsabot.[1][17]
Over 150 14-pounderJames rifles survive, many of them atShiloh National Military Park, Tennessee, including over 50 6-pounder weapons bored out to 3.8 inches and rifled.[13] Other heavy guns with James rifling survive as well. A portrait of Charles T. James is in the collection of theNational Portrait Gallery, and a bust is in theSmithsonian American Art Museum collection, both in Washington, D.C.[18][19]
There is an iron rifled 14-pounder artillery piece, used by James in experiments at Napatree Point inWatch Hill, Rhode Island, in the collection of theNewport Artillery Company.[13]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
| U.S. Senate | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | U.S. senator (Class 1) from Rhode Island March 4, 1851 – March 3, 1857 Served alongside:John H. Clarke andPhilip Allen | Succeeded by |
| Class 1 |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 2 | ||
| Public Buildings (1838–1857) | | |
|---|---|---|
| Public Buildings and Grounds (1857–1947) | ||
| Public Works (1947–1977) | ||
| Environment and Public Works (1977–present) | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
