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The History of How America Was Forged,
The Revolutionary Ideals That Inspired the
First Arsenal of Democracy.
A key part of America’s early story was forged along the shores of the Rappahannock River, at the ports of Fredericksburg and Falmouth, and across Stafford County lands. Central to this history is Hunter’s Iron Works, the largest iron and gun manufacturory complex in 18th-century North America.
Harnessing water power from the Rappahannock, using its bustling ports for transport, and reliant upon enslaved persons and an ethnically diversified labor force resident in Stafford County, Hunter’s Iron Works was described by British customs officer John Williams as “the greatest Iron Works upon the Continent.”
Hunter’s vast manufacturing center produced the farm implements, tools, equipment, and stoves that built Colonial America. The facility also made the horseshoes, plows, and other household and military necessities for westward expansion. Most importantly, its arms subsidiary, the Rappahannock Forge, helped secure American Independence, providing vast weapons and war materials vital for victory in the Revolutionary War.
As one Williamsburg historian stated, “without Hunter’s Iron Works, the United States may not have emerged.” The operations only began to falter when the new American government failed to pay James Hunter for the military wares it had commissioned and received. The debt to James Hunter still stands today at nearly $1 million. Hunter wasn’t the only person who sacrificed for America’s freedom. The enslaved persons and free blacks who increased the facility’s production when America needed it the most were denied liberty and justice for themselves and their descendants for two more centuries.
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Today, the remnants that remain are unmarked. But we aim to change that with archeological surveys, improvements, and interpretation to come. On the
National Registery of Historical Places, we are eager to make Hunter’s Iron Works in Falmouth, Virginia, a vibrant historic, tourist, and recreational destination. Here are more reasons why:
Who was James Hunter?
James Hunter (1721-1784) was a Scottish immigrant from a prominent merchant family that operated out of Glasco. After several business trips to Colonial Virginia, he permanently joined his ailing Uncle William Hunter in Fredericksburg to help run a local store, tavern, ferry, and postmaster service. Seizing the need for local industry and domestic goods, James subverted Crown law to establish an iron manufacturing center on the Rappahannock River just above Falmouth. Beginning somewhere around 1760, the facility produced pig iron, tools, hardware, horseshoes, whiskey, wire, and other high-demand products. By 1761, he was shipping pig iron, along with tobacco, to Liverpool.
As tensions with England rose, Hunter took the initiative and expanded the Iron Works. In June of 1776, he demonstrated a sample musket with bayonet, sheath, and steel ramrod to the Revolutionary convention. The members were so pleased that they made the gun standard and asked him to make as many as possible within the next twelve months. Hunter’s operation peaked in 1776-1777, becoming a critical supplier of weapons and materials for the Continental Army, Navy, and Marines. The Revolutionary War items he manufactured and supplied include pistols, rifles, carbines, amusettes, swords, naval anchors, maritime fittings, kettles, and camp kits, beyond everyday implements and tools.
Despite his contributions to American independence, Hunter’s financial situation suffered immensely due to unpaid bills from the state. Hunter’s estate was burdened with this debt when he died in 1784. Historians have calculated the state debts owed him to nearly one million dollars.
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Hunter’s final resting place in Falmouth’s Union Cemetery, near the grave of John DeBaptist, a free black man who also served during the Revolution, illuminates the complex and sometimes contradictory nature of America's revolutionary heritage.
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What else about Hunter’s Iron Works?
By 1777, the Virginia legislature recognized the strategic importance of Hunter's Iron Works, with Governor Patrick Henry putting before the General Assembly an Act for the encouragement of the Iron Works. Also known as Rappahannock Forge, the facility was commissioned to produce weapons and implements for the Continental Army, Navy, and Marines, including muskets, pistols, swords, tools, camp kettles and troop kit. This large-scale manufacturing center included a blast furnace, forge, several mills, a nailery, tanyard, various workshops, and 300 foot-long, 4 story armory.
Virginia military officer and lawyer James Mercer wrote to Thomas Jefferson on April 14, 1781, describing the importance of the iron works:
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It is from Mr. Hunter’s Works that every camp kettle has been supplied for the continental and all other troops employed in this State, and to the southward. All the anchors for this State and Maryland and some for the continent have been produced from the same works; that without the assistance of the bar iron made there, even the planters hereabouts and to the southward…would not be able to make bread to eat.
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Governor Thomas Jefferson expressed concern for the forge’s safety in 1781, acknowledging its critical role in the defense of the colonies. At one point, 1,500 soldiers had to be sent by America’s fledgling government to protect the factory from the threat of General Cornwallis and Tarletons’s Raiders. Recognizing the importance of the iron works, too, Britain attempted to take them on two occasions, in February and again in June of 1781. General Weedon’s job was to protect the iron works and in this endeavor he was successful.
Why This
History Matters.
Today, America’s defense industry is seen as critical to safeguarding these core values—and our national security. The site where this innovative enterprise once stood is the birthplace of America’s defense industry. Here, the case was made for maintaing a vital defense industry – in service to democracy and liberty. Today, America’s defense industry is seen as critical to the safeguarding these core values as well as our national security.
The legacy of Hunter’s Iron Works also challenges us to recognize that justice and freedom should not be taken for granted. The enslaved and free black workers that contributed to America’s Revolutionary War victory had to wait centuries for their just due. The lesson for today: we bear a collective responsibility for protecting and ensuring fundamental human rights for all. James Hunter’s story of sacrifice and service is a powerful reminder that individuals, businesses, and entire communities must work together in innovative and responsible ways to protect the nation’s foundational values.
You can help make a difference by supporting our mission. Donate to our organization, attend our events, and spread the word as we work for a safer and better future. Together, we can expand our reach and work to advance the cause of liberty and justice for everyone.