A Manufacturer in Wartime: Du Pont, 1860–1865

Hancock, Harold B.; Wilkinson, Norman B.

doi:10.2307/3112330

Bus. Hist. Rev.

1966

DOI: 10.2307/3112330

|View full text |Cite

A Manufacturer in Wartime: Du Pont, 1860–1865

Harold B. Hancock¹,

Norman B. Wilkinson

Abstract: The problems and experiences of the largest American powder producer form an interesting case study of the effects of the Civil War upon business.

Help me understand this report

Search citation statements

Order By: Relevance

Paper Sections

Select...

Citation Types

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Year Published

1967

2003

Publication Types

Select...

Article3

Relationship

Self Cite0

Independent3

Authors

Journals

Cited by 3 publications

References 2 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

The Extensive Side of Nineteenth-Century Military Economy: The Tent Industry in the Northern United States during the Civil War

Wilson¹

2001

Enterp. soc.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Because most histories of military-industrial relations have rested on the examples of arms production and shipbuilding, balanced accounts of military procurement and technologies during the nineteenth century are difficult to find. In fact, weapons and ships accounted for a relatively small fraction of all the goods and services consumed by nineteenth-century armed forces. This article, which describes the tent industry in the United States during the Civil War, suggests that many military enterprises of the period were characterized by an industrial dynamic that was relatively extensive rather than intensive. In the U.S. tent industry, the leading military contractors were mercantile firms, which stood at the center of disintegrated production and distribution networks. Featuring relatively low-capital production arrangements, large numbers of women workers, and powerful mercantile intermediaries who linked manufacturers and army purchasing agents, the Civil War tent business is an example that challenges traditional accounts of the economic foundations of nineteenth-century military capability.

show abstract

The Extensive Side of Nineteenth-Century Military Economy: The Tent Industry in the Northern United States during the Civil War

Wilson¹

2001

Enterp. soc.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

A Bibliography of Civil War Articles: 1966

Stoflet¹

1967

cwh

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Gentlemanly Price-Fixing and Its Limits: Collusion and Competition in the U.S. Explosives Industry during the Civil War Era

Wilson

2003

Bus. Hist. Rev.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

During the Civil War era, when the U.S. explosives industry was already dominated by a handful of firms, the leading manufacturers of black powder tried repeatedly–with mixed success–to fix prices in commercial and military markets. Their surviving correspondence reveals some of the dynamics of oligopolistic collusion and competition. In commercial markets, price-fixing by leading explosives makers was undermined not only by competition from small powder manufacturers but also by rivalry among their own selling agents. The same agency problems that made price-fixing more difficult, however, may have actually made it easier for manufacturers to sustain the social foundations of cooperation by allowing them to blame the failures of their agreements on forces outside their control. Maintaining cooperative relations over the long run proved useful to manufacturers in wartime military markets, in which price agreements were easier to sustain. But during the Civil War, the leading powder producers found that even successful collusion in the military supply business did not guarantee high profits, because government bureaus could prove to be demanding consumers.

show abstract

scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.

Contact Info

customersupport@researchsolutions.com

10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614

Henderson, NV 89052, USA

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Blog Terms and Conditions API Terms Privacy Policy Contact Cookie Preferences Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

Made with 💙 for researchers

Part of the Research Solutions Family.

A Manufacturer in Wartime: Du Pont, 1860–1865

Abstract: The problems and experiences of the largest American powder producer form an interesting case study of the effects of the Civil War upon business.

Cited by 3 publications

References 2 publications

The Extensive Side of Nineteenth-Century Military Economy: The Tent Industry in the Northern United States during the Civil War

The Extensive Side of Nineteenth-Century Military Economy: The Tent Industry in the Northern United States during the Civil War

A Bibliography of Civil War Articles: 1966

Gentlemanly Price-Fixing and Its Limits: Collusion and Competition in the U.S. Explosives Industry during the Civil War Era

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About