As it is improper to mention a lesser known incident of the war
and not provide sufficient details, allow me to follow up
yesterday’s post with more information about the Childs-Ripley
incident at Charleston Arsenal in late November 1862. So a bit
of background on the principles to start. The son Thomas Childs,
a distinguished War of 1812 officer, Major Frederick L. Childs
graduated West Point in 1855. He briefly served at Fort Monroe,
Florida, West Point, and Fort Moultrie before posting to the
Texas frontier. In March 1861, Childs resigned and offered his
services to the Confederacy. Captain Childs, C.S.A, commanded
Castle Pinckney in April 1861, playing a minor role in the
bombardment of Fort Sumter. Later that spring he served at posts
around Wilmington in his native state of North Carolina. But in
July Childs returned to Charleston in command of the arsenal,
detailed to the Ordnance Department. In this capacity, Childs
came into frequent contact with Brigadier General Roswell S.
Ripley, who commanded tro