Subject: Gunpowder

Report of Experiments on Gunpowder, Made at Washington Arsenal, in 1843 and 1844. By Captain Alfred Mordecai, of the Ordnance Department. Washington: Printed by J. and G.S. Gideon, 1845. This report details experiments conducted by Captain Alfred Mordecai at the Washington Arsenal. The author's biography is included in the description, highlighting his distinguished military career, including his service in the Mexican War, his observations of the Crimean War, and his contributions to military technology. He ultimately retired from the U.S. Army in 1861 to avoid fighting in the Civil War.

First edition of Captain Alfred Mordecai's Report of Experiments on Gunpowder, Made at Washington Arsenal, in 1843 and 1844. Published in Washington by J. and G.S. Gideon in 1845, this book contains six plates and numerous charts, one of which is folding. The report details experiments conducted at the Washington Arsenal on gunpowder, including experiments with cannon and musket pendulums, mortars, and various eprouvettes. It also includes analyses of gunpowder density, grain size, quickness of burning, and hygrometric properties. The book features a letter from Lt. Col. G. Talcott to Secretary of War William Wilkins, with Wilkins' approval for publication.