Editing Civil War Philadelphia (section)

== Industrial Production ==

Philadelphia's manufacturing capacity made it one of the most important industrial centers of the Union war effort. The Frankford Arsenal, a federal facility dating to 1816, expanded dramatically to produce millions of cartridges, shells, and other ammunition. The Schuylkill Arsenal manufactured uniforms, tents, and other cloth goods, employing thousands of workers—many of them women—in round-the-clock operations. Private firms converted to war production: textile mills produced cloth for uniforms, metalworking shops made equipment and weapons, and chemical plants manufactured gunpowder and other explosives. The sheer scale of Philadelphia's industrial output made it indispensable to the Union cause, and the demands of war accelerated the city's already rapid industrialization.<ref name="weigley">{{cite book |last=Weigley |first=Russell F. |title=Philadelphia: A 300-Year History |year=1982 |publisher=W.W. Norton |location=New York}}</ref>

Shipbuilding was particularly significant. The Philadelphia Navy Yard, established in 1801, constructed and repaired vessels for the Union Navy throughout the war. The ironclad USS New Ironsides, one of the most powerful warships of its era, was built at the yard and saw extensive action against Confederate coastal defenses. Private shipyards along the Delaware River contributed additional vessels, from gunboats to transport ships. The locomotive works of Baldwin and other manufacturers produced the engines that moved troops and supplies along the rail network, while the Pennsylvania Railroad's main line served as a crucial artery connecting the eastern cities to the western theaters of war. Philadelphia's industrial complex demonstrated the Union's overwhelming material advantages over the agricultural Confederacy.<ref name="gallman"/>