More below:

>>>>an you share where the Richmond Depot location was? I have found an old directory to the city that could have placed it on 13th Street south of Cary or Bank Street near 10th?>>>>

The QM Building was the SW corner of 9th and Main. The Clothing Depot, where the cloth came, etc. was at the corner of Cary and Pearl streets

>>>>Is it not conceivable that this location had room for 60+ cutters could have had a few sewing machines and tables necessary to tackle the various sizes of 2nd nationals being ordered?>>>>

We think it did but not much more than that plus the bulk cloth. The building was nowhere near the size of the Atlanta Depot, which was built for that depot when it moved from Nashville.

>>>>>If the orders were procured in August 1863 and completed by Sept/Oct 1863 this must have been a significant amount of 2nd nationals completed in a 12 week period. If one was to attempt to research the procurement of a second national for example Hoke's headquarter flag or that of JEB Stuart's or the one presented to Simon B.Buckner by Longstreet there must be existant requistions that could back into some of these Richmond Depot orders correct? Would the National Archives have such unit requisitions and what NA file numbers would one begin to look through to begin such a search?>>>>

Gen. Hoke's Second national is not a Richmond Depot make. I think it is Charleston or Staunton Depot. There's a lot of QM records at the National Archives and I have only been through some of them. Then there's the personal papers for these officers where these requisitions might also reside. These collections are scattered across the country sadly. Such unit flag requisitions have survived can be found within those unit's records typically while others are in CS Staff Officers. The only log books for the Richmond Depot that still survive are for the 1861-1862 time frame and the NA has those. I have been through that about a dozen or more years ago. How I wish the rest survived as they would really help us understand more on these flags.

Much of the Confederate paperwork burned when Richmond did as well as got lost on the escape from the capitol. So what we have are snapshots of the big picture and I have yet to dig through everything the NA has, and many other places, to see what is still out there.

greg Biggs