which was charged with the securing of niter (saltpeter) for the manufacture of gunpowder, copper, lead, iron, coal, zinc, and other such materials as might be required for the prosecution of the war. The bureau opened new coalfields in North Carolina and Alabama and coordinated the flow of mineral fuel to Confederate naval stations along the coast. A corps of officers was established for this purpose. Captain Helme's earlier experience back in Pennsylvania working for Asa Packer may have influenced this assignment. On June 9, 1864, another act was passed which increased the rank of the officers involved. There is nothing in the early Confederate records to indicate that Helme was anything other than a captain, although later biographical sketches identify him as a major general. (His son-in-law, Charles Godfrey Strater, identified him as a Major in a private family document printed in 1928.) When the war ended, Helme returned north, to New Jersey and New York City, where he engaged in the real estate business for several years, acquiring considerable property. Helmetta: Snuff town In 1866 he formed a co-partnership with his brother-in-law Jacob Appleby, for the manufacture of snuff and tobacco. This lasted until 1877 or 1878, when Helme became the full owner of the enterprise, eventually renamed the George W. Helme Tobacco Company, and one of the largest snuff producers in the country. During the middle 1880s he purchased land between Spotswood and Jamesburg, New Jersey on which his mill and 105 homes for workers were built. This area, initially known as Railroad Mills, became Helmetta, New Jersey, and was reputedly named after his youngest daughter Olivia Antoinette, whose nickname was Etta. At the time of Helme's death Helmetta had a population of five hundred persons, and five factories employing over three hundred persons, many from Spotswood and Jamesburg. For ten years Helme was a member of the board of trustees of the State Reform School at Jamesburg and president of the board for eight years. His family was influential in establishing St. George's Episcopal Church in Helmetta. Death He died in 1893 in Helmetta, aged 71, of a heart attack. A special car of the Pennsylvania Railroad left Jersey City for the benefit of those wishing to attend the funeral services. The Camden Post (Camden, New Jersey) reported that 1,500 persons attended. The funeral procession of almost 500, some in horse-drawn carriages, some walking, made its