 The New York Navy Yard, established in 1801 in Brooklyn, was a major facility for the construction and repair of Union Navy ships.By the second year of the Civil War, the Yard had expanded to employ about 6000 men.In addition to government factories, hundreds of small private businesses throughout the New York area—such as the National Arms Company— provided military accoutrements, supplies, sundries, and items of use and comfort to the soldiers.