A Blakely rifle is one of a series of rifled muzzle-loading cannon designed by British army officer Captain Theophilus Alexander Blakely. They were widely sold outside of the British army, and were best known for their use by the

Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

History

Blakely tried to interest the British government in his designs but without success. His designs involved a cast-iron core with wrought-iron or steel banding to reinforce the breech. The design is similar to that of the

Armstrong gun An Armstrong gun was a uniquely designed type of Rifled breech-loader, rifled breech-loading field and heavy gun designed by William George Armstrong, 1st Baron Armstrong, Sir William Armstrong and manufactured in England beginning in 1855 by the ...

s of Sir William George Armstrong. Blakely believed that Armstrong had infringed upon his patents, so when Armstrong became superintendent of the

Royal Arsenal The Royal Arsenal, Woolwich is an establishment on the south bank of the River Thames in Woolwich in south-east London, England, that was used for the manufacture of armaments and ammunition, proofing, and explosives research for the Britis ...

Woolwich Woolwich () is a district in southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was maintained throu ...

, Blakely stopped offering his designs to the British Army. Blakely instead started selling cannons of his design to the Confederate States of America. He did not actually manufacture the guns, but rather contracted out the manufacturing to such companies as Fawcett, Preston, & Company of Liverpool, Vavasseur of London,

George Forrester and Company George Forrester and Company was a British marine engine and locomotive manufacturer at Vauxhall Foundry in Liverpool, established by Scottish engineer George Forrester (b. 1780/81). The company opened in 1827 as iron founders and commenced buil ...

of Liverpool, Low Moor Iron Company, and the Blakely Ordnance Company of London, in which he may have had an interest. In all, the cannon foundries produced some 400 guns to Blakely's design, most being made of iron. Blakely also sold some guns to Russia, and apparently Massachusetts bought eight 9-inch and four 11-inch models. Because Blakely continued to experiment with designs, there are at least five and possibly ten different designs, many of which came in several variants. There were at least nine varieties of 3.5-inch 12-pounder rifles. The two primary rifling types appear to have involved flat-sided bores or bores with grooves cut in them into which flanges on the shells would fit.

Variations

The foundries manufactured Blakely rifles in 2.5-inch (6-pounder), 2.9-inch, 3.5-inch (12-pounder), 3.75-inch (16-pounder), 4-inch (18-pounder), 4.5-inch (20-pounder), 6.4-inch (100-pounder), 7-inch (120-pounder), 7.5-inch (150-pounder), 8-inch (200-pounder), 9-inch (250-pounder), 11-inch and 12.75-inch (450-pounder shells or 650-pound solid shot) bores. One famous Blakely rifle was "The Widow Blakely", a 7.5-inch rifle that the Confederates used during their defense of

Vicksburg Vicksburg most commonly refers to: * Vicksburg, Mississippi, a city in western Mississippi, United States * The Vicksburg Campaign, an American Civil War campaign * The Siege of Vicksburg, an American Civil War battle Vicksburg is also the name of ...

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

, in 1863. On May 22, 1863, a shell exploded while in the gun's barrel while the widow was firing at a Union gunboat. The explosion only took part of the end of the muzzle off. The Confederates cut what had been a 124-inch-long barrel back to 100 inches and continued to use the rifle as a mortar until Vicksburg fell. File:Blakely rifle fort nelson.JPG, A 2.75 inch

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited Summit (topography), summit area, and ...

Blakely rifle. File:100PdrBlakelyGunLeftProfile.jpg, 100-pounder (7-inch) Blakely rifle at the

Washington Navy Yard The Washington Navy Yard (WNY) is the former shipyard and ordnance plant of the United States Navy in Southeast Washington, D.C. It is the oldest shore establishment of the U.S. Navy. The Yard currently serves as a ceremonial and administrativ ...

, District of Columbia. File:The Battery, cannon, &c. Charlestown Navy Yard (NYPL b11707564-G90F310 008F).tiff, Stereoscopic view of 9-inch Blakely rifles,

Charlestown Navy Yard The Boston Navy Yard, originally called the Charlestown Navy Yard and later Boston Naval Shipyard, was one of the oldest shipbuilding facilities in the United States Navy. It was established in 1801 as part of the recent establishment of t ...

, Boston, Massachusetts. File:Blakely rifle fort nelson from the rear.JPG, A 2.75 inch mountain Blakely rifle viewed from the rear.

References

External links

''Captain Alexander Blakely RA''
��A biography {{USCWWeapons Artillery of the United Kingdom Field artillery of the Confederate States of America Field artillery Muzzleloaders