Manufacturer: Contract Foundries for Blakely (England)
Where made: various
Description
This relatively rare, rifled, cast steel weapon had a reinforcing band at the breech, similar to the Parrotts. It was invented by English Captain Alexander Blakely, and imported from England by the Confederacy. It was not in Federal service.
It was known to be reliable and accurate, but also for its significant recoil.
Employment at Sharpsburg
There were probably 8 Blakelys in service on the Maryland Campaign, all Confederates.
Find units equipped with these.
Ammunition Used
solid shot (10 lb), spherical case, common shell, cannister
Bore
3.4 inches
Maximum range
1850 yards
Muzzle Velocity
1250 feet per second
Barrel Length
59 inches
Weight
1700 pounds
Other notes
Weight figure is for standard gun carriage (same a 6-pounder at 900 lb) + tube (800 lb).
Max range is for 1 lb black powder charge behind a 10 lb. solid shot at 5 degrees elevation.
More on the Web
See more about this and other Civil War artillery at the comprehensive Civil War Artillery Page, by Chuck Ten Brink or the very nice Basic Facts page from Jack W. Melton, Jr. The NPS has a fine general introduction to Civil War artillery in a 3-page presentation.
Source information
Johnson, Curt & Anderson, Richard C., Artillery Hell: Employment of Artillery at Antietam, College Station, TX: Texas A&M University Press, 1995.