Southern Firepower

The 6.4-inch Brooke rifled cannon, named for its inventor John Mercer Brooke, became a source of pride for the Confederacy because of its superior range, accuracy, and reliability compared to smoothbore guns. Brooke Rifles served in many Southern fortifications and aboard numerous Confederate warships. This example was cast at Richmond's Tredegar Iron Works in July 1862 and was mounted in the James River defenses near Drewry's Bluff, where it guarded the river approaches to Richmond. It could fire an 80-pound solid projectile over four miles. Brooke, an inventor and Chief of Confederate Naval Ordnance, helped develop other Southern weapons including submarines and torpedoes, was instrumental in designing the ironclad CSS Virginia, and prepared the railroad-mounted artillery used at the Battle of Savage's Station.

Richmond, Virginia · United States