"The Widow Blakely"

The Confederate soldiers called this 7.44-inch gun "The Widow Blakely" because it was the lone Blakely rifled cannon in all the Vicksburg defenses. During the siege it was mounted about 1 mile north of its present position. On May 22, 1863, a detachment of Company H, 1st Louisiana Heavy Artillery manned the gun, with Lt. A.L. Slack commanding the detail. In that day's action against Union gunboats, one of the gun's own shells exploded in its muzzle. Later the Confederates cut away the damaged end and used the gun as a mortar. After the war, "The Widow Blakely" spent 96 years on display at the U.S. Military Academy's Trophy Point.

Vicksburg, Louisiana · United States