Blakely and Ordinance Rifle at the old Beaufort Arsenal
A US Army 3-Inch Ordnance Rifle (left) and a 3.5-Inch Blakely Rifle are displayed at the Old Beaufort Arsenal in Beaufort, South Carolina
A US Army 3-Inch Ordnance Rifle (left) and a 3.5-Inch Blakely Rifle are displayed at the Old Beaufort Arsenal in Beaufort, South Carolina. The two cannons are:
3.5-Inch Blakely marked "Blakely's Patent, No. 50, Fawcett, Preston, & Co., Liverpool, Makers, 1862. Ripley categorized this Blakely as a “Type 4”.
US Army 3-Inch Ordnance Rifle Number 265 manufactured in 1862 at the Phoenix Iron Company.
Also in the area are 3.5-Inch Blakely No. 48 and US Army 3-Inch Ordnance Rifle Number 55. Previously each set had been displayed together. The other two are now on display at the Marine Corps Museum at Parris Island.
The Confederacy imported a number of Blakely rifles. It seems that some of them saw use defending the South Carolina coast against US Navy attempts to push into the estuaries.
