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.
The 3-Inch Ordnance Rifle was manufactured in wrought iron at the Phoenix Iron Company in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. Over 950 3-Inch Ordnance Rifles were produced for the US Army during the American Civil War. Over 500 survive to the present day. During the war they were highly regarded by artillerymen on both sides as accurate, reliable guns. They were capable of firing shot, shell, case, and canister, though shot was rarely used and the rifled barrel produced irregular patterns with canister. After the war, they were kept in service in the US Army alongside the 12-Pounder Napoleon when most other types were retired.
