The 6.4-Inch Brooke Rifle of Jackson, Alabama
6.4-Inch Brooke Rifle, S96, is displayed in front of City Hall in Jackson, Alabama.
A 6.4-Inch Brooke Rifle cast at Selma in 1864 is displayed at Jackson, Alabama. It was cast on August 9th, 1864 and delivered to Mobile on December 21st, 1864 (see Daniel & Gunter, pg. 83). According to the historical marker placed next to the cannon, S96 was mounted at Oven Bluff on the Tombigbee River.
S96 is marked on its left trunnion with its weight as manufactured: 10,800 pounds. It is marked on its right trunnion with the initials of Commander Catesby ap R. Jones, the officer in charge of the Selma Naval Gun Foundry.
The left trunnion of S96 shows the weight as manufactured: 10,800 pounds, the caliber “VI 4”, and “S96”.
The right trunnion shows the caliber: “VI 4” and the initials of Commander Catesby ap R. Jones. They year of manufacture, 1864, may also be on the trunnion, but it is hard to make out.
“S96” is marked on the muzzle. The '“hook slant” rifling used in Brookes may also be clearly seen.
“S96” is also marked on the banding.
The Brooke Rifle
The Brooke Rifle was designed by Confederate Navy Officer John Mercer Brooke. Brooke seems to have adapted elements of the design from Dahlgren guns first made for the US Navy in the 1850s. The breech and general layout of the Brooke strongly resembles the Dahlgren. The original Brooke rifles had been made to arm the ironclad CSS Virginia in 1862. While a weapon designed for the navy, the Confederate Army used as many of the type as they could get. The first Brookes were made at Tredegar Ironworks in Richmond, Virginia. The Selma Naval Ironworks was established to manufacture additional Brookes. The first Brooke finished and accepted into naval service was 7-Inch Rifle S5 for CSS Tennessee.
The Brooke Rifle is a cast iron rifled cannon with wrought iron reinforcing rings. It was manufactured in 6.4-Inch, 7-Inch, and 8-Inch calibers. Additionally, smoothbore Brookes were produced in 8-Inch, 10-Inch, and 11-Inch calibers. Early Brookes had a single reinforcing band. By 1863, Brookes were double banded. Tredegar would also produce three triple banded Brooke Rifles.
The 6.4-Inch Brooke Rifle fired shot which weighed up to about 90 pounds and shells that weighed 60 or more pounds.
October 17th, 1864 - Brooke wrote “to Officers Commanding Batteries” that:
Charges of 6.4 inch Brooke Rifles, Double Banded:
With shell, shrapnel, grape or canister - from 7 to 8 pounds.
With cast iron bolts - 8 to 10 pounds
With wrought iron and cast iron bolts in close action with Monitors - 12 pounds
In all cases the smallest effective charge is to be used. The high charges strain the guns, and their employment is only justified by such emergencies as arise in contact with iron clads.
(Brooke, George M. Jr. ed. Ironclads and Big Guns of the Confederacy: The Journal and Letters of John M. Brooke. pp. 193-194).
