The "Widow Blakely" - Vicksburg, MS
N 32° 19.174 W 090° 53.822
15S E 697963 N 3577801
Quick Description: The “Widow Blakely” served the Confederate Artillery during the siege of Vicksburg. It was a 7.5 inch rifle designed by British Captain Theophilus Alexander Blakely and was named that because it was it was the only one of that type in Vicksburg. It is currently located at the Louisiana Circle about one mile south of where it was used during the siege of Vicksburg.
Location: Mississippi, United States
Date Posted: 11/18/2009 7:09:02 PM
Waymark Code: WM7PNZ
Views: 0
Long Description:The "Widow Blakely" is located at the Louisiana Circle, a detached
part of the Vicksburg National Military Park in Vicksburg, MS.
This 7.5-inch rifle was called the Widow Blakely because it was
the only specimen of British Captain Theophilus Alexander Blakely's
design in the works at Vicksburg. It was misidentified as a
7.44-inch caliber rifle but inside micrometer measurements of the
lands, nearly 1.5 inches wide, show diameters between 7.50 and 7.51
inches. It is rifled with 12 lands and grooves in the typical
hook-slant Blakely fashion and was originally 124 inches long.
On May 22, 1863, the "Widow Blakely" was manned by a detachment
of Company 'H', 1st Louisiana Heavy Artillery, commanded by
Lieutenant A. L. Slack. On that day the Widow, mounted overlooking
the Mississippi River, engaged four iron-clads and one wooden
gunboat with the help of nine other guns, helping to heavily damage
two of the ironclads, and repulse the rest of the attacking force.
However, in that day's action one of the Widow's shells exploded in
the tube while it was firing at a Union gunboat. The explosion took
part of the end of the muzzle off, leaving the remainder of the
tube intact. The broken end was trimmed off, and the Widow was used
as a mortar for the remainder of its service. That left the “Widow
Blakely” at 100 inches long.
After Union forces captured Vicksburg, the Widow was taken to
the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and displayed as a trophy
for ninety-six years, the Widow was misidentified as "Whistling
Dick", another famous Confederate cannon. When her true identity
was recognized, the Widow was sent back to Vicksburg, the Park
Service mounting her on the bluffs about a mile south of her
original position.
Actual reports from the Official Records listing "The Widow
Blakely" can be found by clicking here:
("http://www.civilwarartillery.com/Vicksburg/widowblakelyRecords.htm"
target="_blank">visit link)
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One of the most famous guns of the war was "Whistling Dick", a
banded and rifled 18-pounder Confederate siege and garrison weapon.
"Whistling Dick" began life as a iron smoothbore Model 1839 which
had been rifled. Because of some erratic rifling all shells fired
from the gun made a peculiar whistling sound, thus the name
"Whistling Dick." The gun was part of the river defenses at
Vicksburg, Mississippi in 1863, and is credited with the sinking of
the Union gunboat Cincinnati. "Whistling Dick" disappeared after
the surrender of Vicksburg and remains unaccounted for today. More
information about “Whistling Dick” can be found here:
("http://civilwartalk.com/Resource_Center/Arms_and_Ordnance/Famous_Weapons/famous-weapons-whistling-dick-a85.html"
target="_blank">visit link)
Text compiled from the following sites:
("http://www.civilwarartillery.com/basicfacts.htm"
target="_blank">visit link)
("http://civilwartalk.com/Resource_Center/Arms_and_Ordnance/Famous_Weapons/famous-weapons-the-widow-blakely-a88.html"
target="_blank">visit link)
("http://www.civilwarartillery.com/Vicksburg/widowblakely.htm"
target="_blank">visit link)
("http://www.cwartillery.org/afamgun.html" target="_blank">visit
link)