Also known as: Brooke gun.
| Type | Cast-iron rifled gun with wrought-iron reinforcing bands |
|---|---|
| Designer | John Mercer Brooke, Confederate States Navy |
| Makers | Tredegar Iron Works; Selma Naval Ordnance Works |
| Distinction | Often a double or triple breech band, unlike the single-band Parrott |
Confederate heavy rifle
The Brooke rifle was the Confederacy's principal answer to the Federal Parrott: a cast-iron rifled gun strengthened by wrought-iron bands shrunk over the breech. In appearance it closely resembled the Parrott, but heavier Brooke guns carried a double or triple reinforcing band where the Parrott used a single one, giving added strength for the largest charges.
Brooke rifles were produced at the Tredegar Iron Works in Richmond and the Confederate Naval Ordnance Works at Selma, Alabama, and served in naval batteries, ironclads, and heavy coastal defenses.
On this site
Sources & further reading
- CivilWarArtillery.com research archive: cannon identification pages, manuals, and reports.
- United States Army, Ordnance Department. The Ordnance Manual for the Use of the Officers of the United States Army. 2nd ed. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott, 1862.