Also known as: John M. Brooke.
| Born | 1826 |
|---|---|
| Died | 1906 |
| Training | United States Naval Academy, Annapolis |
| Confederate role | Chief of Ordnance and Hydrography, Confederate States Navy |
| Known for | The Brooke rifle; conversion of USS Merrimack to CSS Virginia |
Career and ordnance
John Mercer Brooke, a Florida-born graduate of Annapolis, resigned from the United States Navy at the outbreak of war and joined the Virginia State Navy and then the Confederate States Navy as Chief of Ordnance and Hydrography. He helped rebuild the USS Merrimack into the ironclad CSS Virginia and contributed to Confederate work on submarine boats and torpedoes.
The Brooke rifle, produced at the Tredegar Iron Works in Richmond and the Confederate Naval Ordnance Works at Selma, Alabama, resembled the Federal Parrott in form: a cast-iron gun with a wrought-iron reinforcing band at the breech. Heavier Brooke guns carried a double or triple band where the Parrott used one.
On this site
Sources & further reading
- Melton, Jack W., Jr. Civil War Artillery Projectiles: The Half Shell Book. Blue Ridge, GA: Historical Publications LLC, 2018.
- CivilWarArtillery.com research archive: inventor biographies, manuals, reports, and patent files.