THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF
CIVIL WAR ARTILLERY

BROOKE RIFLES AND SMOOTHBORE GUNS

Brooke rifles are the Confederate version of, and are generally considered an improvement on, large Union Parrott rifles. While various sizes of rifles and smooth-bore guns were designed by John Mercer Brooke for the Confederate navy, a few 7-inch rifles were completed with elevating ratchets on the breech for Confederate army service. All Brooke tubes have a hemispheric breech contour, a straight tapered chase, unturned exterior surfaces, and seven-groove rifling with right-hand twist of a unique "triangular" Brooke design. The breeching jaws of Brooke tubes are exact copies of those designed by John Dahlgren for his shell guns.

Similar 4.62-inch rifles and 8-inch single-banded smoothbore siege guns were not designed by Brooke, are not Brookes, and are discussed under Confederate siege guns and rifles.

6.4-inch single-banded Brooke rifle. Total length, 141.85 inches; weight, 9100 pounds; total production, 10 by Tredegar Foundry; known survivors, 2. While the early versions of 6.4-inch and 7-inch Brooke rifles were single-banded, those cast after 28 October 1862 had two bands at the "desire" of Confederate Secretary of the Navy Stephen R. Mallory. A few of the early single-banded rifles had a second band added later.

6.4-inch double-banded Brooke rifle. Total length, 141.85 inches; weight, 10,600 pounds; total production, 40 (25 by Tredegar and 15 by Selma); known survivors, 9. Of the 29 rifles of this type attempted at Selma, only 15 were successfully finished as 6.4-inch rifles. Five castings that failed as rifles were successfully bored up to 8-inch double-banded Brooke smooth-bore guns of identical appearance to 6.4-inch Brooke rifles. One of them survives. The other ten castings failed to pass inspection at various stages of completion.

7-inch double-banded Brooke rifle. Total length, 147.4 inches; weight, 15,000 pounds; total production, 62 (23 by Tredegar and 39 by Selma); known survivors, 8. Brooke made several minor modifications to this double-banded design during the period of their production. Like the early 6.4-inch rifles cast at Tredegar Foundry, the first 28 7-inch cast there initially had only a single band. Three of these are known to survive, but we have no reproducible photo available at this time. If any reader can provide one, we will gladly add it here and modify this text.

The first six 7-inch Brooke rifles, including the two on CSS Virginia, were IX-inch Dahlgren gun blocks bored to seven inches, rifled and banded. No survivor exists to reveal their final profile.

7-inch treble-banded Brooke rifle. Total length, 151.2 inches; weight, 20,800 pounds (average of three); total production, 3 by Tredegar Foundry; known survivors, 1. This pattern was cast without trunnions and utilized a trunnion band and breech strap to accept the recoil.

10-inch Brooke smoothbore gun. Total length, 158.25 inches; weight, 21,300 pounds; total production, 10 (4 by Tredegar and 6 by Selma); known survivors, 2. Tredegar Foundry also cast four 8-inch Brooke rifles, of which none is known to survive, using a pattern whose dimensions were nearly identical to this one.

11-inch Brooke smoothbore gun. Total length, 170.75 inches; weight, 23,600 pounds; total production, 8 (2 by Tredegar and 6 by Selma). Known survivor, 1. Selma also produced one additional 11-inch by boring up a 10-inch smoothbore that failed during inspection due to enlargement of the bore.

Construction of Brooke (and other Confederate) wrought-iron reinforcing bands. This photo illustrates the method of constructing reinforcing bands for Confederate Parrotts, Brookes, and other reinforced cannon. No Confederate foundry had the capability to roll wide wrought-iron reinforcing bands. Instead, individual 2-inch thick by approximately 6-inch wide bands were assembled to form bands of the desired widths.

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