Model Cannons & Mortars

Widow Blakely

The full scale "Widow Blakely" is displayed on a replica of a seige carriage, however this is not the type of carriage it was mounted on during the seige of Vicksburg. Research indicates that it was most likely mounted on a locally built carriage, closely resembling the one that I built and is shown above.

The "Widow Blakely" 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 Mississippi. On May 22, 1863, one of "The Widow Blakely'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 ragged ends were cut smooth and the rifle was used as a mortar during the rest of the siege (Pemberton surrendered to Grant on July 4, 1863).
The full scale gun is rifled with 12 lands and grooves in the typical hook-slant Blakely fashion. After the trimming of the muzzle the overall length is about 100 inches. Originally the tube would have been about 124 inches long. It was taken to West Point Military Academy as a war trophy and remained there for ninety-six years until its return to Vicksburg.

The model that I built is a good size cannon with a bore dia. of .625. The barrel is steel and all the wooden carriage parts were made from walnut, and then blasted with silicon carbide to give the carriage a authentic finish.