South Carolina Governor F.W. Pickens wrote Confederate Secretary of War L.P. Walker on April 9, 1861 about the Blakely's arrival in Charleston: "...a fine rifled cannon from Liverpool...an improvement upon Armstrong, steel rolls and coils with an elevation of seven and one-half degrees to a mile. It throws a shell or twelve-pound shot with the accuracy of a dueling pistol and with only one and a half pounds of powder."
He went on to say he hoped to have it in position at one of Charleston's fortifications by nightfall.
The "Point Battery" at Cummings Point on Morris Island mounted the gun. During the battle, it "consistently hurled twelve-pound iron projectiles to breach the walls of the fortress, 1250 yards distant. The gun fired only eleven shot and nineteen shells...due to limited ammunition, but it has been noted that the bolts from the rifle penetrated the fort walls as deeply as 11-inches."
Quite the impressive first outing for the cannon. Lack of ammunition was also a problem with the Fort Fisher 100-pdr. Armstrong cannon. Was the Blakely or Armstrong a better cannon? I'd always heard that the Armstrongs were the best there was.
Not Finished Yet. --B-R'er
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