A shortage of guns, but no orders for Noble Brothers

As mentioned in earlier posts, in the winter of 1862-63 the Confederate Department of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida was desperate for guns capable of engaging the Federal ironclads.  General P.G.T. Beauregard’s command protected several ports of entry for blockade runners, representing the link to Europe.  But competition between projects (ironclad production, for instance) for

Maybe from Rome? Possible Noble Brothers Rifle at Manassas

Last fall I profiled a 3-inch iron rifle, located today at the Arlington County veterans memorial in Clarendon, Virginia, made by the Noble Brothers & Company of Rome, Georgia. The profile of the Clarendon 3-inch rifle resembles contemporary Tredegar guns of the same class and caliber. No doubt among the earliest actions of the Confederate