Unless this particular gun was a Confederate made Armstrong Gun. Lee is requesting a special gun. For General Lee to write to the Chief of Ordnance and Hydrography about mounting a single Blakely, in which there were a number, seems to beneath both their pay-grades. A Confederate agent did receive the plans and drawings to build Armstrong guns from Sir William Armstrong in '61. Contracts were alloted by the Confederate Government to build this type of gun. It was reported that three Englishmen were imported from England to build Armstrong Guns at Norfolk Navy Yard in December 1861. Maybe they built one.