,libraries47          ,a ,brief ,sketch 
of the ,work  of  ,,matthew ,,fontaine  
,,maury  ,during the ,war #ahfa-ahfe    
,,by ,,his ,,son  ,,richard ,l4 ,,maury 
,,richmond   ,richmond  ,,whittet       
,,shepperson  #aiae     ,,copyrighted1  
#aiae1 ,,by  ,,katherine ,c4 ,,stiles   
,,introduction   ,when ,i took charge of
 the ,georgia ,room1 in the ,confederate
 ,museum1 in ,richmond1 ,virginia in    
#ahig1 ,i found among the ,de ,renne    
collection an engraving of the pleasant1
 intellectual face of ,commodore        
,matthew ,fontaine ,maury1 so ,i went to
 his son1 ,colonel ,richard ,l4 ,maury1 
who had been with his father in all his 
work here1 and urged him to write the   
history of it1 while memory1 papers and 
books could be referred to2 this        
carefully written1 accurate paper was   
the result4  ,at one time1 when         
,commodore ,maury was very sick1 he     
asked one of his daughters to get the   
,bible and read to him4 ,she chose      
,psalm #h1 the eighth verse of which    

speaks of whatsoever walketh through the
 paths of the sea1 he repeated the paths
 of the sea1 the paths of the sea1 if   
,god says the paths of the sea1 they are
 there1 and if ,i ever get out of this  
bed ,i will find them4  ,he did begin   
his deep sea soundings as soon as he was
 strong enough1 and found that two      
ridges extended from the ,new ,york     
coast to ,england1 so he made charts for
 ships to sail over one path to ,england
 and return over the other4  ,the       
proceeds from the sale of this little   
pamphlet will be used as the beginning  
of a fund for the erection of a monument
 to ,commodore ,maury in ,richmond4     
,,katherine ,c4 ,,stiles4               
,,torpedoes   ,torpedoes as effective   
weapons in actual war were first        
utilized by the ,confederate navy1 and  
,captain ,matthew ,f4 ,maury introduced 
them into that service1 and continually 
improved and perfected their use until  
they had become the mighty engine of    
modern warfare and revolutionized the   

art of coast and harbour defense4 ,he1  
it was1 who in #ahfa mined ,james       
,river1 who1 in person commanded the    
first attack with torpedoes upon the    
,federal fleet in ,hampton ,roads1 and  
it was the development and improvement  
of this plan of defense which held the  
enemy's ships throughout the ,south at  
bay1 and caused the loss of fifty-eight 
of the ships1 and the ,secretary of the 
,united ,states ,navy to report to      
,congress in #ahfe that the             
,confederates had destroyed with their  
torpedoes more vessels than were lost   
from all other causes combined4 ,their  
use was soon extended from ,james ,river
 to the other ,southern waters by eleven
 young naval officers1 active and alert1
 who planted1 directed and exploded     
torpedoes wherever there occurred       
favorable opportunity1 and with a daring
 and coolness never surpassed2 officers 
whose ability was abundantly shown by   
the remarkable inertness of the ,united 
,states ,navy after they had left that  

service in response to the call of their
 ,states to come and help protect their 
invasion4  ,hardly had ,captain ,maury  
arrived in ,richmond than his active    
mind was directed to the problem of     
protecting the ,southern coasts4 ,the   
,south had not a single vessel of war1  
and but scanty means of making1         
equipping or manning one2 the ,north had
 all the old navy fully armed and       
equipped1 with unlimited means for      
making more4  ,penetrated as the country
 is by innumerable navigable waters1 and
 save at the entrance of a few of her   
largest rivers1 altogether unfortified1 
he urged that the only available defense
 was to mine the channel ways with      
torpedoes1 floating and fixed1 which    
should be exploded by contact or by     
electricity1 when the enemy attempted to
 pass4 ,at that time there was nothing  
save a few shore batteries to prevent   
any ship whose captain was bold enough  
to run past their fires from ascending  
,james ,river to ,richmond1 or from     

reaching any other maritime town in the 
,south4 ,fortunately there were but few 
bold enough for the attempt4  ,in the   
beginning there was much prejudice      
against this mode of warfare1 which1    
notwithstanding1 has since1 under       
,captain ,maury's instruction1 become   
the chief reliance of most maritime     
nations4 ,it was considered uncivilized 
warfare thus to attack and destroy an   
unsuspecting enemy1 and the ,united     
,states1 and many of her naval officers 
were specially loud in their            
denunciations of those who resorted to  
it4 ,there was official apathy too1 and 
opposition of friends1 but regardless of
 such1 he proceeded to experiment and   
demonstrate1 and with such success that 
in time the nations of ,europe became   
his pupils1 and there were hosts of     
followers and fellow-workers at home1   
and the ,confederate ,congress          
appropriated six millions of dollars for
 torpedoes4  ,his initial experiments to
 explode minute charges of powder under 

water1 were made with an ordinary tub in
 his chamber at the house of his cousin1
 ,robert ,h4 ,maury1 a few doors from   
the ,museum in ,richmond1 ,va4 ,the     
tanks for actual use were made at the   
,tredegar ,works1 and at the works of   
,talbott and ,son on ,cary ,street2 the 
batteries were loaned by the ,richmond  
,medical ,college1 which also freely    
tendered the use of its laboratory4 ,in 
the early summer of #ahfa the ,secretary
 of the ,navy1 the ,governor of         
,virginia1 the chairman of the          
,committee of ,naval ,affairs1 and other
 prominent officials were asked by him  
to witness a trial and an explosion of  
torpedoes in ,james ,river at ,rocketts4
  ,the torpedoes were composed of two   
small kegs of rifle powder1 weighted to 
sink a few feet below the surface4 ,they
 were fitted with hair triggers and     
friction primers1 and thirty feet of    
lanyard attached to the triggers        
connected the keys4 ,when in use they   
were to be set afloat in the channel way

 as near as possible to a vessel and to 
drift down with the current until the   
connecting lanyard fouled the anchor    
chain1 or the bow of the vessel and the 
kegs swung around against her side when 
the tightened lanyard would fire the    
trigger and cause the torpedo to        
explode4 ,so the ,patrick ,henry's gig  
was borrowed1 with a couple of sailors  
to pull1 and the torpedo having been    
embarked1 with the trigger at half-cock1
 ,captain ,maury and the writer got on  
board and were rowed out to the buoy    
just opposite where the ,james ,river   
,steamboat ,company's wharf now is1     
where the invited spectators stood to   
witness the explosion4 ,the triggers    
were then set1 the kegs carefully       
lowered into the water1 taking great    
care not to strain the lanyard1 all was 
cast off1 the boat pulled clear1 and we 
waited to see the torpedo float down    
until the buoy was reached1 the lanyard 
foul strain and explode the torpedo4    
,but there was delay1 the lanyard fouled

 the buoy all right1 the kegs floated   
past and strained the lanyard1 but there
 was no explosion4 ,impatient we backed 
water to the buoy and the writer leaned 
over the stern and caught the lanyard to
 give the necessary pull1 but in the    
very act the explosion took place1 a    
column of water went up twenty feet or  
more1 and descending1 gave us a good    
wetting and filled the surrounding water
 with stunned and dead fish4 ,the       
officials on the wharf applauded and    
were convinced1 and that the experiments
 might continue ,governor ,letcher      
loaned power1 and shortly after the     
,naval ,bureau of ,coast1 ,harbour1 and 
,river ,defense was organized with ample
 funds for the work1 and the very best  
of intelligent and devoted young        
officers as assistants and an office was
 opened in ,richmond at the corner of   
,ninth and ,bank ,streets1 where        
,rueger's now is4  ,in a few months he  
had mined ,james ,river with fixed      
torpedoes to be exploded by electricity 

should the enemy attempt to pass1 and a 
means thus indicated to protect the     
city4 ,during the summer and fall       
attacks were made upon the ,federal     
squadron at ,fortress ,monroe1 under the
 personal command of ,captain ,maury    
from ,norfolk4 ,the first of these was  
early in ,july1 #ahfa1 from ,seawell's  
,point1 at the mouth of the ,james      
,river1 and was directed against two of 
the fleet there--the ,minnesota and the 
,roanoke4 ,friday and ,saturday night he
 sent an officer in a boat to           
reconnoitre1 but there was a steam      
picket on watch1 ,sunday as he was      
spying them through a glass1 noting     
their relative positions1 he saw the    
church flag on two of them1 a white flag
 bearing a cross displayed1 flying just 
a little above the ship ensign4 ,when he
 thought that those men were worshipping
 ,god in sincerity and truth1 and1 no   
doubt1 thinking themselves in the line  
of their duty1 he could but feel for    
them when he remembered how soon he     

might be the means of sending many of   
them into eternity4 ,that night the     
attacking party in five boats set off   
about ten o'clock4 ,captain ,maury was  
in the first boat with the pilot and    
four oars4 ,each of the others manned by
 an officer and four men carried a      
magazine with thirty fathoms of rope    
attached4 ,these magazines were oak     
casks of powder with a fuse in each4    
,two joined by the rope were stretching 
across the ebbtide and when directly    
ahead of the ships were let go1 and     
floating down the rope caught across the
 cable1 the torpedo would drift and the 
ship strain the trigger1 ignite the fuse
 and explode4 ,the night was still1     
calm1 clear1 lovely4 ,thatcher's comet  
was flaming in the sky4 ,we steered by  
it1 pulling in the plane of its splendid
 train4 ,all the noise and turmoil of   
the enemy's camp and fleet was hushed4  
,they had no guard boats of any kind1   
and as with muffled oars we neared them 
we heard seven bells strike4 ,after     

putting the torpedoes under one ship the
 boats that carried them went back1 and 
,captain ,maury with the other two1     
planted the other torpedoes4 ,they then 
rowed away and waited1 but the explosion
 did not come and the enemy never knew  
of the attempt4 ,lieut4 ,r4 ,d4 ,minor1 
one of his skilful and daring           
assistants1 commanded the second        
expedition which he thus describes3  ,c4
 ,s4 ,s4 ,patrick ,henry1  ,mulberry    
,point1 ,october #aath1 #ahfa4          
,sir1--,owing to an unexpected delay in 
the completion of the magazine ,i was   
unable to leave ,richmond before the    
morning of the #ith1 and did not reach  
this ship until yesterday about #h      
,a4,m4 when ,i laid your plan of the    
intended attack on the ,united ,states  
ships at anchor off ,newport ,news      
before ,commander ,tucker1 who with     
,lieutenant ,powell1 the executive      
officer1 placed every facility at my    
disposal for carrying it into execution4
 ,acting ,master ,thomas ,l4 ,dornin and

 ,midshipman ,alexander ,m4 ,mason1     
having volunteered to accompany me1 the 
evening was passed in preparing the     
magazine and in explaining in detail to 
the officers the manner of handling and 
working them4 ,in filling the tanks ,i  
found that ,i would have #cib pounds to 
operate with1 instead of #djj1 which ,i 
had calculated upon2 and to insure them 
from sinking ,i had some cork attached  
to the buoys1 which subsequently proved 
of great advantage4 ,the day was a      
stormy one1 with a fresh breeze from the
 northward with rain and mist well      
suited for our operations against the   
enemy4 ,about sunset ,commander ,tucker 
got underway from his anchorage off this
 place1 and with lights shaded steamed  
slowly down the river on a strong       
ebbtide till the ships were seen ahead  
of us1 when we came to within a mile and
 a half of the point1 dropping the      
anchor with a hawser bent on to it to   
prevent noise from the rattling of the  
chains4 ,the boats were then lowered1   

the magazines carefully slung1 buoys    
bent on at intervals of seven feet1 and 
when all was ready the crews armed with 
cutlasses took their places1 and were   
cautioned in a few words by me to keep  
silent and obey implicitly the officers4
 ,acting ,master ,dornin with           
,midshipman ,mason took the left side of
 the channel1 while ,i took the right   
with ,mr4 ,edward ,moore as boatswain of
 the ship to pilot me4 ,pulling down the
 river some #fjj or #gjj yards the boats
 were then allowed to drift with the    
rapid ebbtide1 while the end of the cork
 line was passed over to ,mr4 ,dornin1  
and the line tightened by the boats     
pulling in opposite directions4 ,the    
buoys were then thrown overboard1 the   
guard lines on the triggers cut1 the    
levers fitted and pinned1 the trip line 
made fast to the bight at the end of the
 lever1 the safety screws removed1 the  
magazine carefully lowered in the water1
 where they were well supported by the  
buoys1 the slack line 7three fathoms of 

which was kept in hand for safety7      
thrown overboard1 and all set adrift    
within #hjj yards of the ship1 and #djj 
yards of the battery on the bluff above 
the point4 ,so near were we that voices 
were heard on the shore and ,mr4 ,moore 
reported a boat about #ajj yards off1   
which1 however1 ,i did not see1 being   
too much engaged in preparing the       
magazine for its service4 ,pulling back 
a short distance and hearing no         
explosion we returned to the ship which 
we found cleared for action and ready to
 cover us in event of being attacked1   
and the boats had just been hoisted up  
when signal lights were observed        
flashing in the vicinity of the point   
with considerable rapidity1 indicating a
 suspicion on the part of the enemy that
 an attack of some kind was intended4   
,leaving our anchorage1 we steamed      
rapidly up the river and took up our    
former position off this place about    
#ab3cj at night4 ,on going to the       
crosstrees this morning two ships were  

seen at anchor off the point1 and later 
in the day when seen from ,warwick      
,river1 where ,commander ,tucker and ,i 
went to get a better view of them1 they 
were apparently unharmed1 and ,i        
concluded that the magazine could not   
have fouled them1 though planted fairly 
and in good drifting distances and with 
an interval between of some #bjj feet1  
perhaps somewhat less as the line became
 entangled slightly while playing out4  
,i have thus minutely described to you1 
sir1 the whole operation1 believing1 as 
its originator1 it would be interesting 
to you1 and1 perhaps1 serve as a guide  
in the further prosecution of this mode 
of warfare4  ,i beg leave to return my  
sincere thanks to ,commander ,tucker1   
,lieutenant ,powell and other officers  
and men of the ,patrick ,henry1 for     
their hearty co-operation1 and ,i       
particularly desire to call your        
attention to the coolness and bravery of
 acting ,master ,dornin and ,midshipman 
,mason1 and the boat crews associated on

 duty with me4  ,i am1 sir respectfully 
your obedient servant1  ,r4 ,d4 ,,minor1
  ,lieutenant ,c4 ,s4 ,navy4  ,commander
 ,m4 ,f4 ,maury1 ,c4 ,s4 ,navy1         
,fredericksburg1 ,va4  ,the torpedoes   
used by ,captain ,maury in his attack   
upon the ,minnesota1 at ,fortress       
,monroe1 and by ,lieutenant ,minor upon 
the ,congress1 off ,newport ,news1 were 
as follows3 ,they were in pairs         
connected by a span #ejj feet long4 ,the
 span was floated on the surface by     
corks1 and the torpedo1 containing #bjj 
pounds of powder1 also floated at a     
depth of twenty feet4 ,empty barregas1  
painted lead color1 so as not readily to
 be seen1 serving for the purpose4  ,the
 span was connected with a trigger in   
the head of each barrel1 so set and     
arranged that when the torpedo being let
 go in a tideway under the bows and     
athwart the hawser had fouled1 they     
would be drifted alongside1 and so      
drifted would tauten the span and set   
off the fuse1 which was driven precisely

 as a ten second shot fuse1 only it was 
calculated to burn fifty-four seconds1  
because it could not be known exactly in
 which part of the sweep alongside the  
strain would be sufficient to set off   
the trigger4 ,that they did not explode 
was attributed to the fact that the fuse
 would not burn under a pressure of     
twenty feet of water1 which conjecture  
was confirmed by after experiments1 when
 it was found that the fuse would very  
surely at a depth of fifteen feet but   
never at twenty4 ,sometime after these  
torpedoes were found down the bay by the
 enemy4 ,spans1 barrels1 barregas and   
carried to ,washington--thus the enemy  
forewarned1 forestalled further attempts
 of this character by dropping the end  
of his lower studding sail boom in the  
water every night1 and anchoring boats1 
or beams ahead4  ,to obtain insulated   
wire1 of which the ,south had none1 an  
agent was sent secretly to ,new ,york1  
but without success1 and as there was   
neither factory nor material for its    

manufacture in the ,confederacy1 the    
difficulties of preparing electrical    
torpedoes1 to which ,captain ,maury     
attached the most importance and greatly
 preferred1 seemed insuperable1 until by
 a remarkable piece of good fortune1 in 
the following spring1 it happened that  
the enemy1 attempting to lay across     
,chesapeake ,bay were forced to abandon 
the attempt and left their wire to the  
mercy of the waves1 which cast it upon  
the beach near ,norfolk1 where1 by the  
kindness of a friend1 it was secured for
 ,captain ,maury's use4 ,with part of   
this he connected his mines in ,james   
,river1 below the obstructions1 with the
 shore stations1 which afterward        
destroyed the ,commodore ,barney1 and   
later the ,commodore ,jones1 and with   
part enabled other ,southern ports to be
 similarly protected4  ,of his ,james   
,river torpedoes1 ,captain ,maury thus  
reported to the ,secretary of the ,navy3
  ,richmond1 ,june #aith1 #ahfb4        
,sir1--,the ,james ,river is mined with 

fifteen tanks below the ,iron ,battery  
at ,chaffin's ,bluff4 ,they are to be   
exploded by means of ,electricity4 ,four
 of the tanks contain #afj pounds of    
powder1 the eleven other hold #gj       
pounds4 ,all are made of boiler plate4  
,they are arranged in rows1 as per      
diagram1 those of each row being thirty 
feet apart4 ,each tank is contained in a
 water-tight wooden cask1 capable of    
floating it1 but anchored1 and held     
below the surface from three to eight   
feet1 according to the state of the     
tide4 ,the anchor to each is an eighteen
 inch shell and a piece of kentledge so 
placed as to prevent the barrels from   
fouling the buoy ropes at the change of 
the tide4 ,each shell of a row is       
connected with the next one to it by a  
stout rope thirty feet long1 and capable
 of lifting it in case the cask be      
carried away4 ,the casks are            
water-tight1 as are also the tanks1 the 
electric cord entering and returning    
through the same head4 ,the wire for the

 return current from the battery is     
passed from shell to shell and along the
 connecting rope1 which lies at the     
bottom4  ,the wire that passes from cask
 to cask is stopped aslack to the buoy  
rope from the shell up to the cask to   
which it is securely seized1 to prevent 
any strain upon that part which enters  
the cask4 ,the return wire is stopped in
 like manner down the buoy ropes to the 
shell1 and then along the span to the   
next shell4 ,at #d the two cords are    
rapped together1 loaded with trace      
chains a fathom apart and carried ashore
 to the galvanic battery4 ,for batteries
 we have #ba ,wollastons1 each trough   
containing #ah pairs of plates1 zinc and
 wire1 #aj x #ab inches4 ,the first     
range is called #a3 the second #b3 the  
third #c1 and the wires are so labelled4
 ,thus all of each range are exploded at
 once4  ,besides these there are two    
ranges of two tanks each1 planted       
opposite the battery at ,chaffin's      
,bluff4 ,when they were planted it was  

not known that a battery was to be      
erected below4 ,these four tanks contain
 about #f1jjj pounds of powder4 ,the    
great freshets of last month carried    
away the wires that were to operate the 
first pair4 ,lieut4 ,davidson1 who1 with
 the ,teaser and her crew1 has assisted 
me with the most hearty good will1 has  
dragged for the tanks1 but without      
success1 they rest on the bottom4 ,could
 they be found it was my intention to   
raise the four1 examine them and if in  
good condition1 place them lower down4  
,lieut4 ,wm4 ,l4 ,maury1 assisted by    
,acting ,master ,w4 ,f4 ,carter1 and ,r4
 ,rollins1 was charged with the duty of 
proving the tanks and packing them in   
casks4 ,there are eleven others1 each   
containing #gj pounds of powder4 ,when  
tested in the barrels and found ready   
for use1 they will be held in reserve in
 case of accident to those already down4
 ,a larger number was not prepared for  
want of powder4 ,there are a quantity of
 admirably insulated wires1 a number of 

shells for anchor or torpedoes and a    
sufficient quantity of chains for the   
wires remaining4 ,they will be put in   
the navy store for safe keeping4  ,the  
galvanic batteries1 viz43 #ba ,wollaston
 and one ,cruickshank 7the latter loaned
 by ,dr4 ,maupin of the ,university of  
,virginia71 with spare acids are at     
,chaffin's ,bluff in charge of ,acting  
,master ,cheeney4 ,he has also in pigs a
 sufficient quantity mixed to work the  
batteries1 and ready to be poured in for
 use4  ,it is proper that ,i should     
mention to the department1 in terms of  
commendation the ready and valuable     
assistance afforded by ,dr4 ,morris1    
president of the ,telegraph ,company1   
and his assistants1 especially ,mr4     
,goldwell4  ,my duties in connection    
with those batteries being thus closed1 
,i have the honor to await your further 
orders4  ,respectfully1 etc41  ,m4 ,f4  
,,maury1  ,commander ,c4 ,s4 ,navy4     
,hon4 ,s4 ,r4 ,mallory1  ,secretary of  
the ,navy1 ,present4  ,shortly after1   

,captain ,maury was ordered to ,london  
on secret service for the ,navy         
,department1 and that he might avail    
himself of laboratories and workshops   
for experiment and improvement of his   
new science1 in which he was now        
regarded as supreme authority4 ,he was  
to report progress and improvement in   
this new means of making successful war 
from time to time to the ,navy          
,department1 which was constantly done  
during the next two years1 and thus the 
result of his labours and inventions    
communicated to the officers in charge  
of the torpedo stations now established 
along our ,atlantic ,coast4 ,his devices
 and inventions1 which have not since   
been surpassed and some of which are    
still in use1 had reference chiefly to  
exploding the torpedo2 to determining   
with certainty from a distance the      
moment when a ship should enter within  
explosive range1 and at all times to    
test its condition and to verify its    
location4  ,lieut4 ,hunter ,davidson1   

his valued assistant1 succeeded him in  
charge of the ,james ,river batteries1  
and in time extended the mines some     
distance below4 ,during the two years   
when he was in charge he planted many   
electrical torpedoes in the channel of  
the river1 to be fired from concealed   
stations on shore4 ,some of these       
contained #a1hjj pounds of powder4  ,in 
,august1 #ahfb1 the ,federal steamer    
,commodore ,barney was badly disabled by
 one of these1 and in #ahfd the ,comm4  
,jones was totally destroyed1 with      
nearly all on board1 the first fruits of
 ,maury's electrical torpedo defense4   
,the first vessel destroyed by a        
submarine torpedo was the               
gunboat--ironclad--,cairo1 in the ,yazoo
 ,river4 ,the torpedo was a demijohn of 
powder enclosed in a box sunk in the    
river and fired by a string from the    
shore4 ,lieut4 ,beverley ,kennon claimed
 the credit for this but ,masters       
,mc,daniel and ,ewing did the actual    
work4  ,early in #ahfd ,davidson1 in a  

steam launch1 specially constructed for 
him1 called ,the ,torpedo1 having made  
#abj mile run down ,james ,river1 all   
within the enemies' lines1 exploded a   
torpedo against the flagship ,minnesota1
 at anchor off ,newport ,news4 ,the     
river swarmed with the enemy's vessels1 
and the guard boat was lying by the     
,minnesota1 but her captain had allowed 
his steam to go down4 ,davidson hit the 
great ship full and fair1 causing great 
consternation on board1 but the torpedo 
charge was only fifty-three pounds of   
powder and it failed to break in her    
sides1 although considerable damage was 
done4 ,davidson suffered no injury and  
returned to ,richmond without incident4 
,on ,august #i1 #ahfd1 there was a great
 explosion in ,grant's lines at ,city   
,point1 on the ,james1 caused by a      
torpedo with a clock attached which     
caused it to explode at a given hour4   
,with daring unexcelled ,john ,maxwell  
and ,r4 ,k4 ,dillard1 of the torpedo    
corps1 made their way into the lines1   

carrying the machine neatly boxed with  
them1 which ,maxwell handed aboard one  
of the boats lying at the wharf1 saying 
that the captain had directed him to do 
so4 ,in half an hour there was a        
terrible explosion1 killing and wounding
 fifty men and destroying much property 
and many stores besides1 injuring many  
nearby vessels1 which brave ,john       
,maxwell quietly witnessed seated upon a
 log upon a hillside close by4  ,lieut4 
,beverly ,kennon was also most active in
 this system of defense and personally  
planted many torpedoes in the ,potomac1 
,rappahannock and the ,james4 ,he and   
,lieut4 ,j4 ,pembroke ,jones succeeded  
,lieutenant ,davidson in charge of the  
torpedo defense of the ,james4 ,a       
defense in itself equivalent to a well  
appointed fleet or army1 since1 as is   
well known1 it served to keep the enemy 
out of ,richmond till the close of the  
war1 and converted them into earnest    
advocates of its use4  ,general ,raines1
 chief of the ,army ,torpedo ,bureau1   

had early adopted as the best form of   
torpedo1 the beer barrel filled with    
powder and fitted with a percussion     
primer at each end4 ,they were set      
adrift in pairs down the river by the   
hundred to be carried by current and    
tide against the enemy's ships below4   
,though many necessarily failed and     
drifted out to sea1 if but a single one 
in a great number succeeded the         
,confederacy was well repaid4 ,at times 
as many as a hundred a day were caught  
by the enemy's netting set out for that 
purpose in the ,james ,river alone4     
,captain ,francis ,d4 ,lee1 of ,general 
,beauregard's staff1 recommended the    
spar torpedo1 which was very            
successfully used1 especially in the    
waters around ,charleston4 ,it was a    
case to contain seventy pounds of powder
 set on the end of a twenty foot spar   
and rigged on the bow of a boat4 ,it was
 exploded by contact on the side of the 
vessel attacked4  ,in #ahfb ,dr4 ,st4   
,julien ,ravenal1 ,mr4 ,theodore ,stoney

 and other gentlemen of ,charleston1    
after consultation with ,captain ,maury1
 designed and had constructed a         
semi-submarine torpedo boat1 the first  
of its type4 ,it was called the ,david1 
for it was intended to attack the       
,goliath of the federal blockading      
fleet4 ,after its remarkable experience 
and success1 its name was used as the   
name for its type and the ,confederacy  
had many ,davids on the stock when the  
war ended4 ,it was cigar shaped1 twenty 
feet long1 five in diameter at the      
center4 ,the boiler was forward1 the    
miniature engine aft1 and between them a
 cuddy hole for captain and crew4 ,the  
torpedo was carried on a spar protruding
 fifteen feet from the bow1 and could be
 raised or lowered by a line passing    
back into the cuddy hole4 ,it was of    
copper containing #ajj pounds of rifle  
powder and provided with four sensitive 
tubes of lead1 containing explosive     
mixture4 ,a two bladed propellor drove  
the craft at a six or seven knot rate4  

,when ready for action the boat was so  
well submerged that nothing was visible 
save the stunt smoke-stack1 the hatch   
combings and the stanchion1 upon which  
the torpedo line was brought aft4 ,the  
torpedo was submerged about six feet4   
,lieutenant ,w4 ,t4 ,glassel1 of the    
,confederate ,navy of ,virginia1 one of 
the bravest of the brave1 volunteered to
 take charge of her4 ,he says ,assistant
 ,engineer ,j4 ,h4 ,toombs volunteered  
his services1 ,major ,frank ,lee gave me
 his zealous service in fitting a       
torpedo4 ,james ,stuart1 or ,sullivan1  
volunteered to go as fireman1 and the   
services of ,j4 ,w4 ,cannon as pilot    
were secured4 ,i had an armament on deck
 of four double-barrel shotguns1 and as 
many navy revolvers2 also four cork life
 preservers had been thrown on board to 
make us feel safe4 ,on the fifth of     
,october1 #ahfc1 they left ,charleston a
 little after dark1 bound for the       
federal fleet outside1 and especially   
for the ,new ,ironsides1 the most       

powerful ship afloat4 ,he thus          
graphically describes what occurred3 ,we
 passed ,fort ,sumter and beyond the    
line of picket boats without being      
discovered4 ,silently steaming along    
just inside the bar1 ,i had a good      
opportunity to reconnoiter the whole    
fleet at anchor between me and the camp 
fires on ,morris ,island4  ,the         
admiral's ship1 ',new ,ironsides1' lay  
in the midst of the fleet1 her starboard
 side presented to my view1 ,i          
determined to pay her the highest       
compliment4 ,i had been informed through
 prisoners lately captured from the     
fleet1 that they were expecting an      
attack from torpedo boats and were      
prepared for it4 ,i could hardly1       
therefore1 expect to accomplish my      
object without encountering some danger 
from riflemen1 and1 perhaps1 a discharge
 of grape or canister from the          
howitzers4 ,my guns were loaded with    
buckshots4 ,i knew that if the officer  
of the deck could be disabled to begin  

with1 it would cause them some          
confusion1 and increase our chance of   
escape1 so ,i determined that if the    
occasion offered ,i would commence by   
firing the first shot4 ,accordingly1    
having on a full head of steam1 ,i took 
charge of the helm1 it being so arranged
 that ,i could sit on the deck1 and work
 the wheel with my feet4 ,then directing
 the engineer and fireman to keep below1
 and give me all the speed possible1 ,i 
gave a double-barrel gun to the pilot1  
with instructions not to fire until ,i  
should do so1 and steered directly for  
the monitor4 ,i intended to strike her  
just under the gangway1 but the tide    
still running out carried us to a point 
nearer the quarter4 ,thus we rapidly    
approached the enemy4 ,when within #cjj 
yards of her a sentinel hailed us4 ,boat
 ahoy6 repeating the hail several times 
very rapidly4 ,we were coming toward    
them with all speed and ,i made no      
answer but cocked both barrels of my    
gun4 ,the officer of the deck next made 

his appearance and loudly demanded1     
',what boat is that4' ,being now within 
forty yards of the ship and with plenty 
of head way to carry me on1 ,i thought  
it about time the fight should commence 
and fired my gun4 ,the officer of the   
deck fell back mortally wounded 7poor   
fellow71 and ,i ordered the engine      
stopped4 ,the next moment the torpedo   
struck the vessel and exploded4 ,what   
amount of direct damage the enemy       
received ,i will not attempt to say4 ,my
 little boat plunged violently and a    
large body of water1 which had been     
thrown up1 descended upon her deck1 and 
down the smoke-stack and hatchway4  ,i  
immediately gave orders to reverse the  
engine and back off4 ,mr4 ,toombs       
informed me then that the fires were put
 out1 and something had been jammed in  
the machinery1 so that it would not     
move4 ,what could be done in this       
situation8 ,in the meantime the enemy1  
recovering from the shock1 beat to      
quarters and general alarm spread       

through the fleet4 ,i told my men ,i    
thought our only chance of escape was by
 swimming and ,i think ,i told ,mr4     
,toombs to cut the water pipes and let  
the boat sink4 ,then taking one of the  
cork floats ,i got into the water and   
swam off as fast as ,i could4  ,the     
enemy in no amiable mood poured down    
upon the bubbling water a hailstorm of  
rifle and pistol shots from the deck of 
the ',ironsides1' and from the nearest  
monitor4 ,sometimes they struck very    
close to my head1 but swimming for life 
,i soon disappeared from sight and found
 myself alone in the water4 ,i hoped    
that with the assistance of the flood   
tide ,i might be able to reach ,fort    
,sumter1 but a north wind was against   
me1 and after ,i had been in the water  
more than an hour ,i became numb with   
cold and was nearly exhausted4 ,just    
then the boat of a transport schooner   
picked me up and found to their surprise
 that they had captured a 'rebel4' ,i   
was handed over next morning to the     

mercy of ,admiral ,dahlgren1 who ordered
 me to be put in irons1 and if          
obstreperous1 in double irons4 ,when on 
the flagship ,i learned that my fireman 
had clung to her rudder chains and been 
taken on board4  ,engineer ,toombs      
started to swim towards the ',monitor1' 
with the intention of catching her      
chains1 but changed his mind when he saw
 that the ',david' was afloat1 and had  
drifted away from the frigate4 ,swimming
 to her he found ,pilot ,cannon1 who not
 being able to swim1 when the fires were
 extinguished jumped overboard and clung
 to the unexposed side of the ',david4' 
,after drifting about a quarter of a    
mile he got back on board and seeing    
something in the water he hailed and    
heard1 to his surprise1 a reply from    
,toombs1 who soon got on board4 ,finding
 the boat uninjured1 though a bull's eye
 canteen afforded a mark to the ,federal
 cannoneer1 they fixed the engine1      
started up the fires1 got up steam and  
started back to ,charleston1 reaching   

the ,atlantic dock about midnight4  ,as 
the result of this most daring feat it  
was found that the torpedo had exploded 
under three feet of water and against   
four and one-half inches of armour1 and 
twenty-seven inches of wood backing4    
,the ponderous ship was shaken from stem
 to stern1 and was docked for repairs   
until the attack on ,fort ,fisher1 while
 the ,david and her crew were uninjured4
 ,captain ,rowan reported that the ship 
was very seriously injured and ought to 
be sent home for repairs1 and ,admiral  
,dahlgren informed the ,secretary of the
 ,navy that1 ,among the many inventions 
with which ,i have been familiar1 ,i    
have seen none that acted so perfectly  
at first trial4 ,the secrecy1 rapidity  
of movement1 control of direction and   
precise explosion1 indicate1 ,i think1  
the introduction of the torpedo element 
as a means of certain warfare4 ,it can  
be ignored no longer4 ,if sixty pounds  
of powder why not #fjj1 and the         
,secretary of the ,confederate ,navy    

reported3 ,on the evening of the #eth of
 ,october ,lieutenant ,w4 ,t4 ,glassell1
 in charge of the torpedo boat1 ,david1 
with ,assistant ,engineer ,tomb1 ,pilot 
,walker ,cannon1 and ,seaman ,james     
,sullivan1 left ,charleston to attempt  
the destruction of the enemy's ship1    
',new ,ironsides4' ,passing undiscovered
 through the enemy's fleet1 he was      
hailed by the watch as he approached the
 ship and answering the hail with a     
shot1 he dashed his boat against her and
 exploded the torpedo under her bilge4  
,the fires were extinguished1 and the   
boat was nearly swamped by the          
concussion and the descending water1 and
 ,lieutenant ,glassell and ,sullivan1   
supposing her to be lost swam off and   
were picked up by the enemy4 ,engineer  
,tomb and ,pilot ,cannon succeeded in   
reaching ,charleston with the boat4     
,although ,lieutenant ,glassell failed  
to accomplish his chief object1 it is   
believed that he inflicted serious      
injury upon the ',ironsides1' while his 

unsurpassed daring must be productive of
 an important moral influence1 as well  
upon the enemy as upon our own naval    
force4  ,the annals of naval warfare    
record few enterprises which exhibit    
more strikingly than this of ,lieutenant
 ,glassell the highest qualities of a   
sea officer4  ,at this time there were  
sixty officers and men on torpedo duty  
at ,charleston alone4  ,the most        
remarkable career in all torpedo history
 was that of a little boat built in     
,mobile ,bay1 and operated upon the     
fleet off ,charleston4 ,she was the     
pioneer of all submarine torpedo boats1 
as she was the first to achieve success4
  ,she was built in #ahfc-d at ,mobile  
by ,mr4 ,horace ,l4 ,hundley1 at his own
 expense4 ,she was made of boiler plate1
 was shaped like a fish twenty-four feet
 long1 five feet deep1 three feet wide2 
she had fins on each side1 raised or    
depressed from the interior2 her motive 
power was a small propeller worked by   
manual power of her crew seated on each 

side of the shaft2 she was provided with
 tanks which could be filled or empitied
 of water to increase or dimish her     
displacement2 but had no provision for  
air storage4 ,the captain stood in a    
circular hatchway well forward and      
steered the boat1 and regulated the     
depth at which she should proceed4 ,when
 she dived all was made tight until she 
rose again4 ,she had no ventilation4    
,she was designed to tow a torpedo      
astern1 dive under the vessel attacked1 
dragging the torpedo after2 she would   
then rise to the surface on the other   
side1 when the torpedo would explode by 
contact with the bottom of the vessel1  
and the torpedo boat make off in the    
darkness and confusion4 ,general ,maury 
states that on her trial trip1 which he 
saw1 she towed a floating torpedo1 dived
 under a ship1 dragging the torpedo1    
which fairly exploded under the ship's  
bottom1 and blew the fragments one      
hundred feet into the air2 and that not 
being able to use her in ,mobile1 he    

sent her1 and her crew to ,charleston4  
,it is said that during another trial in
 ,mobile she sank and all on board      
perished before she was raised4         
,lieutenant ,payne1 of the ,navy1       
volunteers to take her out1 and secured 
a volunteer crew of sailors4 ,she was   
named the ,h4 ,l4 ,hundley4 ,while tied 
to the wharf at ,fort ,johnston1 whence 
it was to start at night to make the    
attack1 a steamer passing close by1     
filled and sank it1 drowning all hands  
save ,payne1 who was at the time        
standing in one of the manholes4 ,she   
was promptly raised1 but was again sunk1
 this time at ,fort ,sumter wharf1 when 
six men were drowned1 ,payne and two    
others escaping4 ,when she was brought  
to the surface again4 ,mc,kinley and a  
trained crew came from ,mobile1 bringing
 with him ,lieutenant ,dixon1 of the    
,twenty-first ,alabama ,infantry1 to    
fight the boat4 ,he made repeated       
descents in the harbour1 diving under   
the receiving ship again and again      

successfully4 ,but one day1 when ,dixon 
was absent from the city1 ,mr4 ,hundley1
 wishing to handle the boat himself1    
unfortunately made the attempt2 it was  
readily submerged but did not rise again
 and all on board perished1 from        
asphyxiation4 ,when the boat was        
discovered1 raised and opened the       
spectacle was indescribably ghastly1 the
 unfortunate men were contorted into all
 kinds of attitudes horrible to see2    
some clutching candles1 evidently       
endeavouring to force open the manholes2
 others lying on the bottom tightly     
grappled together2 and the blackened    
faces of all presented the expression of
 their agony and despair4  ,the ,hundley
 had thus cost the lives of thirty-three
 brave men1 but nevertheless1 there were
 still found volunteers to risk theirs  
for their country--and ,lieutenant      
,dixon found no difficulty in enlisting 
eight more heroes to attack the ,federal
 steam sloop of war1 ,housatonic1 a     
powerful new vessel of eleven guns1     

lying on the north channel1 opposite    
,beach ,inlet1 off ,charleston4 ,general
 ,beauregard had refused to let it be   
used again1 but ,lieutenant ,dixon1     
having undertaken to use the boat with a
 spar torpedo in the same manner as the 
,david1 consent was given and           
preparations for the attack were again  
made4  ,dixon was a ,kentuckian and was 
moved by the highest principle and      
patriotism in making this venture4 ,he  
had taken an active part in the         
construction of the vessel1 and had     
caused other men to perish in her by    
dangers he had not shared1 now bravely  
demanded this opportunity4 ,his crew    
were ,arnold ,becker1 ,c4 ,simpkins1    
,james ,a4 ,wick1 ,t4 ,collins and ---- 
,ridgeway1 of the ,navy1 and ,corporal  
,j4 ,f4 ,carlson1 of the artillery4 ,all
 knew the fearful risk they ran--and all
 were willing to sacrifice their lives  
for their country1 counting the cost as 
nothing if thereby they could procure   
the destruction of the ,housatonic4     

,everything being ready at twilight on  
the #agth of ,february1 #ahfd1 these    
devoted heroes took their places in the 
boat at ,sullivan's ,island1 and set off
 upon their perilous adventure4 ,this   
time she got away successfully1 but that
 is the last that we hear of her save   
the official report from the enemy1 that
 about #i o'clock an object like a plank
 was seen approaching1 which in a moment
 more struck the ship with a great      
explosion1 blowing up the after part of 
the ship1 causing her to sink           
immediately to the bottom1 drowning five
 men and injuring many more4  ,the      
,hundley was never heard of again till  
several years after the war1 divers sent
 down to wreck the ,housatonic1 found   
her little antagonist lying on the      
bottom near by4  ,admiral ,dahlgren     
reported to the ,secretary of the ,u4   
,s4 ,navy1 as follows3  ,sir1 ,i much   
regret to inform the ,department that   
the ,u4 ,s4 ,s4 ,housatonic1 on the     
blockade off ,charleston1 ,s4 ,c41 was  

torpedoed by a rebel ,david and sunk on 
the night of ,february #agth1 about #i  
o'clock4  ,from the time the ,david was 
seen until the vessel was on the bottom1
 a very brief period must have elapsed1 
as far as the executive officer can     
judge1 it did not exceed five or seven  
minutes4  ,the officer of the deck      
perceived a moving object on the water  
quite near and ordered the chain to be  
slipped3 the captain and the executive  
officer went on deck1 saw the object1   
and each fired at it with a small arm4  
,in an instant the ship was struck on   
the starboard side between the main and 
mizzen masts4 ,those on deck near were  
stunned1 the vessel began to sink1 and  
went down almost immediately4  ,the     
,department will readily perceive the   
consequences likely to result from this 
event3 the whole line of blockade will  
be infested with these cheap1 convenient
 and formidable defenses1 and we must   
guard every point4 ,the measures of     
prevention are not so obvious4 ,i am    

inclined to the belief that in addition 
the various devices for keeping the     
torpedoes from the vessels1 an effectual
 prevention may be found in the use of  
similar contrivances4 99 99 99  ,i have 
attached more importance to the use of  
torpedoes than others have done1 and    
believe them to constitute the most     
formidable of the difficulties in the   
way to ,charleston4 ,their effect on the
 ,ironsides in ,october1 and now on the 
,housatonic1 sustains me in the idea4   
,and thereupon he makes application to  
be furnished a number of torpedo boats  
made upon the model of the ,david1 a    
sketch of which is submitted1 and also a
 quantity of floating torpedoes1 and    
suggests that as he has information that
 the ,confederates have a number of     
,davids completed and in an advanced    
state of construction1 the ,department  
would do well to offer a large reward of
 prize money for the capture or         
destruction of any of them1 say #bj1jjj 
or #cj1jjj for each1 adding1 they are   

worth more than that to us4  ,about the 
same time ,admiral ,farragut1 who had   
little faith in torpedoes at first1 and 
who like other naval officers had       
denounced their use by the              
,confederates1 and ordered that no      
quarter should be shown those captured  
operating them1 also applied to be      
furnished them1 saying1 ,torpedoes are  
not so very agreeable when used on both 
sides1 therefore1 ,i have reluctantly   
brought myself to it4 ,i have always    
deemed it unworthy of a chivalrous      
nation1 but it does not do to give your 
enemy such a decided superiority over4  
,and the ,government of the ,united     
,states1 who had savagely denounced the 
,confederates for using them1 now       
invited plans from inventors and        
mechanics for their construction1 and   
operation1 and soon supplied them       
abundantly to ,army and ,navy--adopting 
generally the ,confederates as the best4
  ,in ,august1 #ahfd1 the ,federal fleet
 advanced upon ,fort ,morgan at the     

entrance of ,mobile ,bay1 the line being
 led by ,tecumseh1 the newest and most  
powerful of the enemy's ironclads1 which
 was completely destroyed by a torpedo  
planted under the direction of ,general 
,raines1 ,chief of the ,confederate     
,army ,torpedo ,bureau4 ,she sunk in a  
moment1 carrying down with her her      
entire crew of one hundred and forty    
souls1 save about fifteen or twenty who 
escaped by swimming to ,fort ,morgan4   
,this was the greatest achievement of a 
single torpedo during our war and served
 to stimulate the ,confederate          
authorities to renewed vigour4          
,thenceforward1 the ,bay of ,mobile and 
adjacent waters became the chief scenes 
of torpedo operation4 ,genl4 ,maury     
stated that he had caused to be placed  
#ahj in her channel and waterways1 that 
they held the powerful fleet of ,admiral
 ,farragut for ten months at bay1 and   
destroyed fully a dozen ,united ,states 
vessels1 of which six were gunboats and 
four were monitors4 ,regular torpedo    

stations were established in ,richmond1 
,wilmington1 ,charleston1 ,savannah and 
,mobile1 at which sixty naval officers  
and men were on duty1 preparing these   
new engines of war4 ,the channel-ways1  
rivers and harbours were protected by   
them from ,virginia to ,texas4          
,sometimes a hundred were taken out of  
,james ,river in a single day1 and when 
the ,southern seaports fell hundreds of 
torpedoes were found floating in their  
waters ready to explode upon the first  
contact4 ,at first the older            
,confederate officers who regarded them 
with disfavour1 as ,captain ,wm4 ,h4    
,parker says he did1 were now torpedo   
mad4 ,commodore ,tucker and ,i1 he said1
 had torpedo on the brain1 and the      
destruction of the enemy's vessels      
increased so rapidly that in the last   
ten months of the war forty or fifty    
were blown up1 and in the last three    
weeks ten or more were destroyed4 ,its  
possibilities became better and better  
appreciated every day4 ,think of the    

destruction this machine affected1 and  
bear in mind its use came to be fairly  
understood only during the last part of 
the war4 ,during that period1 when but  
few ,federal vessels were lost and fewer
 still severely damaged by the most     
powerful guns in use1 we find this long 
line of disasters from the ,confederate 
use of this new and in the beginning    
despised comer into the arena of naval  
warfare4 ,our successes have made the   
torpedo a name spoken of with loathing  
and contempt by the self-sufficient     
,yankee1 a recognized factor in modern  
naval warfare1 and now we see on all    
sides the greatest activity and genius  
in improving it4  ,the wonderful        
inventive genius and energetic action of
 the ,confederate officers1 and         
engineers astounded the world by their  
achievements in the unknown and untried 
science in naval warfare4 ,they not only
 made it most effective for sea coast   
and harbour defence1 but terrible as an 
agency of attack on hostile ships of    

war4 ,not only that1 but they brought   
the system to such a high state of      
perfection that little or no advance or 
improvement has since been made in it1  
and within a short period of the        
inception of the design a system was    
formed so perfect and complete as that  
the advance upon the water by the enemy 
was materially checked4 ,they startled  
naval constructors and officers in the  
civilized world by the rapidity1        
audacity and novelty of their original  
methods1 and will be known through all  
ages for their wonderful achievements4  
,maury1 ,buchanan1 ,brook1 ,jones and   
their assistants are the central figures
 around which revolve to the present day
 the changes from the old to the new in 
naval warfare4  ,meantime ,captain      
,maury was most diligently employed in  
,london1 under the order of the ,navy   
,department in developing and improving 
his system1 afforded by the workshops   
and laboratories there for experiment   
and construction4 ,here he continued    

during #ahfc and #ahfd1 pursuing these  
researches1 perfecting many valuable    
inventions1 and instruments with signal 
success4 ,he reported to the ,secretary 
of the ,navy at home1 so far as it was  
safe to do so1 by whom results were     
passed on to officers in charge for     
their instruction and guidance and      
shipping continuously to the department 
supplies of insulated wire1 exploders1  
and other inventions and devices whose  
object was to increase the              
destructiveness of the torpedo and to   
test it continually without removing it4
 ,in the spring of #ahfe1 he sailed for 
,galveston with the most powerful and   
perfect equipment of electric torpedo   
material ever assembled4 ,great results 
were confidently expected from this     
armament1 but before he reached ,havana 
news arrived of ,general ,lee's         
surrender4  ,but his experience and     
study and his scientific renown had now 
made him the leading authority in this  
new weapon of war mainly perfected by   

him4 ,he was also now relieved from the 
seal of secrecy hitherto imposed upon   
him1 so that when a year afterwards he  
returned to ,europe he felt himself at  
liberty to impart to the sovereign there
 the secret of his discoveries          
concerning his new made science4 ,most  
of the ,european powers sent            
representatives to his school of        
instruction--and all of them have built 
upon his beginnings1 the most powerful  
branch of their naval armaments4  ,to   
,france he first imparted his secret and
 the ,emperor witnessed the experiment  
and himself closed the circuit and      
exploded a torpedo placed in the ,seine1
 near ,st4 ,cloud1 to the perfect       
satisfaction of all4 ,russia1 ,sweden1  
,holland1 ,england and others soon also 
received his instructions and they1 too1
 have since built up a new method of    
defence second to none4  ,my own        
experiments1 ,captain ,maury says1 show 
that the electrical torpedo1 or mine has
 not hitherto been properly appreciated 

as a means of defence in war4 ,it is as 
effective for the defence as ironclads  
and rifled guns are for the attack4     
,indeed1 such is the progress made in   
what may be called this new ,department 
of ,military ,engineering that ,i feel  
justified in the opinion that hereafter 
in all plans for coast1 harbour and     
river defences and in all works for the 
protection of cities and places whether 
against attacks by armies on land or    
ships afloat1 the electrical torpedo is 
to play an important part4 ,it will not 
only modify and strengthen existing     
plans1 but greatly reduce the expense of
 future systems4  ,these experiments    
have resulted in some important         
improvements and contrivances1 not to   
say inventions and discoveries which as 
yet have been made known only to the    
,confederate ,government4 ,they are     
chiefly as follows3  ,first4 ,a plan for
 determining by cross bearing when the  
enemy is in the field of destruction1   
and for making connections among the    

torpedo wires in a certain way and by   
which 7the concurrence of two operators7
 becomes necessary for the explosion of 
any one or more torpedoes4 ,this plan   
requires each operator to be so placed1 
or stationed that a line drawn straight 
from them to the place of the torpedoes 
may intersect as nearly as practicable  
at right angles1 and it requires the    
connections to be such that each        
operator may put his station in or out  
of circuit at will4 ,when the torpedoes 
are laid1 a range from each station is  
established for every torpedo or group  
of torpedoes4 ,when either operator     
observes an enemy in range with any     
torpedo he closes his circuit for that  
torpedo4 ,if the enemy before getting   
out of this range should enter the range
 for any torpedo from the other station 
the operator then closes his circuit1   
and discharges the igniting spark4      
,consequently if the range belongs to   
the same torpedo its explosion takes    
place4 ,but if not there will be no     

explosion2 hence1 here is an artifice by
 which explosion becomes impossible when
 the enemy is not within the field of   
destruction1 and sure when she is4      
,second4 ,the ,electrical ,gauge1 a     
contrivance of my own1 by means of which
 one of the tests which the igniting    
fuse has to undergo before it is        
accepted1 is applied4 ,by means of it   
the operators can telegraph through the 
fuse to each other without risk to the  
torpedoes1 and by which the torpedoes1  
may without detriment to their          
explosibility be tested daily1 or as    
often as required4 ,and thus the        
operator can at all times make sure that
 all is right4  ,third4 ,a plan for     
planting torpedoes where the water is   
too deep for them to lie on the bottom  
and explode with effect1 by which they  
will not interfere with the navigation  
of the channel1 and by which when the   
enemy makes his appearance they may1 by 
the touch of a key be brought instantly 
into the required position and at the   

proper depth4  ,these contrivances are  
all very simple2 they are readily       
understood from verbal instruction1 they
 require neither models or drawings1 and
 enable the operator chiefly to use the 
self same wire for testing his torpedoes
 daily after they are planted1 and then 
to explode them at will4  ,though these 
torpedoes1 owing to the lack in the     
,confederacy of the proper materials and
 appliances for their construction and  
use1 were make-shifts1 yet so effective 
had their use become1 especially during 
the last year of the war1 that the      
,secretary of the ,american ,navy1 in   
his annual report of ,december1 #ahfe1  
to the ,president of the ,united        
,states1 thus testifies to their        
efficiency3 ,torpedoes always formidable
 in harbours and internal waters1 have  
been more destructive to our naval      
vessels than all other means combined4  
,since #ahfb1 finding myself in reach of
 the facilities afforded in ,england1 ,i
 have made the study of ,electrical     

torpedoes a specialty1 and the results  
are such1 to say the least1 as to show  
that it is capable of doing quite as    
much for the defence as ironclads and   
rifled guns are likely to do for the    
attack4  ,these results consist in      
improvements and discoveries which      
enable the adept in that new department 
of military engineering to explode his  
torpedoes whether buried on land or     
submerged in the water1 singly or in    
groups1 instanteously and at any        
distance to transmit through them       
without the risk of explosion1 orders   
and commands1 and as readily as through 
the ordinary line of telegraph4 ,to     
determine with unerring certainty when  
the enemy is in the field of destruction
 of this or that torpedo4 ,to render its
 explosion impossible1 unless he be in  
such field1 even though the igniting    
spark should be discharged2 and so to   
set an electrical current to watch it1  
as to make the injuring of it without   
his knowledge impossible1 and the       

removal of it by an enemy1 if not       
impossible1 extremely difficult and     
dangerous4  ,electrical torpedoes are   
also available for the defense of       
mountain passes1 roadways and fortified 
positions on land4  ,i am not aware that
 electricity was used at all in the     
,confederate war for springing mines on 
land4 ,shell cast for this purpose      
should be used but in an emergency1 tin 
canisters1 or other perfectly           
water-tight cases1 will answer4 ,these  
shells should be one-fourth of an inch  
thick to one inch1 according to size and
 probable handling in transportation4   
,they should be spherical only instead  
of a hole for the fuse as in a hollow   
shot they should have a neck like a     
bottle1 with a cap to screw over1 not in
 the neck4 ,the case should be charged  
through the neck1 and the wires let in  
through two holes counter sunk          
diametrically opposite1 the counter     
sinking being for the purpose of        
receiving pitch or other resinous       

matter1 to keep the water out4 ,the fuse
 being adjusted to the wires should be  
held in place by a string through the   
neck while the wires drawn out taut and 
sealed within and without4 ,having      
proved the fuse1 first fill and then    
drive in the peg4 ,then fill the space  
between it and the screw-cap with red   
lead and screw down so as to make       
water-tight4 ,now secure the tails of   
the wires so that they will not be      
chafed or bruised1 and the mine is ready
 for transportation4  ,they are general 
to be used in stone fougasses1 the wire 
being buried at convenient depths and   
all marks of fougasses and trenches     
removed as completely as possible4 ,any 
number not exceeding twenty-five or     
thirty may be arranged in a single      
circuit for the ,ebonite2 but if the    
magnetic exploder of ,wheatstone be     
preferred1 and the ground be perfectly  
dry1 hundreds may be planted in a latter
 circuit4  ,the operator may be at any  
distance from these primas when he      

explodes them1 provided only he has     
established some mark or point which on 
being seen by the enemy should serve as 
a signal4 ,the area of destruction of   
fougasses properly constructed with a   
charge of twenty or thirty pounds of    
powder may be assumed to be that of a   
circle seventy-five or eighty yards in  
diameter4 ,twenty mines would therefore 
serve for a mile4 ,several miles may be 
planted in a night and the assailants   
may be enticed1 or invited out in the   
morning4 ,passes before an invading army
 may be mined in advance and thus if he 
cannot be destroyed1 his progress may be
 so retarded by dress mines or sham     
mines as almost literally to dig his    
way4  ,the power to telegraph through   
these torpedoes is of little            
consequence1 in as much as there need be
 but one station and one operator4      
,using the testing fuse manufactured by 
,abel and a weak voltaic current1 the   
operator can at any time satisfy himself
 as to continuity4 ,thus bridge and     

gulfs or breaks are not required for the
 land as they are in sea-mining4        
,ebonite has the further advantage on   
land that it takes but a single wire4   
,forts may be protected against assault 
and your own rifle pits from occupation 
by an enemy simply by a proper          
distribution of these new engines of    
war4 ,they may be planted line within   
line and one row above another1 and so  
arranged that volcanoes can be sprung at
 will under the feet of assaulting      
columns4 ,and these improvements and    
discoveries enable the engineer at small
 cost1 and short notice effectually to  
defend any roadstead1 or block any      
river1 harbour or pass against the land 
and naval forces of an enemy without in 
the least interfering with the free use 
of the same by friendly powers4  ,to    
this admirable state of efficiency was  
the new and terrible science of war     
perfected1 chiefly by the ,confederate  
,navy1 and mainly through the           
instrumentality of its faithful1 and    

devoted officer ,captain ,matthew ,f4   
,maury1 and his brave and daring young  
assistants1 ,minor1 ,davidson1 ,kennon1 
,dixon1 ,glassel1 and many others1 and  
those crews of the ,hundley1 who moved  
by the lofty faith that with them died1 
volunteered for enterprise of extremest 
peril in the defense of ,charleston     
,harbour1 in which they all perished1 in
 this desperate service1 of whom the    
names of but the following are known3   
,horace ,l4 ,hundley1 ,george ,e4       
,dixon1 ,robert ,brookland1 ,jos4       
,patterson1 ,thomas ,w4 ,park1 ,chas4   
,mc,hugh1 ,henry ,beard1 ,john          
,marshall1 ,c4 ,l4 ,sprague1 ,c4 ,f4    
,carlson1 ,arnold ,beeker1 ,jos4 ,a4    
,wicks1 ,c4 ,simpkins1 ,f4 ,collins1    
,ridgway1 ,miller1 whose monument       
erected by the ladies of ,charleston1   
stands upon the battery there in        
perpetual memory and honour4  ,,richard 
,l4 ,,maury1  ,army ,northern ,virginia4