Landmines

[Bryce]

On September 30, 1864, the 18th core captured for Harrison Virginia, the linchpin in the Richmond defense line

Shortly afterwards, Jefferson Davis got in touch with Gabriel Rains, they head of the CSA torpedo bureau. He informed him that the confederates were building a new line of defense and that they needed land. Mines planted in front of this line. All this can be found in the correspondence volume, volume 42 part three.

Rains planted 1200 landmines in the confederate defense line. He planted an unknown number, but it was large in front of the Bermuda 100 lines.

In the last few years, Herbert Schiller published a book which included two shorter books. One was a history of the torpedo bureau by Gabriel rains. Can anyone check to see if they have a copy of this book and look for any information relating to the planting of torpedoes at Petersburg in Richmond?

Also, Edward Porter Alexander built the
. Can anyone check his book fighting for the confederacy and see what he has to say about the building of the line. He may mention torpedoes.

I need all the help I can get on this. I look forward to hearing from you.

Bryce

 

[lelliott19]

In the last few years, Herbert Schiller published a book which included two shorter books. One was a history of the torpedo bureau by Gabriel rains. Can anyone check to see if they have a copy of this book and look for any information relating to the planting of torpedoes at Petersburg in Richmond?

@Library Lady can you help @Bryce with this book?

Also, Edward Porter Alexander built the
. Can anyone check his book fighting for the confederacy and see what he has to say about the building of the line. He may mention torpedoes.

I can check that one for you.

 

[Bryce]

@Library Lady can you help @Bryce with this book?

I can check that one for you.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Can you photograph the pages that relate to the building the new line and can you send them to me via email? My email address is – [email protected]. All the letters are lowercase.

 

[Library Lady]

Is this what you're looking for, @Bryce ?

Amazon.com

 

[lelliott19]

Thanks so much @Library Lady I think that's the book he is looking for. I believe he is hopeful that another member who has access to the book can check and see if any mention is made about land mines or "torpedoes" at Petersburg. Hopefully one of our members who has the book will oblige.

Edward Porter Alexander built the
. Can anyone check his book fighting for the confederacy and see what he has to say about the building of the line. He may mention torpedoes.

I checked EPA. He doesn't mention land mines at Petersburg -just "the mine". He does mention Raines once in that Fall 1864 part of the book, but it's not in reference to land mines. He's mentioned as the inventor of the hand grenade. -- but the hand grenades he references were clearly being used in the usual hand grenade fashion as he mentions slinging, hurling, etc. Sorry I couldn't help more. Want me to make a deep dive newspaper search for you?

 

[Bryce]

Thanks so much @Library Lady I think that's the book he is looking for. I believe he is hopeful that another member who has access to the book can check and see if any mention is made about land mines or "torpedoes" at Petersburg. Hopefully one of our members who has the book will oblige.
View attachment 538017

I checked EPA. He doesn't mention land mines at Petersburg -just "the mine". He does mention Raines once in that Fall 1864 part of the book, but it's not in reference to land mines. He's mentioned as the inventor of the hand grenade. -- but the hand grenades he references were clearly being used in the usual hand grenade fashion as he mentions slinging, hurling, etc. Sorry I couldn't help more. Want me to make a deep dive newspaper search for you?

Yes, that is the book I am talking about.

Bryce

 

[Jamieva]

@Library Lady can you help @Bryce with this book?

I can check that one for you.

I don't see anything about torpedoes aside from river ones in his book @Bryce

 

[Bryce]

Darn. Well, that's good news in a sense, because it means I'm not gonna buy the book.

If you're interested, I wrote a great article for north and South magazine about to confederate attempt to blockade the James river during the siege of Petersburg. One of the ways was to send torpedoes down the creeks that emptied into the James river

 

[Bryce]

Here is a book that Ted Savas published recently. Have any of you seen it? I have no idea what's inside the book. https://www.savasbeatie.com/americas-buried-history-landmines-in-the-civil-war/?ref=CivilWarTalk

 

[Bryce]

I found my copy of fighting for the confederacy. On page 486

Alexander writes, "at the time of the affair of October 7, the intrenchments below Richmond, whose plan seems very simple when thank you seen on a map, we're not really marked down upon any of the maps which we had. They were, more over, more or less of scattered shorter lines in many places, all of which help to confuse ones ideas on the subject very much. I became impressed with this during the fight on the seventh and on Sunday the ninth, I did some exploring of the lines and then wrote Richmond and spent some hours with General Gilmore, in marking out with an existed on a map. This at once suggested to me the great need for a line to run from the spur line, somewhere near Fort Gilmer, across to strike the old exterior line near the Charles city Road, whence the old lines, clear to the Chickahominy could be easily restored. So I got the proposition on a map which I took which I at once took back to general lees headquarters. The general approved the idea and orders were sent to the engineers that very night and work was begun the next morning. that was the beginning of the most beautiful line of entrenchment , which I ever saw during the whole war. We were of course many weeks and even months in completing them, but they were a pride and delight when finished and it seemed a great pity that the enemy would never test their qualities. They were less broken by salience than any other lines we ever held, but we're in sweep, each one carefully arranged for our artillery to enfilade all of the all of the assaults, and for the easiest and swiftest shifting of troops to right and left a third feature was the abatis in front and the fourth was some matelot or screen protection for the gunners in loading and aiming artillery. Page 486

This answer is my question about when why Davis waited until October 10 to contact Gabriel rains. That was because it wasn't until October 10 that they begin work on the new line.

 

[redbob]

Here is a book that Ted Savas published recently. Have any of you seen it? I have no idea what's inside the book. https://www.savasbeatie.com/americas-buried-history-landmines-in-the-civil-war/?ref=CivilWarTalk

I found it an interesting and informative read as I was doing a program on the subject for my local Roundtable and while I was at it I was fortunate to add a landmine also.

I found the information on this particular landmine in a book about artillery fuses of all places.