Subterra Shells

Sensitive Primer Explosive shell

     Although explosive sub-terra devices (today called land mines) were used as early as the Crimean War, the massive manufacture and use of the sub-terra artillery shells awaited the American Civil War.  In 1862, Confederate General Gabriel Raines developed and used the first sub-terra shell near Yorktown, VA. He was successfull in thier use, but enraged Senoir Confederate officers, notably General James A. Longstreet, who declared that such a manner of warfare was unmanly and would not be used

     The political fight raged up through the chain of command until James A. Seddon, Confederate Secretary of War, sought a Solomonic solution.  Seddon approached the Confederate Congress to pass legislation creating two unique organizations, the Navy's Submarine Battery Service, and the Army's Torpedo Bureau.  Raines was selected to head the Torpedo Bureau, ostensibly inder the Army's Engineer Bureau, but in reality an independent organization.  The understanding was that Raines would concentrate on defensive waterway mining, which seemed an acceptable way to deny enemy ships access to Confederate waterways.

     Raines continued undettered.  He developed the sub-terra shell into a masterpiece of terror and tactics.  His first sub-terra shell was a 20-pounder parrot shell using one of his sensitive primers.  It worked wonderfully.

     Raines, and others working for him, rounded up thousands of rounds of condemned artillery shells and had them fitted with fuze plugs for the sensitive primer.  These devices were then used mostly around fixed installations to help prevent massed infantry attacks.

     The system was simple and required no major tooling, other than the fuze plugs, which were fabricated by ordnance personnel.  The sensitive primers constructed locally from paper, chemicals, and glue.  The tin can cover, used to increase the sensitivity radius of the fuze and to help keep the fuze moisture free, was cut with simple shears and formed by hand.

     Once the sub-terra shell were ready to be used, they were placed in wooden crates and carried to the location of use.  They were not to be fuzed with the sensitive primers until thier actual placement.

    A hole was dug in the ground.  The sub-terra shell was placed in the hole.  The sensitive fuze primer was placed in the shell.  The tin can was placed over the primer and the shell was gently pressed down until the top of the can was just over the primer.  Earth was filled in around the shell and just over the top of the can.  The device was now ready for the unsuspecting.

     In the summer of 1864, according to Raines, 2,363 sub-terra shell alone were planted on the approaches of Fort Harrison, on the James River.  In January 1864, Zere McDaniel signed a voucher for "labor fitting 3,953 wooden fuze plugs to 53,352 pounds of condemned shells... 3,233 24-pounders; 381 'Parrots' 15.5 pounders; 141 8-inch mortars."  According to McDaniel, these were used around the perimeter of Richmond during the summer of 1864.

     Sub-terra shells were used throughout the theater of war (Virginia to Texas) and specimens were found in the late 20th Century near Fort Blakely, Alabama.

Friction Primer Fired

     This report from a Union spy in Richmond, suggest a sub-terra shell fired by a friction primer.

On all roads approaching the city torpedoes are being laid and covered with dust.  Cords 400 feet long are attached to the torpedoes and men secreted in the bushes to pull the cord on approach of an enemy.  They are working on them night and day and already have them on some roads.

     Such a sub-terra shell is possible, but requires command detonation as described.  In some fortress work, friction primer fired sub-terra shell were reported.  The firing wires were tied to scrub or small bushes that would have to be removed my the advancing engineers digging trenches toward the fortification.  Mitchie reported such a sub-terra shell.

     It is also possible that the friction primer fired sub-terra shell used trip wires stretched across likely approaches to detonate the sub-terra shell.

     Confederate sub-terra shell are known to use the Girardey percussion fuse.  The Girardey fuze was designed as a contact fuze for artillery shells.  The fuze simply put the serrated piece of common artillery primer in the front of the fuze so that upon contact, the reaction was identical to taht of a friction primer.  Confederate torpedo operators simply took the shells and buried them in the ground.  Anyone stepping on the fuze detonated the shell.  Examples have been recovered in South Carolina.

Electrically Fired

     The largest known, electrically fired, sub-terra shell operation was that at Fort Fisher in 1865.  For the defences at Fort Fisher, the Confederate forces adapted normally water torpedoes for use on land.

     The torpedoes were apparently, from the description given, sensitive primer sub-terra shell, a small boiler, and Brooke torpedoes.  The fuzes for these devices appear to be all of the same construction.

     Large artillery shells (including a 10-inch naval shell in one instance) were fitted with electrical fuzes and command detonated.

Fretwell Subterra Torpedo

     King reports on a subterra torpedo developed by Fretwell and used in the western theater of operations (i.e. Texas).  The torpedo was designed using the appliance from his successful water torpedo.  The striker was spring loaded and when tripped, fired the torpedo.

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