HIS PART IN THE CIVIL WAR 151 



Lieutenant Robert D. Minor to sink the Savannah and 

 the Minnesota, but this second trial also met with failure. 

 Maury had planned to take part himself in the attack, 

 but was prevented from doing so by his being ordered to 

 Richmond with the expectation of being sent to mine the 

 Mississippi River. He did not, however, go on this 

 mission, though he had considerable correspondence with 

 General Polk, who wished to place mines in the river at 

 Columbus, Kentucky. Some mines were sent to Mem- 

 phis with full instructions as to how they should be 

 planted ; and here others were constructed, after Maury's 

 model, to be used elsewhere on the river. 



About the first of May, 1862, Maury had the good 

 fortune to secure ten miles of insulated wire which en- 

 abled him to mine the James River with electric mines, 

 according to the plans which he had been compelled to 

 lay aside for several months for lack of material. This 

 wire had been used by the Federals in attempting to lay 

 a submarine telegraph across the Chesapeake from 

 Fortress Monroe to Eastville; but having been forced 

 to abandon the attempt, they left the wire in the water 

 and the waves cast it upon the beach near Norfolk where 

 a friend, Dr. Morris, secured it for Maury's use. 



The following report describes the mines that were 

 then constructed and relates how they were laid down 

 in the James River early in June, 1862: 'The James 

 River is mined with fifteen tanks below the iron battery 

 at Chapin's (Chafiin's) Bluff. They are to be exploded 

 by means of electricity. Four of the tanks contain 160 

 pounds of powder; the eleven others hold 70 pounds 

 each. All are made of boiler plate. They are arranged 

 in rows as per diagram, those of each row being 30 feet 

 apart. Each tank is contained in a water-tight wooden 



