JULY 27TH, 1864: Rear Admiral Lee sent tugs Belle, Martin and Hoyt, fitted out as torpedo boats, to Commander Macomb, commanding Union naval forces at New Bern, North Carolina.. These tugs were to be used against reported Confederate ironclads in the area (CSS Neuse) and carried spar torpedoes described by Lee as: "This form of torpedo is intended to explode on impact, and to be placed on a pole or rod projecting not less than 15 feet, and if possible 20 feet, beyond the vessel using it.
"It contains 150 pounds of powder."
Initially the Union rejected torpedo warfare, but as the war progressed, the North utilized it to their advantage.
--Old B-R'er
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