Page:A Life of Matthew Fontaine Maury.pdf/215

Rh shoes. This flotsam was found just after the first and only attack by the Federal gunboats upon the shore defences at Drewry's Bluff on the James River.

In the summer of 1862, Maury proceeded to mine the James River below all the defences. While engaged on this important work, the success of which was to vindicate the wisdom of his advocacy of this mode of defence, his career in the Confederacy was brought to a summary conclusion.

Without having been consulted, and strongly against his wishes, he received an order to go to Europe to purchase torpedo material in conjunction with another officer—a duty that might have been performed by any junior officer in the service.

The little steamer which he used, and his torpedoes, were placed in the hands of Lieutenant Davidson, who continued in charge of these defences till the end of 1864.

Drawings and plans, with a chart of the torpedoes already planted by Maury, were left in the vessel; and not long after, in attempting to plant others, she grounded during a falling tide, and fell into the hands of the enemy.

At that time the Federals were as ignorant regarding this means of defence as were the Southern officers; but with these captured plans and materials they tried the experiment, "à la James River," at Baltimore on a schooner, and "blew her into tooth-picks," as related in their official report of the transaction.

After this, there was no further attempt made by the powerful Federal fleet to disturb the shore defences of the James River, and General Lee completed them at his leisure. They gave the suspected part of the river a wide berth—till the combined attack in 1864 by Grant on the north, Butler on the south, and the fleet by water.

The fleet, while yet miles below where the torpedoes really