Details for Civil War Torpedo Works

Historical Marker — Atlas Number 5057001199

Data

Marker Number 1199
Atlas Number 5057001199
Marker Title Civil War Torpedo Works
Index Entry Civil War Torpedo Works
Address 501 E. Main St.
City Port Lavaca
County Calhoun
UTM Zone 14
UTM Easting 732608
UTM Northing 3168007
Subject Codes military topics; Civil War; inventors and inventions; industry
Marker Year 1998
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark No
Marker Location Bayfront Peninsula Park, SE side Main Street 0.2 mi. E of Commerce Street in parking lot facing Lavaca Bay
Private Property No
Marker Condition In Situ
Marker Size 18" x 28"
Marker Text In February 1863, local inventor E. G. Singer developed and tested a torpedo with a unique spring action ignition system on the shores of Lavaca Bay. With nine other Lavaca citizens including Singer's financial partner Dr. J. R. Fretwell and Captain David A. Bradbury, who was soon placed in charge of Confederate torpedo operations, Singer received authority to provide the new technology to Confederate forces in the vicinity. Several types of underwater and land mine torpedoes were manufactured at the experimental torpedo works in Lavaca. The devices were quickly installed in rivers throughout the South, including the Yazoo in Mississippi, and in Mobile Bay in Alabama. Singer's torpedo mines were instrumental in the defense of the Matagorda Bay area throughout 1863. (1998)