The Civil War Navies Message Board

Re: How many Secret Service corps were there?

I guess I should have been more specific. There were a number of different activities that fell under what the Confederates called "secret service" or "special service." There were diplomatic efforts, like Bulloch, the Signal Corps and Secret Line, the Torpedo Bureau and the Submarine Battery Service. All these were official branches of the Confederate War and State Departments.

There were also loosely organized bands sometimes called "destructives" or "strategic corps" whose objective was the destruction of Union trains, bridges, ships and supplies, mostly behind enemy lines, by means of explosives and incendiaries. The existence of these groups was not formally approved until February, 1864, although they certainly existed before then. They were mostly motivated by profit, as the Confederacy awarded bounty prizes for the destruction of enemy ships, especially by new inventions. (The investors in the Hunley were to be paid 50 per cent of the value of every Union warship it sank.)

I know of 4 groups of these destructives who were well-organized and successful enough to make Union officials sit up and take notice. I'd like to know if there are any more large groups that I have missed in my research. (Who know how many others may have been similarly engaged on an individual basis.)

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How many Secret Service corps were there?
Re: How many Secret Service corps were there?
Re: How many Secret Service corps were there?
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Re: How many Secret Service corps were there?