Confederate Coal Torpedo (Civil War) : Thomas Courtenay's Infernal Sabotage Weapon by Joseph Thatcher, Thomas Thatcher

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Forged in the fires of a desperate war, these cast iron bombs were shaped like pieces of coal to explode in the boilers of Northern ships. Their sabotage was successful and spread fear through the high command causing men like Admiral Porter and General Sherman to order any Rebel caught with them to be "shot on the spot." Confederate President Jefferson Davis promoted their use by a little known Secret Service Corps. One of those odd-shaped 'torpedoes' was found on his desk when Richmond fell in 1865.