Were there any types of special forces in the Confederate States of America?

Answer 1

There weren't any Confederate units that we would associate with Delta Force, Green Berets, or Spetsnaz teams, but there were covert operations and there were organizations dedicated to these covert operations and more general asymmetrical warfare.

Within the Confederate Secret Service, there was the Torpedo Bureau and Submarine Battery Service that was responsible for bombing Grant's HQ in the City Point Bombing, the destruction or damaging of scores of Federal warships with aquatic mines, coal bombs, submarines, torpedo boats and simple covert missions to burn ships at anchor. There was also a Signal Corps., a spy service, and observation balloon reconnaissance teams, including one such balloon stationed aboard the CSS Teaser, the first "aircraft carrier" in American History.

Confederate agents raided Vermont from Canada and agents in New York City made a failed attempt to burn the city in retaliation for the burning of Atlanta.

Official Confederate Government forces (as opposed to Confederate guerrillas like Bill Anderson, Archie Clement, Jack Hinson, and William Quantrill, whose forces and selves were all pro-Confederate, but acted independently of the Confederate military) also operated partisan units, such as Morgan's raiders, Forrest's Escort Company, Mosby's Raiders, etc., all of whom specialized in asymmetrical warfare.

Beyond this, there were unique actions that were carried out by regular units, but that might be considered "special operations" such as Confederate soldiers pretending to desert to the Federal lines, only to compromise Federal defenses ahead of a Confederate surprise attack in the Battle of Fort Stedman. Or when Confederate troops used two civilian ships to charge a fleet of Federal warships, ram one of them, and capture it, during the liberation of Galveston.

There was also a Confederate Marine Corps. The United States Marine Corps is often considered a sort of special forces unit that has been given its own military branch (since it, technically, is only an extension of the Navy). Special operations by these marines included the capture of the USS Water Witch and USS Underwriter, the amphibious operation, under fire, to rescue the garrison of Fort Beauregard, and the aborted mission to rescue and arm Confederate prisoners in the Point Lookout POW Camp, during Early's operations against Washington D.C. and Baltimore, Maryland.