| United States Ram Fleet | |
|---|---|
 United States Ram Fleet Approaching the City of Memphis, Tennessee to Demand Its Surrender | |
| Active | 1862 - 1864 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch | United States Army |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Col.Charles Ellet Jr. Col.Alfred W. Ellet Col.Charles R. Ellet Lt. Col.John A. Ellet |
TheUnited States Ram Fleet was a Union Army unit of steam poweredram ships during theAmerican Civil War. The unit was independent of the Union Army and Navy and reported directly to the Secretary of War,Edwin M. Stanton. The ram fleet operated in coordination with theMississippi River Squadron during the Unionbrown-water navy battle against the ConfederateRiver Defense Fleet for control of the Mississippi River and its tributaries.
The unit was created and led by ColonelCharles Ellet Jr. until his death due to a wound received during theFirst Battle of Memphis. Command of the unit went to Charles Ellet Jr.'s brother,Alfred W. Ellet. The unit became part of theMississippi Marine Brigade led by Alfred W. Ellet and command of the Ram Fleet was given to his nephewCharles Rivers Ellet and then to his nephewJohn A. Ellet. The unit was subsequently transferred to Army command and disbanded in 1864.
Charles Ellet Jr. was a well-known civil engineer who built the first ever suspension bridge in the United States across the Schuykill River in Philadelphia and theWheeling Suspension Bridge, the longest suspension bridge in the world at the time, across the Ohio River at Wheeling, West Virginia.[1]
When theCivil War broke out, Ellet advocated for the development of steam powered naval rams especially in light of the Confederate build up of ram ships. The Confederate forces captured theUSS Merrimack at the Norfolk Navy Yard and converted her to a ram ship. Despite being bulky and slow-moving, the Union forces became convinced of the possibility of ram ships when theCSS Virginia sank theUSS Cumberland andUSS Congress at Hampton Roads.[2]
In March 1862,Secretary of WarEdwin M. Stanton appointed Ellet colonel of engineers and authorized him to form the United States Ram Fleet on the Mississippi River. The Union Navy'sMississippi River Squadron and the ConfederateRiver Defense Fleet were battling for control of the Mississippi and Stanton was convinced by Ellet that the Union Navy efforts would benefit from the addition of ram ships.[3] Ellet and the ram fleet were outside of Union Army or Navy command and reported directly to Stanton.[4]
Ellet purchased the nine fastest river steamboats available on the Ohio River and converted them to rams. Their hulls were reinforced, the forward ends filled with hard oak wood, the steam-engines secured and thepilot houses protected by thick wooden planks.[5] Three longitudinal bulkheads were added and supported with iron bars. Central beams were installed from bow to stern and iron peaks were installed on the bows. They were originally not equipped with any guns.[6]
Ellet assigned family members as captains of the other rams, including his brotherAlfred W. Ellet, his nephewJohn A. Ellet, and his sonCharles Rivers Ellet.[4]
On May 25, theQueen of the West and the ram fleet joined the Mississippi River Squadron, led byCharles H. Davis, on the Mississippi River north of Fort Pillow. Davis had little faith in the effectiveness of the rams but allowed the fleet to accompany his gunboats down the river to Memphis.[4]
On June 6, Charles Ellet Jr. led four ram ships in the First Battle of Memphis; theUSS Queen of the West, theUSS Monarch, theUSS Switzerland and theUSS Lancaster. Ellet had not coordinated a plan of attack with Davis and when the flotilla approached Confederate forces, theQueen of the West and theMonarch steamed ahead of Davis' gunboats. TheQueen of the West rammed and sank the Confederate flagshipCSS Colonel Lovell. After the collision, theQueen of the West came under attack from theCSS Sumter and theCSS Beauregard. The attack sheared off one of the paddle wheels from theQueen of the West and forced her to ground on the riverbank. TheMonarch rammed and sank theBeauregard and drove theCSS Little Rebel aground and captured her.[7] The Confederate forces suffered a severe loss at the Battle of Memphis with heavy casualties and the loss of seven of their eight ships.[4]
Ellet was wounded in the knee by a Confederate sharpshooter during the battle. His wound was the only serious casualty received on the Union side during the battle. Ellet refused to have his leg amputated and died 15 days from a blood infection due to the injury. Ellet's brother,Alfred W. Ellet took command of the ram fleet.[8]
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The ram fleet was never incorporated in the Union Navy, however, in the summer of 1862, whenDavid Dixon Porter took over command of the Mississippi River Squadron, he demanded and received full authority over the ram fleet.[9]
On June 26, Alfred W. Ellet commanded theMonarch and Charles Rivers Ellet commanded theLancaster during action on theYazoo River nearLiverpool, Mississippi to capture or destroy three Confederate gunboats. The Confederates burned their ships; theCSSGeneral Van Dorn,CSSGeneral Polk and CSSLivingston, when they saw the Union forces approaching.[10]
On July 15, theQueen of the West,USS Carondelet, andUSS Tyler engaged the Confederate ironclad ramCSS Arkansas in theYazoo River. TheArkansas was heavily damaged but escaped into the Mississippi River and took refuge under the Confederate batteries atVicksburg, Mississippi. On July 22,Queen of the West andUSS Essex attackedArkansas, despite the batteries at Vicksburg. TheQueen of the West rammed theArkansas but inflicted only minor damage and rejoined the Mississippi River Squadron ships above Vicksburg.[11] The ram fleet ships also conducted activities in the Yazoo River clearing mines and engaging Confederate batteries.[12]
In November 1862, theMississippi Marine Brigade, an amphibious raiding unit, was organized by Alfred W. Ellet and the ram fleet was incorporated as a part of the brigade. On November 5,Charles Rivers Ellet was promoted to the rank of colonel[13] and became the third member of the Ellet family to lead the ram fleet.[8] Ellet was only 19 years old which made him one of the youngest colonels in the Union Army.[14] Under the two Ellet's leadership, the rams figured prominently in actions around and belowVicksburg, Mississippi, into 1863. In January 1863, the ram fleet ships participated in theBattle of Arkansas Post.
In February 1863, theQueen of the West was run past the batteries of Vicksburg to support AdmiralDavid Farragut south of the city. TheQueen of the West severely damaged theCSS Vicksburg and captured four transport ships supplying Confederate forces. TheQueen of the West also conducted activities on theAtchafalaya River, destroying Confederate supplies and burning three plantations. She was captured by Confederate forces on theRed River nearFort DeRussy and entered into Confederate service as theCSS Queen of the West.[15] The Mississippi Marine Brigade also saw action at theBattle of Richmond, Louisiana and theBattle of Goodrich's Landing.[16]
Due to poor health, Charles Rivers Ellet tendered his resignation on August 14, 1863,[17] and command of the ram fleet went to his cousinJohn A. Ellet.[8] In August 1863, the Mississippi Marine Brigade was placed under command of GeneralUlysses Grant. The ram fleet was disestablished in August 1864, and its surviving ships were transferred to other duties.[8]
The United States Ram Fleet included the following ships:
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