Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1862-06-25
WHOLE NO. 1886.
Warfare BIZ Butting.

Memphis turns out to be the legitimate
historical successor to Jericho. The lat
ter surrendered to the rams horns: in
the progress of t-e centuries the quint-
essence of incorporated rebeldOm only
advanced far enough to surrender to the
Rams; for, rs our dispatches this morn
lug show, the Colonel Of the Ram feet
was the first to land force to take pos
session Of Memphis: the Rum fleets de
tachment first waited upon the Mayor; to
the Rum fleet commander the virtual sur
render was first tendc.e |; and the Rram
fleets flags were the first to wave over the
captured city-as from II. ). Ram, Swift
zerland." the Colonel Commanding the
Ram Fleet" dispatches the Secretary of
| War.
Port ROYAL and New Orleans and Baton
Rouge yielded to the old fashioned modes
of naval attack, but in the actual accom-
| pliSlment of the work before Memphis
the gunbOIts seem to have had small
share: and the impartial historian of the
TIMES will record that Colonel ELLET and
his rams butted Memphis till she ''caved
in" as was natural and meekly in
formed us, through her Mayor, that ''she
had no power left to resist the raising of
the L. 5. flags"
Time makes all things even Colonel
ELLET had the misfortune to be right
when most people were wrong, and of
course he was hooted and jeered at rs he
deserved to be. lie doubted the propri-
ETY. of making war by grand reviews, and
insisted ON warefare by rams. But that
was the day of grand reviews, and the
day of rams had not vet come. And so
the people all with one accord joined in
denouncing the contemner of grand re-
views, and the advocate of rams as hum
bug and an impertinent.
/ But the times have changed. The re-
views did not prove specific for putting
down the rebellion: hard knocks were
res rted to instead; and of course the
rams were i'll their element, and had fair
play.
The naval authorizes were still disposed
to snecze at the theory of wareflre by
butting. captains of iron -clads laughed,
AMI the flock of stern-wheeler rams, were
thought ludicrous antagonists for long
, range columbiads. But history repeats
+ itself; civilization and progress move in
circles: and through all the changes of
modern warfare it has come to this at last.
, that by the vigorous butts from the solid
heIds of the Monarch and Queen City.
the most brilliant victory of the war on
our inland waters was wOne.
And so, after all the public ridicule
, and official contempt, the ram fleet bears
f the laurels, and Col. ELLET is vindicated.
+ The country will not forget that this
, man, who persisted in serving her in spite
4 OF her rejection. - - ser;:je, manifested
throughout the utmost eag2rness to push
= the battle to the gates, bore himself with
conspicuous gall1ntry through the engaSo-
:, ment into which he rnshed at the first
q note of warning, and came out with the
only wound received by officer or private
in the fight Sl<illful in theory. he las
proved himself equally admirable in prac-
: tee. and the man who hereafter sneers
: at CmAS ELLET of the ram fleet as Wis
. ionary theorist, will fine few to keep him
. company.
i A month or two ago we set all Europe
:. agOg with our fighting cheesebox. The
= butts of our rams will prove an equally
fruitful topic for meditation; and, mean
!. time, our brethren over the water may
well consider whether a power that,
p. emerging from a state of profound peace.
= revolutionizes naval war fare in twelve
month, is one they can afford to provoke
= by needless indignities or interference,