Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-03-05

the river and follow with others a. fast a.
tney reach here. II more time can Be
They will be only off hand contrivances ct best,
mere substitutes for rams, but If We can md z
few brave pilots and engineers to man them
think We can make them do the work.
CHARLfs ELLIf. JI.
May 10.-Ths river defense feet Of rebel
rams having come unsupported up the river,
came out from under the guns Of Fort Pillow
and attacked the gun boat fotilla Of seven
armored vessels at or near Point Plum, and
sunk the Cincinnati and Mound City, fortu-
nately in shallow water.
May l2-CoL Ellet received in Louisville the
following dispatch from Washington:
Col CHARLES ELLEr, JR.:
) telegram from Com. Foote indicates great
anxiety for the descent of your rams How
soon can you DO ready to leave2
Assistant Secretary Of War.
FASTENING DOWN The RIVER.
In response to this telegram and others Of q
like tenor Col Elet. after starting some Of his
boats, wrote as follows
NEW ALBANY, May Is. 1852
Hon. p. +. WATSON, Assistant Secretary OF War:
Five Of my boats ought to reach Cairo
tomorrow morning. These Ave are OF the
| smaller class, and will be taken down to Fort
Wright without delay by nay second in com
mand, Lieut.. Col El1et and be held there
ready to take part in any movement
| against the enemy. The sixth will overtaks
the fleet on the Mississippi The seventh and
most powerful boat will NOT be more than
twelve hours behind. The eighth will leave
| Madison today and ought to reach Fort Smith
by Sunday. and hope to be on board. The
ninth and last will leave here Sunday morning
and report at Fort Wright
| The arms ordered by me have not been re-
eeived. Please send a dispatch to Lieut. Col.
Ellet at Cairo, authorizing him to make
| cushion on the commander at that post or any
other source OF supply, not too distant, for 800
navy reyoIyers and 500 breech-loading or other
short rifles to use between decks.
Ii no surgeon Is appointed for the heet,
please authorize Lieut.. Col Eiiet to engage DIR.
James ROBERTS OF Carbondale, Ill, who 10 well
recommended and willing to serve. But my
Iau., s"'A NV oe oe'a ior "a1t Oh arm OF
Al the same TINA ba wrota NJ stanton eth
his customary caudor: INV boats are illy pre-
pared for the work l shall require of them. 1t is
not upon their strength / rely, but upon the
audaclty OF our attack for success.
May 70 Col. Ellet communicated his arrival
above Fort Pillow to the Secretary Of War,
stating that he had called upon Com. Charles
N Davis. who had replaced Com. Foote In COM
mand of the gun boat fotilla, and ihad offered
and sought cooperation with that officer.
May 3O.-On the eve of making a recon-
naissance below Fort Pillow Col. Ellet was mott
ned by the captain of the Monarch that the
Chief engineer OF that vessel demanded an ex-
animation Of her boilers, which he pronounced
unit for use" Col Ellet repaired on board
the Monarch. examined into the case, removed
the chief engineer and issued the following de-
clslon:
The chief engineer has ordered board Of
engineers to examine the boilers of the Monarch
and report upon them; but the colonel COM
handing. intending to run the boat below the
tort and use her, good or bad, safe or unsafe,
considers such an examination unnecessary at
tins time. The expedition below Fort Pillow
was duly made by the rams, running the
batteries and returning in safety. On the 4th
and 9th of June Pillow and Randolph were
ascertained by Col Ellet to be abandoned
and after planting the Union flag on each
deserted fertilization he Joined the movement
OF the entire feet down the river to Memphis
THE RATTLE OF THE RAMS
p,o-, A.. IT, ...,.. - , ,e.o Al.
" I've, 0
ine"ofaoie engagement, "hen' Ior the nrst
and. believe. the only time upon record,
steam rams fairly encountered rams. This
brilliant event has never received the notice
which was and Is Its due. A stronger pen than
mine Is needed to do it justice. The scene
must have been awful In Its magnihcence. The
great gun boat fleet was drawn up and anchored
above Memphis. The leyees OF the city were
crowded with ITS populace and with the soldiers
OF Gen. JET Ihompsons command, eager to
witness the anticipated destruction of the gun
boats by the rams which had struck
them SO hard blow upon the 10th
Of May. The river defense fleet. eight
in number, of rams strong and successful
steamed up the river in the light OF the rising
sum- sending IN advance a shot of defiance re-
sponded to with interest by the gun boats.
Suddenly little vessel. frail and unarmed,
manned by volunteer soldiers and river men,
and commanded by a civil engineer who had
never don2ed his uniform and who wore
his shoulder straps only az neces-
sary insignia Of command. shot through
the gun boat squadron, flashed like thing Of
light and life through the smoke of the can
nOnade and plunged into the heart of the a.
cending fleet.
This single messenger Of death. the gallant
little Queen of the West was quickly followed
by another ram. the Monarch equally unarmed
and unprotected and depending equally upon
the rapidity Of its movements and upon the
.'audacity" of its attack Had the rebel rams
met the shock az il was given the lighter yes-
sells of Col EIlets command must have per-
ished. They were but two against eight But
an effort to escape carried the first vessel struck
to the bottom and spread dismay among the
rest. The melee was terrific. At one moment
SAYS an eyewitness himself q leading
actor in the scene -four rebel rams were in
collision-one sinking, another ramminR and
two others endeayoring to extricate Them
selves from apparently inevitable Destruction +"
Boilers were bursting. men were shrieklng in
agony and despair while over all poured the
ceaseIess discharges of shot and she'll from the
gun boats which left their anchor and bore