Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1895-04-13

inc aCUlOnS OF inc
wooden rams of tho contondinS fleets.
Tho southern flotilla consisted of river
steamers fitted out with guns and rams
1t lay in double limo Of battle along the
wharvcs of tho city, and when tho Un-
ion vessels, gunboats III front, steamed
down the river opened fire. In rear Of
the Union gunboats, some miles up the
river, i'll fact, but fastening to tho
scene, were the rams Queen of the West,
Monarch and Switzerland. These terri
BILE engines of war had been fitted out
at short notice by Charles Ellet, n clever
and inventive engineer They were Or
dinary river steamers like the Confeder
ate rams, but not so effectively remod-
eled for war To afford some protection
to the boilers bulwarks two feet thick
were placed around them, and solid tim
ber bulwarks II to 1G inches thick fas-
tened from sido to side strengthened
somewhat the hulls. An Ellot COM
mandei on the decks of the first two
Colonel Charles, the Queen of the West,
and his brother, Alfred W., the Mon
arch.
Civilians by training, they had to win
their spurs fighting the terrible rams
which long ruled the Mississippi for the
Confederacy. Ellet's rams carried no
guns. y dozen sharpshooters were the
sole fighting force on board. Neither
were they armed with ramming beaks.
Great weight, strong motive and strik-
ing power, celebrity and audacity in at
tack were what the designer had aimed
to secure. On approaching Memphis
that morning in all haste, just as dawn
broke, cannon shot was heard down
the river. Colonel Ellet called from the
deck of the Queen to his brother on the
Monarch: TITS gun from the enemy.
Round out and follow me. Now is our
time.
The Union gunboats maneuvered in
front of the Confederate ships without
pushing the attack, until the rams hove
in sight. Then they opened line to make
room for the Queen and Monarch,
which held the lead in this order. Pass
ing the gunboats at full speed, the
Queen disappeared in the wall of smoke
that lay between the opposing fleets and
made straight for the center ram of the
Confederate line, the General Lowell.
The Lowell, which was the flagship and
under steam, moved ont beautifully TO
accept the bold challenge. The antag-
onists rushed together, bows OH. The
people on board the other ships and the
citizen spectators crowdirg the bluffs
held their breath, expecting head end
collision that would send both rams to
the bottom instantly. But the Lowell
suddenly turned her port to shore On
went the veteran Ellet with the Queen,
crashing into the southern ship with
full force. The bow of the Union ram
cut the timbers of the Lowell i'll two, so
that she instantly filled with water and
sank before she steamed Il dozen lengths
AT the moment of collision pistol ball
fred from the deck Of the Lowell struck
Colonel Ellet i'll the knee, giving him q
wound that Frustrated him and caused
his death two weeks later.
Lying prone on deck, the wounded
commander ordered the Queen to be
turned OH the nearest enemy, but she
was Immediately ramncd on both sides
at once by two of the enemy's ships,
tho Deauregard and Sumter, losing ono
paddle wheel III the encounter. Mean
whilo the Monarch came to the spot.
Seeing anew antagonist, the Beauregard
turned and made for her, while the
Price rushed in to plant blow Oh the
opposite side. But the second Ellet was
worthy his namesake and leader. Skill
fully sheering the Monarch he let the
impetu0us Confederates ram each other.
Tho Boaurcgard crashed into the Price,
taking off wheel and sending her to
shore III the wake of the disabled Queen
and with precisely the same injury.
Before the Beauregard could turn, the
Monarch rammed her and Il she'll from
tEo gunboat Benton at tho same mo-
mcut pierced tho boiler of the unlucky
ship. Noting that his enemy was i'll II
sinking condition, Ellet towed her to
| shoal water and took off her crew. Thus
ended tho fight of the rams.
In the staff of the ram fleet at Mem
phis was q boy 10 years of ago doing
| duty as a medical cadet. He was Charles
Rivers Ellet, son of tho commander.
When he heard of his fathers wound
| hO HuLIlCtl w lIlS SltlcJ Dub tu6 OlAl ncTO
was i'll no mood for tender scenes. Hand
ing the boy flag, he told him to row
quickly to tho Memphis wharves and
nail the stars and stripes to tho tallest
spiro i'll the city. The order was carried
out in tho face of savage threats from
the mobs of the streets, who hustled and
jeered the brave fellow, and finally pelt-
ed him with stones. This was tho first
decd of real war performed by the youth
ful novice, but it was not to be his
greatest, neither his last Promoted to
command tho Lancaster, new addition
to tho fleet, he sailed in company with
his unclo and tho Monarch, down the
river TO feo what was going OH mt Viclis-
burg.
Farraguts feet from Now Orleans
lay below tho batteries of this Gibral-
tar OF fae Confederaey The Ellets man