St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1895-06-21

aged to communicate with tho admiral
by crossing the neck Of land opposite
the town. Farragut ordered the upper
feet to move down and join him. Re.
turning up the Mississippi with the
message the Ellets steamed into the UNI
known waters Of tho Yazoo, covering
Vicksburg on the north. In alarm the
Confederates there destroyed three gun.
boats, and with no enemy to fight, the
Monarch and Lancaster proceeded to
Memphis The upper fleet moved down
the river to unite with Farragut. Colo.
mel Alfred W Ellet about that time
turned over the ram fleet to the boy
colonel and proceeded to organize a
command as unique in it's way as was
the ram fleet and which was to include
that This was tho Mississippi Marine
brigade. Besides the rams there was a
large force Of sharpshooters and infantry
and cavalry for land service, the whole
corps being designed for irregular war
fare in the rivers and bayous Of Tennes-
see, Mississippi, Arkansas and Louisi-
ana.
Young Ellet chose the Queen for his
flagship and joined the naval squadron
at Vicksburg. While Grant was prepar-
ing to get across Young's point it was
discovered that both Vicksburg and Port
Hudson-the stronghold which held
Banks and the gulf fleet and army, be-
low-received supplies from Red river.
This stream drains rich region and
empties into the Mississippi between
Port Hudson and Vicksburg. Ellet was
selected to run the Vicksburg batteries
from above, get into the Red river and
establish blockade. On the morning of
Feb 3, 1868, he started in the Queen
and passed the first battery at full
speed. An alarm gun from the fort
aroused the gunners below, and when
the Queen arrived opposite the city a
score of guns played upon her. Moored
to the levee Ellet saw the large steamer
Vicksburg. Turning the ram, he gave
the steamer fearful blow, and with
shot rafting all about the Queen, stop
ped to toss lighted cotton balls aboard
the Confederate.
The Queen had been prepared for this
hazardous trip by claiming a bulwark
Of cotton bales around her weakest parts
These were fired by the enemy's shells,
and while all hands were at work cut
ting them loose to cast overheard, the
powerful current swept the ram down
the stream. Without further adventure
the Queen reached Red river and de-
stroyed everything af1oat and along
shore. Three Confederate steamers
loaded with stores for Port Hudson
were taken and burned. Others were
sighted from the decks of the ram, but
they turned tail and made all speed up
stream to get out of the way Finally
the Queen ran out of coal. AS there
were no supplies outside army lines Ell
let returned toward Vicksburg A laden
coal barge from the naval stores above
was fioated past the batteries at night
Picking that up, he returned to Red
river. More steamers carrying army
stores were given up to the torch, and
in land foray an army wagon train
was disposed of in the same way. IN
luckily pilot, who was either treach-
erous or Ignorant, ran the Queen aground
under the guns of fort. Tho enemy
opened with 30 Founders, making every
shot tell. Many of the crew fell and a
shot cut the steam pipe, letting out
clouds of fcalding vapor The scene was
terrible for a moment and thorn was no