Complete control of the Mississippi River Valley is a key war aim for the North and South alike in
the Civil War’s Western Theater. It is critical for the Confederacy to defend the Mississippi
River from Union attack to protect significant agricultural resources and manufacturing centers.
Likewise, the Union needs to open the mighty river to the sea to maintain the commerce of
the Midwest and split the Confederacy in two as part of General Scott’s “Anaconda Plan.”
This contest along the ‘father of all rivers’ is a tremendous struggle.
Victory would be achieved with new and improved ship designs and industrial superiority.
The Confederates rush to build fortifications to defend important river ports along the
Mississippi; however, more is needed. This results in the creation of the Confederate
Navy’s River Defense Fleet, and the construction of several ironclads. The quickest way for the
Confederates to build a fleet is by acquiring various steamers in the vicinity of New Orleans.
Many of these ships were constructed in Algiers, Louisiana, and Cincinnati, Ohio.
Major General Mansfield Lovell, a West Point graduate, was authorized by Confederate President
Jefferson Davis to transform fourteen merchant vessels into warships. Each vessel is to be fitted
out as a ram. Modifications include strengthening each ship’s bow by filling the bow’s interior
with solid oak, planking over the forward 20 feet with oak sheathing, and covering
this section with one inch of railroad iron. Double bulkheads protect the engines. The inner
bulkhead is made of 12 inches of pine beams. The outer bulkhead is plated over with one-inch
railroad iron. The 22-inch wide space between the bulkheads is packed with compressed cotton,
resulting in many of the rams being called “cottonclads.”
The Confederate Navy develops an ambitious ironclad construction program to defend the
Mississippi River. Two ironclads, the CSS Louisiana and Mississippi, are laid down
in New Orleans in the fall of 1861. Meanwhile, another two ironclads, CSS Tennessee and Arkansas,
are under construction at the former Memphis Navy Yard, then operated by J. T. Shirley;
and another, the CSS Eastport, is under construction near Cerro Gordo, Tennessee.
Only the CSS Arkansas is not scuttled or captured by May of 1862. This leaves the Confederates
reliant on the rams of the River Defense Fleet to defend New Orleans and the forts along the
river bordering Tennessee. The defenses like Fort Pillow protecting the manufacturing center and
river port of Memphis need support from ships. The Confederate Navy’s River Defense Fleet is
split into two components. John A. Stephenson commanded six of these rams during Flag Officer
David Glasgow Farragut’s attack on Forts Jackson and St. Philip. All of these River
Defense Fleet ships were destroyed during that battle. The second component was taken upriver
to arrest the advance of the Union gunboats. In addition to these ironclad and timberclad
warships, a separate command component of rams is added to support the Union Navy’s Western
Flotilla activities. The U.S. Ram Fleet is the brainchild of Charles Ellet, Jr.,
a prewar engineer noted for his work on railroads like the Utica Schenectady Railroad,
canals like the James River and Kanawha Canals, and the construction of suspension bridges.
In 1848, he built the longest wire-cable suspension bridge
over the Ohio River in the city of Wheeling, located in present-day West Virginia. In 1850,
the Secretary of War contracted Ellet to prepare a plan for improving flood control
along the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. His publication, Report Of The Overflows Of The
Delta Of The Mississippi, resulted in major improvements to the New Orleans waterfront.
Charles Ellet learned about the 250-ton SS Vesta’s ramming and sinking of the 2,794-ton
SS Arctic on September 27th, 1854. The Arctic Incident reminded him of the ramming tactics of
Ancient Roman and Greek galley warships. Ellet approached both the Imperial Russian Navy and
the United States Navy about the development of ram warships, but was rebuffed. In 1855,
he published a pamphlet, Coast And Harbor, Or The Substitution Of Steam Battering For Ships Of War,
to garner support for his concept. Ellet’s theories were ignored until March 8th,
1862, when the ironclad CSS Virginia rammed and sank the USS Cumberland during the Battle
of Hampton Roads. The Federal Government quickly recognizes this new technique of naval warfare,
and knows that the Confederacy is building rams on the Mississippi River.
So, in March of 1862, Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton appoints Ellet as a Colonel in the
Union Army and authorizes him to form the U.S. Ram Fleet to serve on the Mississippi.
The intrepid Colonel Ellet quickly acquires nine fast steamers and converts them into rams.
He strengthens each ram with a timber bulkhead 12 to 16 inches wide and 4 to 7 feet high,
running from bow to stern. They have iron tie rods arranged to prevent the hulls from spreading,
and iron stays to stabilize their engines. Ellet’s rams seem the right solution to
counter the Confederate rams; however, the U.S. Ram Fleet is a separate command from the Union
Navy’s Western Flotilla, having been designated as an independent unit from both the Army and Navy.
Colonel Ellet reports directly to the Secretary of War - a troublesome arrangement.
Meanwhile, the Confederate River Defense Fleet has a nominal commander, riverboat captain James
E Montgomery; however, Brigadier General M. Jeff Thompson of the Missouri State Guard
also claims command. It does not matter who has the overall command, as every captain,
except Thompson, has no military experience and acts on their own during each engagement.
Without unity of command, the River Defense Fleet simply has no coordination.
Nothing seems to be able to stop the Federals’ juggernaut from moving down the Mississippi River.
The strong Confederate fortifications at Columbus, Kentucky, had to be evacuated in early March of
1862 after the fall of Forts Henry and Donelson, with Federal troops occupying the abandoned Rebel
works on March 3rd. Union Brigadier General John Pope was able to occupy New Madrid,
Missouri, on March 14th, and the Rebel forts at Island Number 10 had been captured on April 8th.
The last major Confederate fortification defending Memphis is the 40-gun stronghold of Fort Pillow,
located 40 miles above Memphis. The U.S. Navy had been shelling the fort since April 14th,
using 13-inch seacoast mortars. The mortar boats were towed into position by other ships,
including ironclads, stationed to provide these mortar boats protection from any attack.
Colonel Ellet has four of his rams in service with Flag Officer Charles Henry Davis’ Western
Flotilla. The ships include: USS Switzerland, Queen of the West, Monarch, and Lancaster. The
ships generally carry little to no armaments, as their reinforced bows are their only true mode
of attack. The USS Queen of the West is typical of these ships. Built in Cincinnati in 1854 and
converted into a ram in May of 1862, the vessel is fast and uses paddle wheels for motive power.
The Queen of the West has three 12-pounder howitzers and one 30-pounder rifle.
Eight vessels of the Confederate Navy’s River Defense Fleet are sent north from New Orleans
to protect their defenses above Memphis in late April of 1862, to block the Union
descent down the Mississippi River. These vessels include: CSS General Beauregard,
General Bragg, General Sterling Price, General Earl Van Dorn, General M. Jeff Thompson,
Colonel Lovell, General Sumter, and Little Rebel. These ships are commercial riverboats, and no two
are alike other than being side wheelers; each generally has one cannon, often a 32-pounder.
Nevertheless, the CSS General Beauregard is armed with four 8-inch shell guns and one 42-pounder.
The CSS Little Rebel, the flagship of the Mississippi River Defense Fleet above Memphis,
is armed with two 32-pounder rifles and one 32-pounder shell gun.
On the morning of May 10th, 1862, one day after Flag Officer Davis had assumed command of the
Western Flotilla, the Confederates note that the USS Cincinnati is alone guarding a mortar
boat with the rest of the flotilla a half-mile away at Bulletin Bar. The Confederate rams hope
to relieve the Union pressure on Fort Pillow, destroying one or more of the Federal ironclads.
The CSS General Bragg strikes first in what becomes known as the Fort Pillow Naval Battle,
or Battle of Plum Point Bend, ramming the Cincinnati on her starboard quarter just
as the ironclad is getting underway. This strike turns both ships side by side. The
Cincinnati takes advantage of the point-blank range with its gun muzzles almost touching the
Confederate ram’s side, firing a broadside, disabling it, and forcing it downstream.
Then the CSS General Sterling Price smashes into Cincinnati’s stern, disabling her rudder.
Two other Union gunboats, USS Mound City and USS Carondelet, endeavor to stabilize the situation.
The ironclads shell the CSS General Bragg, cutting the ship’s tiller rope and forcing
the ram to drift away from the fight. Then, the General Sumter rams the Cincinnati,
inflicting severe damage, and that ironclad begins to sink. The nearby mortar boat begins
to lob shells over General Sumter to limit sharpshooters firing into the ironclad.
The CSS General Earl Van Dorn fires two 32-pounder shells into the mortar boat, disabling it.
The General Earl Van Dorn steams on and rams Mound City just after General Sumter has done the same.
This severely damages the ironclad so that it floats off and sinks in shallow water. Then,
the USS Benton and Cairo arrive. The Benton shells and damages the Colonel Lovell. As additional
Union gunboats arrive, the damaged River Defense Fleet makes its way downriver to Memphis.
The Confederates could have done much better; yet, without concert of action,
they fought in a melee fashion, with each ram haphazardly selecting its target.
The Battle of Plum Point Bend or Fort Pillow Naval Battle may have been considered a minor
Confederate victory; yet, the Federals are able to raise and repair the Mound City and Cincinnati
so that they would soon be back in action. Confederate rams that are damaged are also quickly
repaired. The Confederates suffer only two killed and one wounded, and the Federals have one wounded
during this confusing hour-long battle. The major part of the action lasts only about 20 minutes.
When Corinth, Mississippi, is captured by the Federal army of Major Generals Henry W. Halleck
and Ulysses S. Grant on May 30th, 1862, the city of Memphis is abandoned by Confederate troops,
effectively opening West Tennessee to Union occupation.
The Confederate rams are ordered to move to the city of Vicksburg, Mississippi;
however, they are unable find enough coal to make the trip. Accordingly,
all of the captains agree to make a stand and fight on the Mississippi River below Memphis.
On Friday, June 6th, 1862, citizens of Memphis line the riverbank to watch the impending Battle
of Memphis unfold. Flag Officer Davis has five ironclads: USS Benton, Louisville, Carondelet,
Cairo, and St. Louis, in a line abreast across the river. They stand downriver with their
sterns first. These Union gunboats trade shots from long-range with the Confederate ships.
Colonel Ellet then speeds through and past the ironclads with two of his rams,
USS Queen of the West and Monarch, heads toward the Confederate ships using their greater speed
to rapidly engage. Ellet’s flagship, Queen of the West, strikes first when it rams the CSS
Colonel Lovell so hard that the Confederate ram nearly splits in two. The Queen of the West is
also severely damaged and sinks in shallow water. Colonel Ellet is shot in the knee. The leg becomes
infected, and he later contracts measles, resulting in his death on June 21st, 1862.
The USS Monarch follows the Queen of the West. Two Confederate rams, the CSS General Beauregard
and General Sterling Price, attempt to ram Monarch simultaneously. Instead of striking the Union ram,
the two Confederate ships ram each other head-on; one of General Sterling Price’s side wheels
are knocked away. The Confederate vessels somehow make it to the Arkansas shoreline,
where they are destroyed by gunfire. The Monarch then chases down the
General Beauregard, and the ship is forced to surrender. Now,
the Union ironclads arrive on the scene and shoot up the CSS General M. Jeff Thompson
and force Little Rebel ashore. The USS Carondelet sends a shot into General Sumter’s boiler, causing
severe casualties. Only the General Earl Van Dorn escapes up the Yazoo River and is later scuttled.
This marks the effective end of the Battle of Memphis. The Federals suffer one wounded,
while the Confederates incur about 100 killed and 150 captured during this two-hour engagement.
The critical incidents of this battle last just over 30 minutes.
The Battle of Memphis, although a small scale naval battle, is a major victory for the Union
Navy and the Northern war effort. The battle virtually puts an end to Confederate naval
resistance against Union advances up and down the Mississippi River. The city of Memphis is
defenseless, and is occupied that day by the Union Navy. The fall of Memphis effectively
brings most of West Tennessee under Union control. Unfortunately, the Federals fail to mobilize an
effort to capture Vicksburg in June of 1862, before it becomes such a fortress. The Federals
raise and repair three of the Confederate rams and add them to the Western Flotilla.
With West Tennessee now under Union occupation, Federal forces would use the city of Memphis
as a staging area and key supply base for both the Union Navy on the Mississippi River
and the Union Army forces from Major General Grant’s Army of the Tennessee. Grant arrives in
Memphis on June 23rd, and quickly begins making preparations to organize an overland offensive
campaign against the key Confederate stronghold of Vicksburg in West Central Mississippi.
With the major Mississippi River cities and strongholds of Columbus, Island Number Ten,
New Madrid, New Orleans, and Memphis under firm Union control, this would leave Vicksburg - along
with the later addition of Port Hudson, Louisiana - as one of the few key transfer points
and strongholds for the Confederacy on the mighty river. The Northern victory at Memphis means that
the war effort in the Mississippi River Valley front of the Western Theater would now begin
to shift towards Vicksburg - the focal point of the next year of campaigning in that front.