Queen Of the West U.S. RAM

[Mark Wadsworth]

Queen of the West, a 406-ton side-wheel towboat built at Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1854, was converted to a ram in 1862 for Colonel Charles Ellet's U.S. Ram Fleet. As Ellet's flagship, she played a prominent role in the 6 June 1862 Battle of Memphis, which largely cleared the Mississippi of Confederate naval forces. On 15 and 22 June, Queen of the West twice engaged the ironclad CSS Arkansas.
During the rest of 1862 and into 1863, she was involved in operations around Vicksburg, Mississippi, including an expedition up the Yazoo river in November and December. On 2 February 1863, under the command of Colonel Charles Rivers Ellet, Queen of the West attacked the Confederate steamer City of Vicksburg under the guns of the Vicksburg fortress. Though damaged, she then moved down the river. For nearly two weeks, she operated independently on the Mississippi and its tributaries, where she captured four Confederate steamers. On 14 February, while seeking another prize on the Black River, Queen of the West ran aground near an enemy shore battery and was captured. Repaired, she became the Confederate warship Queen of the West.

DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY -- NAVAL HISTORICAL CENTER