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USS Monarch (1862)
Encyclopedia
USS Monarch was a side paddle wheel
ram in the United States Army
. Monarch was built as a towboat
at Fulton, Ohio
, in 1853. She was converted to a ram in 1862 for service in the Ellet Ram Fleet under Lt. Col. Charles Ellet, Jr.
operating on the Mississippi River
in the American Civil War
in conjunction with the Western Flotilla.
in April 1862 and commissioned there, Capt. R. W. Sanford in command.
After fitting out at New Albany
, Monarch began active duty with the Ram Fleet. Steaming downriver in May, she scouted Fort Pillow in June and joined Benton
, Louisville
, Carondelet
, St. Louis, Cairo
and her sister ship, Queen of the West
, in the Battle of Memphis
6 June. Engaging the Confederate
River Defense Fleet, the rams destroyed seven of the southern ships, wiping out the Defense Fleet as an effective naval force. Monarch rammed CSS Colonel Lovell
and General Beauregard
. The Union forces took Memphis
6 June, clearing the upper Mississippi of southern forts and naval craft. On 26 June, Monarch and Lancaster pursued General Earl Van Dorn
down the Mississippi and up the Yazoo River
, the Confederates burning the ship below Yazoo City
to prevent her capture.
. Monarch and five other ships departed Helena, Arkansas
, 16 August on an Army
-Navy expedition up to Yazoo River with troops landing at various points along the shore and destroying batteries on the river. Union ships captured CSS Fairplay above Vicksburg 27 August; Monarch then cruised the Yazoo with General Bragg to prevent Confederate use of steamer Paul Jones and to hinder communications with Vicksburg. Later that year, Monarch swept torpedoes
in the Yazoo.
noted as “a tough nut to crack.” Joining efforts with William Sherman’s troops 9 January, the Union ships shared in the capture of Fort Hindman 11 January. In February, Monarch steamed up the Yazoo to Greenville
to relieve Commander Prichett, controlling guerrilla activity. In April, she joined Lioness, Horner, and Fulton
in supporting Colonel Ellet’s marine brigade in the Tennessee.
With the fall of Vicksburg, in July, and the collapse of Confederate naval forces on the western rivers, the ram's mission was accomplished. She was dropped from the naval list in 1864, but remained in reserve, ready for recall to active service, until going to Mound City, Illinois
for dismantling in July 1865.
Paddle wheel
A paddle wheel is a waterwheel in which a number of scoops are set around the periphery of the wheel. It has several usages.* Very low lift water pumping, such as flooding paddy fields at no more than about height above the water source....
ram in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. Monarch was built as a towboat
Towboat
Not to be confused with the historic boat type with the same name, also called horse-drawn boat.A towboat is a boat designed for pushing barges or car floats. Towboats are characterized by a square bow with steel knees for pushing and powerful engines...
at Fulton, Ohio
Fulton, Ohio
Fulton is a village in Morrow County, Ohio, United States. The population was 264 at the 2000 census. Fulton is south of Mount Gilead, Ohio, the county seat.-Geography:Fulton is located at...
, in 1853. She was converted to a ram in 1862 for service in the Ellet Ram Fleet under Lt. Col. Charles Ellet, Jr.
Charles Ellet, Jr.
Charles Ellet, Jr. was a civil engineer and a colonel during the American Civil War, mortally wounded at the Battle of Memphis.-Biography:Ellet was born in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, brother of Alfred W...
operating on the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
in the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
in conjunction with the Western Flotilla.
Battle of Memphis
Monarch was purchased at PittsburghPittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
in April 1862 and commissioned there, Capt. R. W. Sanford in command.
After fitting out at New Albany
New Albany, Indiana
New Albany is a city in Floyd County, Indiana, United States, situated along the Ohio River opposite Louisville, Kentucky. In 1900, 20,628 people lived in New Albany; in 1910, 20,629; in 1920, 22,992; and in 1940, 25,414. The population was 36,372 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of...
, Monarch began active duty with the Ram Fleet. Steaming downriver in May, she scouted Fort Pillow in June and joined Benton
USS Benton (1861)
USS Benton was an ironclad river gunboat in the United States Navy during the American Civil War. She was named for American senator Thomas Hart Benton. Benton was a former center-wheel catamaran snagboat and was converted by James B. Eads, St...
, Louisville
USS Louisville (1862)
USS Louisville was a City class ironclad gunboat constructed for the U.S. Army by James B. Eads during the American Civil War. [While initially owned by the Army, the City Class gunboats were commanded by U.S. Navy officers, and were eventually transferred to the Navy.]Louisville was built at St....
, Carondelet
USS Carondelet (1861)
USS Carondelet was a gunboat constructed for the Union Navy by James B. Eads during the American Civil War...
, St. Louis, Cairo
USS Cairo (1861)
USS Cairo was a City class ironclad gunboat constructed for the Union Navy by James B. Eads during the American Civil War. She was the first vessel of the City class ironclads, also called the Cairo class....
and her sister ship, Queen of the West
USS Queen of the West (1854)
US Ram Queen of the West, a sidewheel steamer built at Cincinnati, Ohio in 1854, was purchased by the United States Department of War in 1862 and fitted out as a ram for Colonel Charles Ellet, Jr.'s Ram Fleet which operated on the Mississippi River in the U.S...
, in the Battle of Memphis
Battle of Memphis
The First Battle of Memphis was a naval battle fought on the Mississippi River immediately above the city of Memphis on June 6, 1862, during the American Civil War. The engagement was witnessed by many of the citizens of Memphis. It resulted in a crushing defeat for the Rebels, and marked the...
6 June. Engaging the Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
River Defense Fleet, the rams destroyed seven of the southern ships, wiping out the Defense Fleet as an effective naval force. Monarch rammed CSS Colonel Lovell
CSS Colonel Lovell
CSS Colonel Lovell was a cotton-clad ram of the Confederate States Navy during the American Civil War-Service history:The ship was built in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1843, as Hercules, and was owned by the Ocean Towing Co. of New Orleans...
and General Beauregard
CSS General Beauregard
CSS General Beauregard was a cotton-clad sidewheel ram of the Confederate Navy during the American Civil War.Built in Algiers, Louisiana in 1847 as a towboat, the paddle steamer Ocean was selected in January 1862 by Capt. James E. Montgomery, former river steamboat master, for his River Defense...
. The Union forces took Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
6 June, clearing the upper Mississippi of southern forts and naval craft. On 26 June, Monarch and Lancaster pursued General Earl Van Dorn
CSS General Earl Van Dorn
The CSS General Earl Van Dorn, a side-wheel river steamer, was fitted out in early 1862 at New Orleans, Louisiana as a River Defense Fleet "cottonclad" ram....
down the Mississippi and up the Yazoo River
Yazoo River
The Yazoo River is a river in the U.S. state of Mississippi.The Yazoo River was named by French explorer La Salle in 1682 as "Rivière des Yazous" in reference to the Yazoo tribe living near the river's mouth. The exact meaning of the term is unclear...
, the Confederates burning the ship below Yazoo City
Yazoo City, Mississippi
Yazoo City is a city in Yazoo County, Mississippi, United States. It was named after the Yazoo River, which, in turn was named by the French explorer Robert La Salle. It is the county seat of Yazoo County and the principal city of the Yazoo City Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of the...
to prevent her capture.
Battle of Vicksburg
Beginning in June, Monarch operated against Vicksburg, MississippiVicksburg, Mississippi
Vicksburg is a city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the only city in Warren County. It is located northwest of New Orleans on the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers, and due west of Jackson, the state capital. In 1900, 14,834 people lived in Vicksburg; in 1910, 20,814; in 1920,...
. Monarch and five other ships departed Helena, Arkansas
Helena, Arkansas
Helena is the eastern portion of Helena-West Helena, Arkansas, a city in Phillips County, Arkansas. As of the 2000 census, this portion of the city population was 6,323. Helena was the county seat of Phillips County until January 1, 2006, when it merged its government and city limits with...
, 16 August on an Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
-Navy expedition up to Yazoo River with troops landing at various points along the shore and destroying batteries on the river. Union ships captured CSS Fairplay above Vicksburg 27 August; Monarch then cruised the Yazoo with General Bragg to prevent Confederate use of steamer Paul Jones and to hinder communications with Vicksburg. Later that year, Monarch swept torpedoes
Naval mine
A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...
in the Yazoo.
Later service
Monarch joined 11 other ships in the expedition to capture Fort Hindman 4 January 1863, a point that David Dixon PorterDavid Dixon Porter
David Dixon Porter was a member of one of the most distinguished families in the history of the United States Navy. Promoted as the second man to the rank of admiral, after his adoptive brother David G...
noted as “a tough nut to crack.” Joining efforts with William Sherman’s troops 9 January, the Union ships shared in the capture of Fort Hindman 11 January. In February, Monarch steamed up the Yazoo to Greenville
Greenville, Mississippi
Greenville is a city in Washington County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 48,633 at the 2000 census, but according to the 2009 census bureau estimates, it has since declined to 42,764, making it the eighth-largest city in the state. It is the county seat of Washington...
to relieve Commander Prichett, controlling guerrilla activity. In April, she joined Lioness, Horner, and Fulton
USS Fulton
Four ships of the United States Navy have borne the name USS Fulton, in honor of Robert Fulton., was a catamaran steam frigate, launched in 1815 and delivered to the Navy in 1816. She was used as a receiving ship until 1829...
in supporting Colonel Ellet’s marine brigade in the Tennessee.
With the fall of Vicksburg, in July, and the collapse of Confederate naval forces on the western rivers, the ram's mission was accomplished. She was dropped from the naval list in 1864, but remained in reserve, ready for recall to active service, until going to Mound City, Illinois
Mound City, Illinois
Mound City is a city located along the Ohio River in Pulaski County, Illinois, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 692. It is the county seat of Pulaski County.-Geography:Mound City is located at ....
for dismantling in July 1865.