Charles Rivers Ellet was a colonel in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He served in the United States Ram Fleet under his father Charles Ellet, Jr. and as commanding officer of the ram fleet as part of the Mississippi Marine Brigade under his uncle Alfred W. Ellet. He commanded the ram ships USS Queen of the West, USS Switzerland, USS Lancaster and USS Monarch during the Vicksburg Campaign.
About Charles R. Ellet in brief
Charles Rivers Ellet was a colonel in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He served in the United States Ram Fleet under his father Charles Ellet, Jr. and as commanding officer of the ram fleet as part of the Mississippi Marine Brigade under his uncle Alfred W. Ellet. He commanded the ram ships USS Queen of the West, USS Switzerland, USS Lancaster and USS Monarch during the Vicksburg Campaign. His daring runs of two different ram ships past the batteries at Vicksberg as well as operations on the Yazoo River won him praise from William T. Sherman and David Dixon Porter. However, he was criticized by Porter when his aggressive actions on the Red River led to the capture of the Queen ofThe West by Confederate forces. He was assigned the task to arm a torpedo raft, known as the Lioness, and use it to destroy armed rafts on the Mississippi River. In December 1862, Ellet took it upon himself to clear out the batteries in front of the torpedoes, which was planned for December 31, but was scrapped due to heavy fog. Ellet and his cousin, Edward Ellet lowered the Confederate flag over the Memphis post office and raised the American flag in its place. His father died from a wound received during the Battle of Memphis and command of theRam fleet went to his uncle.
Charles R. Ellet was promoted to the rank of colonel and became the third member of the Ellet family to lead the ram Fleet. At only 19 years old which made him one of the youngest colonels in theUnion Army. He died in office in 1863 and was buried in Washington, D.C. He is buried in the Mount Vernon Cemetery in Washington D. C. and is survived by his wife and three children. His son, Charles R., was the only son to the well-known civil engineer Charles El let Jr. and attended school in Paris for two years. His daughter, Mary, was the first woman to be elected to Congress from the state of Mississippi. She was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time in 1862. She served as a member of Congress from Mississippi until her death in 1965. She died in a car crash in New York City. She is buried at Mount Vernon, along with her husband, Charles, who was killed in the First Battle of Bull Run in 1861. Her son Charles, Jr., died in the Second Battle ofBull Run in 1863. His grandson Charles, the son of Charles, Sr., served in Congress from 1861 until his death in 1865.
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