The Union war effort achieved a stunning military breakthrough on the Mississippi River. The armored steam ram *Queen of the West*, commanded by Colonel Charles Rivers Ellet, successfully ran the Confederate blockade at Vicksburg in broad daylight, a feat deemed impossible by rebel commanders. Under heavy cannon and musket fire—about 120 shots were exchanged—the ram dodged through enemy batteries, struck and set ablaze the Confederate steamer *City of Vicksburg*, and escaped downriver with only 12 hits to her hull. The operation was meticulously planned: 400 bales of cotton were packed around the ship's machinery for protection, and incendiary shells loaded with turpentine were prepared specifically to ignite enemy vessels. Sergeant J.H. Campbell fired the crucial shots that set the rebel steamer aflame, even as a 64-pound Confederate shell crashed nearby. The *Queen of the West* anchored below the canal to await further orders, positioning Union forces to potentially cut off supply lines to Confederate strongholds and perhaps cooperate with General Banks at Port Hudson.

This February 1863 moment captures the Union's growing ability to project power along the Mississippi River—America's most strategically vital waterway. Vicksburg, the Confederacy's last major stronghold on the Mississippi, was under siege. Controlling the river meant splitting the Confederacy in two and strangling supply lines from Texas and Louisiana. This successful ram run demonstrated Union ingenuity and boldness; it would encourage Grant's broader campaign to capture Vicksburg in May 1863, a turning point that gave the North irreversible control of the Mississippi. The operation also showcased a new weapon—the ironclad ram—that was revolutionizing naval warfare and rendering traditional wooden warships obsolete.

• Colonel Ellet had to spend an hour rearranging the ship's steering apparatus before dawn because the relocated wheel position in the narrow space behind the bulwarks made the boat nearly impossible to steer accurately—a reminder that even well-planned military operations depended on last-minute mechanical improvisation.
• The rebels had originally intended to use the *City of Vicksburg* as their own ram, fitting her bow with armor plating and protective shields, directly mimicking Union tactics—the war was becoming an arms race of rival innovations happening simultaneously on both sides.
• A Jackson, Mississippi newspaper correspondent quoted in the dispatch speculated that General Grant's canal project might succeed, and nervously suggested the Confederacy fortify Grand Gulf, Port Gibson, and points between Vicksburg and Port Hudson—strategic predictions that proved accurate within months.
• The *Queen of the West* started her run at 4:30 a.m. in foggy conditions, but the fog cleared and the sun rose before she reached the batteries, eliminating the cover of darkness that had been planned—yet the operation succeeded anyway, proving the Union's growing tactical superiority.
• The article mentions that for several months, 15 to 20 Confederate supply boats had been running between islands on the Red River and Vicksburg; after Union occupation cut off their main route, they relocated to points near Warrentown, a few miles below, showing how the Confederacy was forced to adapt its logistics network under Union pressure.

• Colonel Charles Rivers Ellet commanded the ram fleet and led this operation personally—he came from a civilian engineering background and represented a new class of Union officers who brought innovation and daring rather than traditional military academy training to the war.
• The *Queen of the West* survived being struck 12 times, had her cabin 'considerably smashed,' and had one of her guns 'dismounted and destroyed'—yet the detailed official report shows zero casualties among the crew, a remarkable testament to the protective value of those 400 cotton bales and the speed of the operation.
• The Confederate rebels 'scampered off in the most affrighted manner from the shore' when they realized the ram was actually going to collide with the *City of Vicksburg*—the psychological impact of Union technological innovation was as important as the physical damage.
• This same Colonel Ellet would later be mortally wounded in a boat battle on the Mississippi in June 1863, just four months after this celebrated success, highlighting how dangerous riverine warfare remained despite technological advances.
• The timing of this operation—February 1863—came exactly two months before Grant's successful assault on Vicksburg in May, and this ram run provided crucial proof-of-concept that Union forces could operate below Confederate batteries, emboldening the larger campaign that would secure Union control of the entire Mississippi River by July 1863.