Charles Ellet Jr. (1 January 1810 – 21 June 1862) was an American
civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing i ...
from
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
who designed and constructed major canals, suspension bridges and railroads. He designed and supervised construction of the
Wheeling Suspension Bridge
The Wheeling Suspension Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the main channel of the Ohio River at Wheeling, West Virginia. It was the largest suspension bridge in the world from 1849 until 1851. Charles Ellet Jr. (who also worked on the ...
, the longest suspension bridge in the world, from 1849 to 1851. He conducted the first Federal survey of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers as part of the
U. S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Ellet published multiple books and essays on wide-ranging topics including macroeconomic theory, suspension bridge construction, railroad construction, river flood control and steam powered battery rams.
During the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
, Ellet received a commission as
colonel
Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...
and created and commanded the
United States Ram Fleet
The United States Ram Fleet was a Union army unit of steam powered ram (ship), ram ships during the American Civil War. The unit was independent of the Union army and Union Navy, Navy and reported directly to the Secretary of War, Edwin M. Stanto ...
, a Union Army unit of
ram ships converted from commercial steamers. His ram ships played a critical role in the Union naval victory at the
First Battle of Memphis. He was wounded during the battle (the only casualty on the Union side) and died soon after.
Early life and education

Ellet was born on January 1, 1810, at Penn's Manor in
Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Bucks County is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 646,538, making it the List of counties in Pennsylvania, four ...
. He was the sixth child of 14 born to Charles Ellet Sr. and Mary Israel. He studied at the Bristol school and worked as a
rodman, measuring for the
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, abbreviated as the C&O Canal and occasionally called the Grand Old Ditch, operated from 1831 until 1924 along the Potomac River between Washington, D.C., and Cumberland, Maryland. It replaced the Patowmack Canal ...
and making drawings.
Benjamin Wright promoted him to Assistant Engineer of the Fifth Residency, but in 1830, he resigned to continue his studies in Paris, where he studied civil engineering at
École nationale des Ponts et Chaussées
École nationale des ponts et chaussées (; ; abbr. ENPC), also nicknamed Ponts (), formerly known as École des Ponts ParisTech (), is a grande école in the field of science, engineering and technology, of the Polytechnic Institute of Paris, a ...
.
Family
Both Ellet's maternal and paternal grandfathers served in the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...
. His father was a
Quaker
Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...
and a descendant of
Samuel Carpenter
Samuel Carpenter (4 November 1649 – 10 April 1714) was a Deputy Governor of Province of Pennsylvania, colonial Pennsylvania. He signed the historic document "The Declaration of Fealty, Christian Belief and Test" dated 10 September 1695; the ...
, who served as Deputy Governor of colonial Pennsylvania.
Ellet's maternal grandfather, Israel Israel, descended from a family of Jewish diamond cutters from Holland and was a member of Pennsylvania's Committee of Safety and a recognized active patriot. His maternal grandmother, Hannah Erwin, was from a Quaker family. Ellet's younger brother,
Alfred W. Ellet, served as a
brigadier general in the
Union Army during the Civil War, and succeeded Charles as commander of the
United States Ram Fleet
The United States Ram Fleet was a Union army unit of steam powered ram (ship), ram ships during the American Civil War. The unit was independent of the Union army and Union Navy, Navy and reported directly to the Secretary of War, Edwin M. Stanto ...
following his death. Another relative, nephew
John A. Ellet, served as a lieutenant colonel, commanding the ram
USS ''Lancaster''.
Ellet married Elvira Augusta Stuart Daniel on November 7, 1837, in
Lynchburg, Virginia
Lynchburg is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. First settled in 1757 by ferry owner and Abolitionism, abolitionist John Lynch (1740–1820), J ...
. Her father was Virginia lawyer and soon-to-be judge
William Daniel and her mother was Margaret Baldwin. She could trace her descent among the
First Families of Virginia
The First Families of Virginia, or FFV, are a group of early settler families who became a socially and politically dominant group in the British Colony of Virginia and later the Commonwealth of Virginia. They descend from European colonists who ...
and owned enslaved persons, although Ellet himself never did. Judge Daniel's father (also a lawyer and judge of the same name
William Daniel Sr.) had served as an ensign during the Revolutionary war under Captain Arda Allen, and his wife's maternal grandfather, Dr. Cornelius Baldwin, had served as a surgeon for the patriot cause throughout the conflict. Their son
Charles Rivers Ellet also served as a
colonel
Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...
in the Union Army and commander of the United States Ram Fleet. Their daughter
Mary Virginia Ellet Cabell (1839–1930) would become the second wife of William Daniel Cabell in 1867 and became a founding member of the
Daughters of the American Revolution
The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (often abbreviated as DAR or NSDAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a patriot of the American Revolutionary War.
A non-p ...
.
Engineering career

After returning from Europe, Ellet worked on the
Utica and Schenectady Railroad and was appointed to conduct a survey of the Western New York section of the
New York and Erie Railroad
The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Northeastern United States, originally connecting Pavonia Terminal in Jersey City, New Jersey, with Lake Erie at Dunkirk, New York. The railroad expanded west to Chicago following its 1865 ...
. In 1832, he submitted a proposal to Congress for a
suspension bridge
A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck (bridge), deck is hung below suspension wire rope, cables on vertical suspenders. The first modern examples of this type of bridge were built in the early 1800s. Simple suspension bridg ...
across the
Potomac River
The Potomac River () is in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and flows from the Potomac Highlands in West Virginia to Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography D ...
, but it was rejected. In 1842, he designed and built the first major wire-cable suspension bridge in the United States, spanning 358 feet over the
Schuylkill River
The Schuylkill River ( , ) is a river in eastern Pennsylvania. It flows for U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map(). accessed April 1, 2011. from Pottsville, Pennsylvania, Pottsville ...
at
Fairmount, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Fairmount is a neighborhood within Lower North Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Its boundaries are north of Fairmount Avenue, west of Corinthian Avenue, south of Girard Avenue and east of The Schuylkill River.
While this may be the m ...
. He was elected as a member to the
American Philosophical Society
The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...
in 1843.
Ellet supervised construction of the
James River and Kanawha Canal
The James River and Kanawha Canal was a partially built canal in Virginia intended to facilitate shipments of passengers and freight by water between the western counties of Virginia and the coast. Ultimately its towpath became the roadbed for ...
in Virginia. From 1846 to 1847, he worked as president of the Schuylkill Navigation Company in Pennsylvania and supervised improvements to the canal used for transporting anthracite coal.
He also constructed railroads in those states. Ellet developed theories for improving flood control and navigation of Mid-western rivers.
In 1848, Ellet built the record-breaking
Wheeling suspension bridge
The Wheeling Suspension Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the main channel of the Ohio River at Wheeling, West Virginia. It was the largest suspension bridge in the world from 1849 until 1851. Charles Ellet Jr. (who also worked on the ...
over the
Ohio River
The Ohio River () is a river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing in a southwesterly direction from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to its river mouth, mouth on the Mississippi Riv ...
at
Wheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling is a city in Ohio County, West Virginia, Ohio and Marshall County, West Virginia, Marshall counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The county seat of Ohio County, it lies along the Ohio River in the foothills of the Appalachian Mo ...
, with a span over 1,000 feet. In the same year, he erected the
Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge
The Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge stood from 1855 to 1897 across the Niagara River and was the world's first working railway suspension bridge. It spanned and stood downstream of Niagara Falls, where it connected Niagara Falls, Ontario to ...
, the first ever railway suspension bridge over the
Niagara Gorge
Niagara Gorge is an long canyon carved by the Niagara River along the Canada–United States border, between the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. It begins at the ...
with a 770-foot span.
In 1850, the Secretary of War, conforming to an Act of Congress, directed Ellet to make surveys and reports on the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers with a view to the preparation of adequate plans for flood prevention and navigation improvement. His detailed report had considerable influence on later engineering thought and navigation improvements. His ''Report of the Overflows of the Delta of the Mississippi River'' helped to reshape the New Orleans waterfront.
George Perkins Marsh
George Perkins Marsh (March 15, 1801July 23, 1882), an American diplomat and philologist, is considered by some to be America's first environmentalist and by recognizing the irreversible impact of man's actions on the earth, a precursor to the s ...
published ''Man and Nature'' 14 years later, but it was Ellet who first noted in writing that the artificial embankments created an overflowing delta. However, only decades later would his assertions be taken seriously and used in flood control decisions.
United States Ram Fleet

In September 1854, while travelling overseas, Ellet learned that the 250-ton had accidentally
rammed and sank the 2,794-ton . This incident convinced Ellet that with the development of steam propulsion, ramming could be a very effective form of naval combat. The
Crimean War
The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...
was underway and Ellet offered his services to the Russian government to build a fleet of ram ships to help them defeat the naval blockade in the Black Sea during the
Siege of Sebastopol. He received interest from the Russian government, but the plans were scrapped after the Russian Czar was assassinated. Ellet became enthusiastic about the possibility of a ram fleet and wrote to the
U.S. Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...
with his plan, but was unable to persuade them of the benefit. He published the pamphlet ''Coast and Harbor Defenses, or the Substitution of Steam Battering Rams for Ships of War'' in late 1855, hoping to gain public interest.
When the
Civil War
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
broke out, Ellet renewed his advocacy especially in light of the Confederate build up of ram ships. He even wrote directly to
President Lincoln urging him to increase funding for the
United States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the military engineering branch of the United States Army. A direct reporting unit (DRU), it has three primary mission areas: Engineer Regiment, military construction, and civil wo ...
and offered to his knowledge of Virginia's terrain and infrastructure to cut off Confederate supply lines and to build steam-powered ram ships to protect northern ports. Lincoln told Ellet to seek opinions from U.S. Generals: Winfred Scott, George B. McClellan and James Totten. Lincoln's letter to Ellett was carried to the home of McClellan, who refused to see Ellet or consider his proposal. The Confederate forces captured the
''USS Merrimack'' at the Norfolk Navy Yard and converted her to a ram ship. Despite the vessel's being bulky and slow-moving, the Union forces became convinced of the possibility of ram ships when the ''Merrimack'', renamed ''CSS Virginia'', sank the ''
USS Cumberland'' and
''USS Congress'' at Hampton Roads. The Navy still ignored him, but in March 1862,
Secretary of War
The secretary of war was a member of the U.S. president's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War", had been appointed to serve the Congress of the ...
Edwin M. Stanton
Edwin McMasters Stanton (December 19, 1814December 24, 1869) was an American lawyer and politician who served as U.S. secretary of war under the Lincoln Administration during most of the American Civil War. Stanton's management helped organize ...
, familiar with his work on the
Wheeling Suspension Bridge
The Wheeling Suspension Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the main channel of the Ohio River at Wheeling, West Virginia. It was the largest suspension bridge in the world from 1849 until 1851. Charles Ellet Jr. (who also worked on the ...
and other projects, appointed Ellet colonel of engineers and authorized him to form the
United States Ram Fleet
The United States Ram Fleet was a Union army unit of steam powered ram (ship), ram ships during the American Civil War. The unit was independent of the Union army and Union Navy, Navy and reported directly to the Secretary of War, Edwin M. Stanto ...
on the Mississippi River. The Union Navy's
Mississippi River Squadron
The Mississippi River Squadron was the Union brown-water naval squadron that operated on the western rivers during the American Civil War. It was initially created as a part of the Union Army, although it was commanded by naval officers, and ...
and the Confederate
River Defense Fleet
The River Defense Fleet was a set of fourteen vessels in Confederate service, intended to assist in the defense of New Orleans in the early days of the American Civil War. All were merchant ships or towboats that were seized by order of the War D ...
were battling for control of the Mississippi and Stanton believed the Union Navy would benefit from the addition of ram ships. Ellet and the ram fleet were outside of the navy's direct chain of command and reported directly to Stanton.
Ellet purchased the nine of the fastest river steamboats available on the Ohio River and converted them to rams. He assigned family members as captains of the other rams, including his brother
Alfred W. Ellet, his son
Charles Rivers Ellet and his nephew
John A. Ellet.
On May 25, 1862, Ellet and the ram fleet joined the Mississippi River Squadron, led by
Charles H. Davis, on the Mississippi River north of
Fort Pillow, Tennessee
Fort Pillow State Historic Park is a state park in western Tennessee that preserves the American Civil War site of the Battle of Fort Pillow. The 1,642 acre (6.6 km²) Fort Pillow, located in Lauderdale County on the Chickasaw Bluffs ove ...
. Davis had little faith in the effectiveness of the rams, but allowed the fleet to accompany his gunboats down the river to Memphis.

On June 6, Ellet led the rams in the
First Battle of Memphis as captain of with his brother Alfred W. in command of the ''
USS Monarch''. The Ellets had not coordinated a plan of attack with Davis and when the flotilla approached Confederate forces, the two rams steamed ahead of Davis' gunboats. The ''Queen of the West'' rammed and sank the Confederate flagship . After the collision, the ''Queen of the West'' came under attack from the ''
CSS Sumter
CSS ''Sumter'', converted from the 1859-built merchant steamer ''Habana'', was the first steam cruiser of the Confederate States Navy during the American Civil War. She operated as a commerce raider in the Caribbean and in the Atlantic Ocean ag ...
'' and the ''CSS Beauregard''. The attack sheared off one of the paddle wheels from the ''Queen of the West'' and forced her to ground on the riverbank. The ''Monarch'' rammed and disabled the ''CSS General Price'' and forced her to ground on the riverbank also. Ellet sent a boarding party and captured the ''General Price''. Ellet was wounded in the knee by a Confederate sharpshooter during the battle. His wound was the only serious casualty received on the Union side during the battle.
The Confederate forces suffered a severe loss at the Battle of Memphis with heavy casualties and the loss of seven of their eight ships.
Death and legacy

Ellet refused to consider
amputation
Amputation is the removal of a Limb (anatomy), limb or other body part by Physical trauma, trauma, medical illness, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as cancer, malign ...
for his injury., and his wound became infected and he died 15 days later of a blood infection in
Cairo, Illinois
Cairo ( , sometimes ) is the southernmost city in the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat of Alexander County, Illinois, Alexander County. A river city, Cairo has the lowest elevation of any location in Illinois and is the only Illinoi ...
. His body was taken to
Independence Hall
Independence Hall is a historic civic building in Philadelphia, where both the United States Declaration of Independence, Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States were debated and adopted by the Founding Fathers of ...
in Philadelphia, where he was given a state funeral. He was interred at
Laurel Hill Cemetery
Laurel Hill Cemetery, also called Laurel Hill East to distinguish it from the affiliated West Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, Bala Cynwyd, is a historic rural cemetery in the East Falls, Philadelphia, East Falls neighborhood ...
. Command of the ram fleet went to his brother Alfred W. Ellet.
The U.S. Navy named a destroyer to honor the Ellet family.
USS ''Ellet'' (DD-398) was in service in 1939–46 during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
.
In 1994,
Stanford University
Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
received a gift of Ellet's Civil War letters from Elizabeth Ellet Nitz and Frances Ellet Ward. The papers are housed in the Department of Special Collections at the university's Library.
On November 6, 1999, the Wheeling, West Virginia chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution placed a commemorative plaque on the western abutment of the Wheeling Suspension Bridge recognizing Ellet's accomplishments and his daughter,
Mary Virginia Ellet Cabell's, role in founding the Daughters of the American Revolution.
In 2000, Ellet was inducted into the National Rivers Hall of Fame at the
National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium.
Bibliography
An Essay on the Laws of Trade, in Reference to the Works of Internal Improvement in the United States Richmond: P. D. Bernard, 1839
* A popular exposition of the incorrectness of the tariffs of toll in use on the public improvements of the United States. 1839. Philadelphia: C. Sherman & Co.. Accessed a
Haithitrust
* Exposition of the causes which have conduced to the failure of many railroads in the United States. (1841) Accessed a
HaithitrustA Popular Notice of Suspension Bridges, With a Brief Description of the Wire Bridge Across the Schuykill, Fairmount Philadelphia: John C. Clark & Sons, 1843
The Position and Prospects of the Schuykill Navigation Company Philadelphia, 1845
* The Reading Railroad Company. New-York, 1845. Accessed a
HaithitrustContribution to the Physical Geography of the United States. Part 1. Of the Physical Geography of the Mississippi Valley, with Suggestions for the Improvement of Navigation of the Ohio and Other Rivers Smithsonian Institution, 1849
Report on a Suspension Bridge Across the Potomac for Rail Road and Common Travel Philadelphia: John C. Clark, 1852
Report on the Overflows of the Delta of the Mississippi Washington: A. Boyd Hamilton, 1852
The Mississippi and Ohio Rivers: Containing Plans for the Protection of the Delta from Inundation; and Investigations of the Practicality and Cost of Improving the Navigation of the Ohio and Other Rivers by Means of Reservoirs with an Appendix on the Bars at the Mouths of the Mississippi Philadelphia: Lippincott, Grambo and Co., 1853
Subscriptions to Western Railroads, Addressed to the President and Directors of the Pennsylvania Rail Road Company Philadelphia: John C. Clark & Sons, 1854
Coast and Harbour Defenses, or the Substitution of Steam Battering Rams for Ships of War Philadelphia: John C. Clark & Sons, 1855
The Mountain Top Track: A Description of the Railroad Across the Blue Ridge at Rock Fish Gap in the State of Virginia Philadelphia: T.K. & P.G. Collins, 1856
References
Sources
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Further reading
* Bell, Christopher Ross.
Charles Ellet Jr., and the theory of optimal input choice. History of Political Economy 18.3 (1986): 485–495.
* Ekelund, Robert B., and Donald L. Hooks.
Ellet, Dupuit, and Lardner: On Nineteenth Century Engineers and Economic Analysis. Nebraska Journal of Economics and Business (1973): 43–52.
* Kemp, Emory Leland. (1999),
The Wheeling Suspension Bridge: A Pictorial Heritage. Pictorial Histories Publishing Company, ISBN 978157510061
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External links
Charles Ellet, Jr. Papers, University of Michigan LibraryGuide to the Ellet Family Papers, Stanford University
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ellet, Charles Jr
1810 births
1862 deaths
19th-century American male writers
American bridge engineers
American canal engineers
American civil engineers
American railway civil engineers
Burials at Laurel Hill Cemetery (Philadelphia)
Deaths from sepsis
École des Ponts ParisTech alumni
Members of the American Philosophical Society
People from Bucks County, Pennsylvania
People of Pennsylvania in the American Civil War
Union army colonels
Union military personnel killed in the American Civil War
United States Ram Fleet