The Confederacy decided to convert the ship into a ram. The process of converting the civilian vessel into a ram began on January 25, and took place at New Orleans, Louisiana. Her bow was thickened with of oak wood, and of iron. She was also converted to a cottonclad by adding bulkheads that were filled with cotton. General M. Jeff Thompson was completed on April 11, and then sent from New Orleans up the Mississippi River. Thompson himself described General M. Jeff Thompson as "the largest and best, but slowest boat of the fleet".
