Frank Before Vicksburg

by Harry Castlemon

  CHAPTER IV.

  The Fight in the Woods.

  On the next day they arrived at Cypress Bend, where they found three"tin-clads" anchored, paying no attention to the perfect storm ofbullets which the concealed rebels rained upon their decks from behindthe levee. As soon as the Ticonderoga came within range, the guerrillasdirected a volley against her; but, although her decks were crowded withmen, the fire was without effect. The boatswain's whistle, and theorder, "All hands under cover," rang sharply through the ship, and thedecks were instantly deserted. The second division--the one which Frankcommanded--was at once called to quarters, and as soon as the gun couldbe cast loose and pointed, an eleven-inch shell went shrieking into thewoods. It burst far beyond the levee. The rebels sent back a tauntinglaugh, and their bullets fell faster than ever.

  The levee which lines both banks of the Mississippi forms a mostexcellent breastwork; and behind this, a party of determined men caneasily hold twice their number at bay, unless a position can be obtainedwhere they can be brought under a cross-fire. The formation of the riverrendered it impossible for such a position to be taken, and it wasevident that to anchor before the levee and attempt to dislodge themwith big guns, was worse than useless; neither could they be beaten backwith their own weapons, for the rebels were very expert in"bushwhacking," exposing but a very small portion of their persons, andthe best marksman would stand but a poor chance of hitting one of them.Some more decisive steps must be taken.

  So thought the captain of the Ticonderoga, as he paced up and down theturret, while Frank, divested of his coat, was issuing his commands withhis usual coolness, now and then catching hold of a rope and giving apull at the gun, all the while sending the shells into the levee, makingthe dirt fly in every direction.

  "Cease firing, Mr. Nelson," said the captain, at length. "It is uselessto think of driving them off in this manner."

  "Cease firing, sir," repeated Frank, showing that he understood theorder. "Run the gun in, lads, and close those ports."

  The captain then ordered his vessel to be run alongside of the Rover,(one of the tin-clads,) and, after a few moments' consultation with hercommander, some plan seemed to have been determined upon, for Frank wasagain ordered to open a hot fire on the levee. Under cover of this,signal was made for the other two vessels to get under way, and proceeddown the river.

  "Mr. Nelson," said the captain, as soon as he had seen the signalobeyed, "give the command of your division to the executive officer, andcome down into the cabin for orders."

  As soon as the executive could be found, Frank gave up the command tohim, and as he entered the cabin, the captain said to him:

  "I have ordered the tin-clads to go down the river and land as many menas they can spare, to get around in the rear of those rebels, and getthem out from behind that levee. They must be got out of that, ifpossible, for navigation is virtually closed as long as they remainthere. I shall also send our two howitzers and forty men, of which youwill take command. I need not tell you to do your best."

  The captain then went on deck, selected the men, and Frank succeeded ingetting them and the howitzers safely on board the Rover, which stilllay alongside. The smoke from the gun of the Ticonderoga completelyconcealed their movements, and the rebels were entirely ignorant of whatwas going on. As soon as the men were all on board, the Rover steameddown the river and joined the other vessels, which were waiting for herto come up.

  About five miles below was a point which completely concealed them fromthe view of the rebels, and behind this point the vessels landed; thecrews disembarked, and commenced marching through the woods toward theplace where the rebels were posted. They numbered two hundred and fiftymen, and were commanded by the captain of the Rover, who, although avery brave man and an excellent sailor, knew nothing of infantrytactics. The second in command was Mr. Howe, an ensign belonging to thesame vessel. He had never been in a fight; and when he first enteredthe navy he knew no more about a vessel than he did about the moon. Hisappointment had been obtained through some influential friends at home.He had served in a company of state militia, however, before thebreaking out of the war, and considered himself quite a military genius.

  The sailors marched in line of battle--with skirmishers in front and oneach flank, and Frank, with his battery, was in the center. In thismanner they marched for about an hour, and then a halt was ordered, andthe captain, with several of his officers, went forward to reconnoiter,while Mr. Howe, who was left in command, ordered the men to "stackarms." Frank was astounded when he heard this command, and, approachingthe officer, saluted him, and said:

  "I object to this, Mr. Howe. I think it would be much better, sir, tokeep the men under arms; for it is by no means certain that all therebels we shall be obliged to fight, are in front of us."

  "I believe you were put in command of that battery, sir," replied Mr.Howe, haughtily, "while I was left in charge of these men. I wouldthank you, then, to attend to your own business, and to let me alone."

  "Very good, sir," answered Frank. "I did not intend to give any offense,sir, but merely to offer a suggestion. But if I command that battery, Iintend to have it in readiness for any emergency. Cut loose those guns,lads, and stand to your quarters!"

  The reports of muskets in their front proved that the rebels were yetkeeping a hot fire directed against the Ticonderoga. But still Frank wasnot deceived; he knew that all the fighting would not be done at thefront. Scarcely had these thoughts passed through his mind, when therewas a rapid discharge of fire-arms in their rear, and two of the menfell. As Frank had expected, the rebels had been informed of what wasgoing on, and had sent part of their force to cut the sailors off fromthe river. For a moment the greatest confusion prevailed. The men, whohad been lying about in the shade of the trees, made a general rush fortheir weapons, and after delivering a straggling and ineffectual fire,hastily retreated, with the exception of Frank's men, and a few of themore courageous of the infantry. The latter concealed themselves behindtrees and logs, and deliberately returned the fire of the rebels, whilethe former, who were old seamen, and had long been accustomed to thediscipline of the service, stood at their guns awaiting orders. Mr.Howe, for a moment, stood pale and trembling, and then, without waitingto give any orders, disappeared in the bushes. Frank, who was left alonewith but sixty men, was astounded when he witnessed this cowardlyconduct of his superior, and he had hardly time to recover from hissurprise, when the rebels, after firing another volley, broke from theirconcealments, with loud yells, and charged toward the guns. This broughtFrank to his senses. With the handful of men he had left, he could atleast cover the retreat of his timid support.

  "Steady there, lads!" he shouted. "Aim low--fire!"

  The howitzers belched forth their contents, and, as Frank had taken theprecaution to have them loaded with canister, the slaughter was awful.The muskets had also done considerable execution, and the rebelsrecoiled when they witnessed the havoc made in their ranks. Frank, whowas always ready to take advantage of such an opportunity, immediatelyordered a counter-charge. The sailors sprang at the word, with a yell,and, led by Frank, who fixed his bayonet as he ran, threw themselvesupon the rebels, who at once fled precipitately, leaving their dead andwounded on the field.

  "Back to your guns, lads," shouted Frank, "and give 'em a shot beforethey get out of range."

  The men worked with a yell, sending the shells rapidly in the directionin which the rebels had retreated, until a loud roar of musketry at thefront told them that they had other enemies with which to deal.

  While this fight at the rear had been going on, the sailors who hadretreated had been met by the captain and his officers, who werereturning from their reconnoissance, and, as soon as order could berestored, an attack had been made on the rebels who were still postedbehind the levee. In a few moments Mr. Howe came running up, andaddressing himself to Frank, exclaimed:

  "What are you doing here, sir--shooting into the woods where there areno rebels? Why are you not at the front, wh
ere you belong? If you areafraid to go there, you had better give up the command of that battery."

  Frank thought this was a nice way for Mr. Howe to talk, after the mannerin which he had behaved a few moments before, but, without stopping toreply, he ordered the guns to be secured, and the men, catching up thetrail-ropes, commenced dragging the battery toward the place where thefight was raging, while Mr. Howe again suddenly disappeared.

  When Frank arrived at the front, he found the rebels were still behindthe levee, where they were exposed to a galling fire from the sailorswho were concealed among the trees, evidently preferring to run the riskof being driven out by the musketry than to brave the shells from theTiconderoga, which now began to fall into the woods just behind them,and bursting, threw dirt and branches in every direction. Withoutwaiting for orders, Frank immediately took up a sheltered position, andstraightway opened upon the rebels a hot fire of canister. By theexertions of the officers, the stragglers were all collected, and, whilethe line was being formed for a charge, Frank was ordered to move hisbattery out of the woods, into the open field. The young officer's bloodran cold when he heard this command, for the rebels, who greatlyoutnumbered the sailors, and who were deterred from making a charge andoverpowering them only through fear of the shells from the Ticonderoga,were sending a perfect shower of bullets into the bushes where thehowitzers were stationed. Even in his present protected position, Frankhad lost five of his men, and when he thought what a slaughter therewould be when he should move out of his concealment, it made himshudder. But he had always been taught that the success of the navy wasowing to "strict discipline;" and once, when he had been reported to thecaptain for disobeying an order which he had considered as unjust, thatgentleman had told him--"Always obey whatever orders you may receivefrom your superiors, and, if you are aggrieved, you can seek redressafterward." In the present instance, this seemed very poor policy; forwhat good would it do to make objections to the order after his men hadbeen sacrificed? He had no alternative, however, but to obey. The men,too, were well aware of the danger they were about to incur, buthesitated not a moment when Frank repeated the order to advance. They atonce pushed the guns out into the open ground, and the effect was asthey had expected. The whole fire of the rebels was directed againstthem, and every volley left Frank with less men to handle his battery.In fact, it soon became impossible to load the guns; for, as fast as themen picked up a rammer or sponge, they were shot down. It was evidentthat they could not remain there.

  "Jack," said Frank at length, turning to the old boatswain's mate, "goand ask the captain if I can't be allowed to move back to my oldposition. I can do more execution there. Besides, we'll all be dead menin less than five minutes, if we remain here."

  The man bounded off to execute the order, and just then the captain ofone of the guns was killed. Frank immediately seized the priming-wirewhich had fallen from his hand, and worked with the rest. His fear hadgiven place to a reckless determination to do his duty, for, let theconsequences be what they might, no blame could be attached to him.Impatiently, however, he waited for the return of the mate, and hisimpatience increased when word was brought him that the ammunition wasfailing. At length, after a delay which seemed extraordinary, a chargewas ordered.

  The rebels seemed to have an idea of what was going on, for, a fewmoments before the order was given, their fire slackened considerably;but, as soon as the sailors, in obedience to the command, issued fromthe woods, they were met with a terrific fire, which threw them intoconfusion. In vain their officers urged and commanded; the men refusedto advance, but remained standing in full view of the rebels, whileevery moment their comrades were falling around them. At length theenemy made a counter-charge, and the sailors, without waiting to resist,broke and fled in every direction. Frank and his men remained at theirposts until the last moment; but they soon found themselves completelydeserted, and were obliged to fall back into the woods.

  By the exertions of the officers, a few of the men were rallied in theedge of the timber, and, bravely standing their ground, the rebels weremet with a murderous fire, and the shells from the Ticonderoga, whichnow began to burst in their very midst, completed their confusion, andthey, in turn, were compelled to retreat.

  In an instant, Frank and several of his men sprang out and attempted torecover the howitzers, which had been left between the lines, but therebels were on the watch, and, after the loss of three of his men, hewas obliged to order a retreat. For two hours a severe a fight wasmaintained, the rebels making several charges, which were easilyrepulsed by the sailors; and each time Frank made unsuccessful attemptsto recover his battery, but was as often compelled to retreat, leavingsome of his men dead on the field, or prisoners in the hands of theenemy.

  The left of the line rested on the bank of the river, where a full viewof the Ticonderoga could be obtained. After the fight had raged nearlythree hours, without any advantage being gained on either side, one ofthe men reported that the ship was making signals. The commander of theexpedition hurried along the line, calling out--

  "Mr. Howe! Where's the signal officer, Mr. Howe?" But he received noanswer. No one had seen Mr. Howe since he had so ingloriously retreatedat the commencement of the fight.

  "Pass the word along the line for Mr. Howe!" shouted the captain.

  The order was obeyed, and finally a faint voice, some distance in therear, replied, "Here, sir."

  "What are you doing there, sir?" demanded the captain, in a voice ofthunder. "Why are you not at your post? Get out there with your flag,and answer the Ticonderoga's signals." And the captain began to consulthis signal-book.

  Mr. Howe looked first at the rebels, then at the captain, then down atthe flag which he held in his hand, but he did not move. It was adangerous undertaking; for, in answering the signals, he would beobliged to stand on the bank of the river, where there was nothing butbushes to protect him, and where the rebels would be certain to see him;but the rattling of the musketry, the sharp whistle of the bullets asthey flew thickly about among the trees, and the roar of theTiconderoga's guns--sounds which he had never before heard--so workedupon the imagination of the terrified man, that the danger seemedtenfold worse than it really was.

  In a few moments the captain had made out the signal, which was, "How doyou succeed?" and exclaimed:

  "Mr. Howe, make the answer that we don't succeed at all--no advantage oneither side; that our ammunition is getting scarce; and that----. Whydon't you start, sir?" he shouted, seeing that Mr. Howe did not move.

  "Captain," faltered the man, in a scarcely audible voice, "I should bevery happy, sir; very glad, indeed, sir; but--, but--"

  "No remarks, sir, but do as you are ordered, instantly."

  "Really, captain, I--, I--"

  The man could go no further, but stood trembling like a leaf, with theutmost terror depicted in every feature.

  "You're a coward, sir!" shouted the captain, in a terrible rage--"amean, contemptible coward."

  "I know it, sir," replied the man, so terrified that he scarcely knewwhat he was saying; "but the fact is"----

  "Go to rear!" shouted the captain, "and stay there. Here, sir," hecontinued, turning to Frank, who happened to be the nearest officer,"can you make those signals?"

  "Yes, sir," answered Frank, promptly. His face was very pale, for,accustomed as he was to the noise and confusion of battle, he well knewthere was danger in the step he was about to take. But his featuresexpressed determination instead of betraying terror. His duty must bedone, whatever the consequences might be; and hastily picking up theflag which Mr. Howe, in his fright, had dropped, he sprang out in viewof the Ticonderoga, made the required signals, and retreated in safety.The rebels had seen the flag waving above the bushes, and had directed ahot fire against it, but, although his frail protection was riddled withbullets, Frank escaped unhurt.

  In a quarter of an hour, during which time the fire was warmly sustainedby both parties, the Ticonderoga again made signals, ordering thecaptain of the expedi
tion to make the best of his way back to hisvessels. Frank answered the signal, and again retreated in safety.

  The word had already been passed along the line to fall back slowly,when Frank, approaching the captain, said:

  "I do not wish to go back to the ship without my battery, sir. Will yougive me men enough to recover it?"

  "No, sir; I can't send any one out there to be shot at. It is certaindeath, sir."

  Frank, who thought that the captain had suddenly grown very careful ofhis men, made no reply, but hastened back to the spot where he had lefthis battery. To his joy and surprise he found one of the howitzers safein the hands of his men; and, as he came up, a shell went crashingtoward the rebel line, followed by a triumphant shout from the sailors.The boatswain's mate, who had managed to secure the gun, by throwing arope around the trail-wheel, was endeavoring, in the same manner, toobtain possession of the other. After a few ineffectual attempts, hesucceeded, and the gun was pulled back safely into the bushes. When theyhad secured the remainder of the ammunition, the men caught up thetrail-ropes, and, without delay, Frank took his old position in thecenter of the retreating line. The rebels followed them so closely thatthe sailors were frequently compelled to halt and drive them back.During one of these halts, the captain of the expedition was killed. Asif by magic, Mr. Howe appeared on the scene, and, without waiting torecover the body of his officer, gave the command to fall back morerapidly. At length, just before they reached the bank where they haddisembarked, the ammunition for the howitzers being exhausted, Frankrequested permission to retreat still more rapidly, and get his guns onboard the nearest vessel.

  "That request is in perfect keeping with your conduct during the fight,"returned Mr. Howe, sneeringly. "The plea of saving your battery is avery handy one; but if you are afraid to remain here with us, you mayrun as fast as you wish. I'd be ashamed to hold up my head after this,if I were in your place."

  "I am not afraid to remain here, sir," answered Frank, with a good dealof spirit; "and if you say that I have acted the part of a coward duringthis fight, I defy you to prove the charge. The idea that I am afraid,because I wish to retreat in order to save my battery, is absurd. Runthose guns along lively, lads."

  Frank succeeded in getting his howitzers on board one of the tin-clads,which still lay alongside of the bank, without the loss of another man.A moment afterward the sailors came pouring down the bank. As soon asthey were all on board, the vessels moved out into the stream, andcommenced shelling the woods. While thus engaged, the Ticonderoga camedown the river, and, after dropping her anchor, signaled for the officerin command of the expedition to repair on board. Mr. Howe at once putoff in a boat to obey the order, while the vessel in which Frank hadtaken refuge ran alongside of the Ticonderoga, and as soon as thebattery had been taken off, the men, covered with dust and blood, andtheir faces begrimed with powder, stood silently around the guns, whilethe remainder of the crew gathered on the opposite side of the deck, andregarded their comrades with sorrow depicted in every feature of theirsun-burnt faces. Frank knew that the fight had been a most desperateone, and that he had lost many of his men; but he could scarcely believehis eyes, when he found that out of the forty brave fellows who hadstarted out with him in the morning, but _fifteen remained_--more thanhalf had been left dead on the field, or prisoners in the hands of therebels.

  In a scarcely audible voice he called the roll, and his emotionincreased when, at almost every third name, some one answered:

  "Not here, sir."

  In a few moments the captain appeared on deck. The report of thecommander of the expedition had, of course, been unfavorable, and thecaptain's face wore a look of trouble. Hastily running his eye over theline of dusty, bleeding men that stood before him, he said, in a lowvoice, as if talking to himself:

  "Only fifteen left. I could ill afford to lose so many men. You may gobelow, lads. Doctor, see that the very best care is taken of thewounded."

  After delivering this order, the captain, who was evidently ill at ease,turned and walked down into his cabin.