Frank Before Vicksburg

by Harry Castlemon

  CHAPTER XII.

  In the Trenches.

  The day after their arrival at Yazoo River an officer from the flag-shipcame on board. After holding a short consultation with the captain, theorder was given to get the ship under way, when, as soon as the anchorwas weighed, they steamed down the river.

  What could be the meaning of this new move? Were their services neededbelow Vicksburg, and were they about to imitate the Queen of the West,and run by the batteries in broad daylight? That hardly seemed to be thecase, for the men were not called to quarters, and the officers wereallowed to remain on deck. Every one was excited, and many were thespeculations indulged in as to what was to be the next duty the Trentonwould be called on to perform. To the impatient men, the seven milesthat lay between Yazoo River and Vicksburg seemed lengthened into ahundred; but at length they rounded the point above the mouth of thecanal, and saw before them the Sebastopol of the Rebellion. It was thefirst time Frank had ever seen the city, and it was a sight that hewould not have missed for a good deal. On the heights above the city,and even in the streets, the little mounds of earth thrown up showedwhere rebel cannon were mounted, and now and then a puff of smoke wouldrise from one of these mounds, and a shell would go shrieking toward thesolid lines of the besiegers, which now completely inclosed the rebels,while an occasional roar of heavy guns told them that the iron-cladsstill kept close watch on the movements of the enemy below.

  The right of the army rested on the river, above the city, and here theTrenton landed, just out of range of the batteries. Preparations were atonce made to move some of the guns on shore. The ones selected werethose belonging to Frank's division, and they were to be mounted in thebatteries above the city, and about a quarter of a mile from the river.It was something of a task to move the battery that distance, but Frankand his men worked incessantly, and on the second night the guns werebrought to the place where it was proposed to mount them. The sailors,although almost exhausted, at once commenced throwing up a battery; butas soon as the day dawned, a couple of shells, whistling over theirheads, admonished them that it was time to cease. After a heartybreakfast on the rations they had brought with them, the men lay down inthe trenches, and, wearied with their night's work, slept soundly, inspite of the roar of cannon and the rattling of musketry that hadcommenced as soon as it became light enough for the combatants todistinguish each other. But life in the trenches was a new thing toFrank, and he walked through the rifle-pits, every-where cordiallygreeted by the soldiers, who liked the looks of these big guns, withwhich they knew he had something to do, and who made their boasts that,as soon as the "beauties" were mounted and in position, they would"square accounts" with the rebels. There was one gun in particular thatannoyed the soldiers exceedingly, and prevented them from working on thetrenches. Every time a shell flew over their heads, they would exclaim,"Shoot away there, for this is your last day;" and Frank was obliged topromise, over and over again, that his first care should be to dismountthat gun.

  Frank found that, the further he went, the nearer the rifle-pitsapproached to the city; and finally he came to a group of soldiers whoappeared to be conversing with some invisible persons. As he approached,he heard a voice, which seemed to come from the ground, almost at hisside, exclaim:

  "I say, Yank, throw over your plug of tobacco, won't you?"

  "Can't see it, Johnny," replied one of the soldiers. "You wouldn't throwit back again."

  "Yes, I will, honor bright," answered the rebel.

  "Why," exclaimed Frank, in surprise, "I didn't know that you had pushedyour lines so close to the enemy's works!"

  "Yes," said a lieutenant, who at this moment came up, "there's a rebelrifle-pit not four feet from you."

  "Here," said a soldier, handing Frank his gun, "put your cap on thisbayonet and hold it up, and you'll soon see how far off they are."

  Frank did as the soldier suggested. The moment he raised his cap abovethe rifle-pit, a bayonet was suddenly thrust out, and when it was drawnin, his cap went with it.

  "Now, look at that!" exclaimed Frank. "It's very provoking!"

  "Aha, Yank! you're minus that head-piece," shouted a voice, which wasfollowed by a roar of laughter from the rebels, and from all thesoldiers in the rifle-pit who had witnessed the performance.

  "I'm sorry, sir," said the soldier. "I did not want you to lose yourcap." Then, raising his voice, he shouted--"Johnny, throw that cap backhere!"

  "O, no," answered the rebel; "but I'll trade with you. A fair exchangeis no robbery, you know," and as he spoke a hat came sailing through theair, and fell into the rifle-pit. It was a very dilapidated lookingaffair, bearing unmistakable proofs of long service and hard usage.

  "Say, Yank," continued the rebel, "do you see a hole in the crown ofthat hat?"

  "Do you call this thing a hat?" asked Frank, lifting the article inquestion on the point of his sword, and holding it up to the view of thesoldiers. "It bears about as much resemblance to a hat as it does to acoffee-pot."

  "I don't care what you call it," returned the rebel; "I know it has seentwo years' hard service. That hole you see in the crown was made by oneof your bullets, and my head was in the hat at the time, too."

  "Well, throw me my cap," said Frank; "I don't want to trade."

  "What will you give?"

  "We will return your hat, and give you a big chew of tobacco to boot,"said the lieutenant.

  "That's a bargain," said the rebel. "Let's have it."

  "We are not doing a credit business on this side of the house," answeredFrank. "You throw over my cap first."

  "You're sure you don't intend to swindle a fellow? Upon your honor,now."

  "Try me and see," replied Frank, with a laugh.

  "Here you are, then;" and the missing cap was thrown into the rifle-pit,and a soldier restored it to its owner. It was rather the worse for itsshort sojourn in the rebel hands, for there was a bayonet hole clearthrough it.

  "Say, you rebel," exclaimed Frank, "why didn't you tell me that you hadstuck a bayonet into my cap?"

  "Couldn't help it, Yank," was the answer. "Come now, I've filled my partof the contract, so live up to your promise. Remember, you said honorbright."

  "Well here's your hat," replied Frank; and he threw the article inquestion over to its rebel owner.

  "And here's your tobacco, Johnny," chimed in a soldier, who cut off ahuge piece of the weed, and threw it after the hat.

  "Yank, you're a gentleman," said the rebel, speaking in a thick tone,which showed that the much coveted article had already found its wayinto his mouth. "If I've got any thing you want, just say so, and youcan have it; any thing except my weapons."

  Frank, who was so much amused at what had just taken place that helaughed until his jaws ached, returned his mutilated cap to his head,and, in company with the lieutenant, continued his ramble among therifle-pits, the latter explaining the operations of the siege, and thevarious incidents that had transpired since it commenced. Therifle-pits, the entire length of General Sherman's command, were closeupon those of the rebels, and the soldiers of both sides were compelledto suspend operations almost entirely. If a man raised his head toselect a mark for his rifle, he would find a rebel, almost within reach,on the watch for him. The soldiers were very communicative, and allalong the line Frank saw groups of men holding conversation with theirinvisible enemies.

  After viewing the works to his satisfaction, Frank accompanied thelieutenant to his quarters--a rude hut, which had been hastily built oflogs and branches, situated in a deep hollow, out of reach of theenemy's shells. Here he ate an excellent dinner, and then retraced hissteps, through the rifle-pits, back to the place where his battery wasto be mounted. Throwing himself upon a blanket, he slept soundly untilnight.

  As soon as it became dark, the work of mounting the guns commenced, andwas completed in time to allow the weary men two hours' rest beforedaylight. Frank had charge of one of the guns, and an ensign attached toone of the iron-clads commanded the other. The whole was under
thecommand of the captain of the Trenton. As soon as the enemy's linescould be discerned, Frank, in accordance with the promises made the daybefore, prepared to commence the work of dismounting the battery whichhad given the soldiers so much trouble. He pointed his gun himself, andgave the order to fire. With the exception of now and then amusket-shot, or the occasional shriek of a shell as it went whistlinginto the rebel lines, the night had been remarkably quiet, and the roarthat followed Frank's order awoke the echoes far and near, causing manya soldier to start from his blanket in alarm. A shell from the other gunquickly followed, and the soldiers, as soon as they learned that the"gun-boat battery" had opened upon the rebel works, broke out intodeafening cheers. They had great confidence in the "beauties," as theycalled the monster guns, for they had often witnessed the effect oftheir shells, and knew that those who worked them well understood theirbusiness. Frank had opened the ball, and in less than half an hour thefiring became general all along the line. The gun against which theirfire was directed replied briskly; but after a few rounds the batterygot its exact range--an eight-inch shell struck it, and it disappearedfrom sight. Cheers, or, rather, regular "soldier-yells"--a noise that isdifferent from every other sound, and which can not be uttered except bythose who have "served their time" in the army--arose the whole lengthof the line, as the soldiers witnessed the effect of the shot, and knewthat their old enemy would trouble them no more.

  In obedience to the captain's order, the fire of the battery was thendirected toward different parts of the rebel works. The "beauties"performed all that the soldiers had expected of them, for they were wellhandled, and the huge shells always went straight to the mark. At darkthe firing ceased, and Frank, tired with his day's work, ate a heartysupper, and threw himself upon his blanket to obtain a few moments'rest.

  The soldiers from all parts of the line at length began to crowd intothe battery, examining every part of the guns, and listening to theexplanations given by the old quarter-gunner, who, although almosttired out, was busy cleaning the guns, and could not think of rest untilthe battery had been put in readiness for use on the morrow. At length aman approached the spot where Frank was reposing, and, seating himselfat his side, commenced an interesting conversation. Frank soon learnedthat his visitor was one of the most noted scouts in the Union army. Hewas a tall, broad-shouldered man, straight as an arrow, and evidentlypossessed a great deal of muscular power. Though ragged and dirty, likehis companions, there was something about him that at once attractedFrank. His actions were easy and graceful, and he had an air ofrefinement, which was observed by every one with whom he came incontact. He was serving as a private in his regiment, and, althoughfrequently urged to accept a command, always declined, for he despisedthe inactivity of camp life, and delighted in any thing in which therewas danger and excitement. It was hinted that he had seen some hardtimes during his career as a scout. At length, when the conversationbegan to flag, one of the soldiers asked for a story, and the scout,after lighting his pipe, settled back on his elbow, and began asfollows: