Frank Before Vicksburg

by Harry Castlemon

  CHAPTER XV.

  A Race for the Old Flag.

  "The next day," continued the ensign, "the squadron again got under wayand steamed down the river, and came to anchor above, and almost withinrange of, the heights of Grand Gulf. A casual observer would hardly havethought that the bluffs which arose so majestically, like grim sentinelswatching over the lesser heights around them, were bristling withhostile batteries, ready to dispute the further advance of the Unionfleet; for, so carefully had they been concealed, that nothingsuspicious could be discovered. But we were not deceived. We knew thatthe trees which covered the bluffs, and waved so gently back and forthin the breeze, concealed fortifications of the most formidable kind, andthat Union blood must be shed before they could be wrested from thetraitorous hands that had constructed them.

  "During the week of inactivity that followed, many an impatient eye wasdirected toward the heights which, now so quiet, were soon to bedisturbed by the noise and confusion of battle. At length the flag-shipwas seen approaching, and every one was on the alert. Two more days ofinactivity passed, however; but on the third morning, just after thecrews had finished their breakfast, signal was made to commence theattack. The anchors were weighed, the men called to quarters, and thefleet bore down upon the rebel stronghold, which was soon enveloped inthe smoke of battle.

  "The Concord led the advance. For two hours the battle raged with greatfury on both sides, the rebels stubbornly holding their ground, in spiteof the storm of shells that thinned their ranks and tore up the groundabout them. During this time the Concord had again become unmanageable,on account of the strong eddies in the river, and had worked into aposition scarcely two hundred yards from the batteries, from which shecould not be extricated. It was impossible either to advance or retreatwithout running into the bank, and if she attempted to round-to, herdestruction was certain. Of course, we below, being busy fighting ourguns, knew nothing of our danger; but the captain, although as brave aman as ever trod a ship's deck, was not a little dismayed when he foundhimself in this perilous situation. He did not expect to bring hisvessel safely out of the action, but he stood in the pilot-house andissued his orders with as much coolness as though he were going throughthe regular daily exercise, instead of being under the hottest fire theenemy could rain upon his vessel.

  "In the mean time, I had been sending my shells as rapidly as possibletoward the rebel gunners, whom I could see moving about in thebatteries. Up to this time not one of my men had been injured; but, justas I was in the act of sighting one of my guns, there was a stunningcrash, and a vivid light shone for an instant in my eyes, accompanied bya terrific explosion. I saw the air filled with smoke and splinters,heard appalling cries of terror and anguish, and then all was blank. Ashell had entered the casemate above the port, killing and woundingseveral of my crew, and a piece of heavy timber, which had beendetached from the bulk-head by the explosion, struck me on the head, andlaid me out senseless on the deck.

  "When I was restored to consciousness I was lying on a mattress in theengine-room, and anxious faces were bending over me. I remember ofmistaking the doctor and his attendants for the men belonging to mygun's crew, and imagining myself still in battle, I gave the order to'Train that No. 2 gun a little further to the left, and fire;' then Ibecame insensible again.

  "About the middle of the afternoon I awoke from a refreshing slumber,but, of course, could not imagine how I came to be in that situation. Ifelt of my head, which was covered with bandages, and of my arm, whichwas done up in a sling, and finally the remembrance of the scenesthrough which I had passed came back to me like a dream.

  "While I was wondering how the fight had terminated, and who had comeout victorious, a sailor, who had been appointed to act as my nurse,entered the engine-room, and approached the bed on tip-toe. From him Ilearned that the Concord had been under fire for five hours andthirty-five minutes; that we had been only partially successful, nothaving silenced all the batteries; that the fleet, with the exception ofone vessel, which was lying a short distance above the bluff, andoccasionally sending a shell into the batteries to prevent the rebelsfrom repairing the damage which they had suffered, were at their oldanchorage again; that the Concord had been struck thirty-five times byheavy shot, but, although quite badly cut up, was not permanentlyinjured; and that our vessel would soon be ready for action again, theentire crew being busily engaged in repairing the damages she hadsustained.

  "My head and arm pained me considerably; but, being under the influenceof some powerful medicine which the doctor had administered, I soon fellasleep, from which I was awakened by the rolling of a drum. Hastilystarting up, I found the engineers at their stations, and I knew, by thetramping of feet on the deck above me, that the men were hurrying totheir quarters. The 'ruling passion' was strong with me. I had grown soaccustomed to yield prompt obedience to the call to quarters, that Iquite forgot I was wounded. Springing up, I at once pulled on myclothes--an operation which I found rather difficult on account of mywounded arm--seized my sword, which lay at the head of the bed, sprangup the stairs that led to the main-deck, and ran forward to take commandof my division. As I passed the door of the dispensatory, I wasconfronted by the surgeon, who, holding up his hands in dismay,exclaimed:

  "'Mr. Morton! Do you know what you are about? Where are you going?'

  "'Going to quarters, doctor. Didn't you hear that drum?'

  "'Get below, sir, instantly,' was the doctor's answer. 'Get below! anddon't let me catch you on deck again until I give you permission. Getbelow, I tell you, sir!' he continued, in a louder tone, seeing that Ihesitated. 'Haven't you got sense enough to know that you aredangerously wounded? I am surgeon of this ship, and have authority toenforce my commands.'

  "Of this I was well aware, and I was obliged to retrace my steps to theengine-room, where I lay down upon the bed.

  "The morning's fight having convinced the admiral that, although thebatteries had been partially silenced, they could not be completelyreduced, without the co-operation of the land forces, he returned to hisold anchorage, for the purpose of convoying the transports which were torun by the batteries and ferry the troops across the river below. Thelatter followed close in the wake of the gun-boats, on which thebatteries opened quite as briskly as in the morning. The iron-cladsreplied, and under cover of their fire the transports passed thebatteries in safety, after which the gun-boats also ran by, and assistedin carrying the troops across the river. In this fight the Concord wasstruck but twice, and no one was injured. As soon as she had beenbrought to an anchor, the doctor entered the engine-room, and, afterregarding me for a moment with an expression that I could notunderstand, said:

  "'You're a nice one, ain't you?'

  "'Why, doctor, what's the matter?' I asked.

  "'You don't wish to get well, I guess.'

  "'O, yes, I do! But I am not badly hurt; there was nothing to hinder mefrom taking my station.'

  "'You will allow me to be the judge of that, if you please,' returnedthe doctor. 'But I have got a room fixed up for you on deck. Do you feelable to walk up there?'

  "'Certainly. I am not hurt, I tell you, doctor,' I repeated. 'I canoutrun, outjump, or outlift you; and yet you take as much care of me asthough I was badly wounded.'

  "'Well, you've got a big hole in your head anyhow,' said the doctor, ashe took my arm, and assisted me up the stairs, in spite of my assertionsthat I was 'able to walk alone.' 'It's an ugly-looking wound. Just takemy advice now; let me put you on the sick-list for a day or two, and youwill be all right.'

  "'Well, don't keep me on the list any longer than is necessary,' Ianswered, knowing that I would be compelled to submit to the doctor'srequirements, whether I wanted to or not. 'I do detest a life ofinactivity. I want to be doing something.'

  "I was furnished with a bed in the ward-room, for my own quarters hadbeen almost demolished during the late fights, and during the two daysthat followed, I passed the time miserably enough. Every able-bodied manon board the ship was engaged in repai
ring damages, while I, beingclosely watched by the doctor, was obliged to remain quiet. My woundstroubled me very little. On the third day after the fight, to my immenserelief, my name was taken off the sick-list, and I was allowed to returnto duty.

  "The next morning after this, signal was made from the flag-ship to getunder way, and resume the attack upon the batteries at Grand Gulf. As weapproached the heights, a column of smoke, which was seen arising overthe trees, told us that the rebels had abandoned their fortifications.The gun-boats touched the bank at the foot of the hill at about the samemoment; and, as the Concord's bows touched the shore, the captain thrusthis head from the pilot-house, and shouted:

  "'Get ashore there, you sea-cooks! Get ashore there, and hoist theConcord's flag over that fort on the top of the hill! Off you go--runlike quarter horses!'

  "The sailors did not need a second bidding, but, leaving their quarters,they made a general rush for the place where the boat-ensigns werestowed, and if one of the men succeeded in securing a flag, he wasinstantly seized by half a dozen others, who desperately struggled towrest it from him, that they might have the honor of planting it uponthe rebel heights, while he struggled as furiously to retain it. Alldiscipline was at an end. The sailors, wild with excitement, werestruggling and shouting below, while the captain stood on thequarter-deck, almost beside himself, for fear that his men would bebehind, for the crews of each vessel were jumping ashore, bearing intheir hands the flags which they had determined to plant upon thedeserted fortifications.

  "I stood at the hatchway, looking down upon the struggling crew beneath,regretting that my wounded arm--which still continued to pain me atintervals--prevented me from entering as a competitor, when I wasaroused by:

  "'Mr. Morton! I know you want this, sir.'

  "I turned, and found one of the quarter-masters holding out a flag tome.

  "'Certainly I want it,' I answered. 'Thank you;' and seizing the flag, Isprang upon the hammock-nettings. At this moment the doctor discoveredme, and shouted:

  "'Mr. Morton, what are you about, sir? Remember, I only put you on lightduty. It will be the death of you, if you attempt to run up that hill.'

  "But I was excited, and, without waiting to answer, sprang overboard. Iwas so anxious to be first, that I could not waste time to go below, andleave the ship in a proper manner. The moment I touched the water, Istruck out for the shore, and as I clambered up the bank, I found crowdsof men from each vessel running at the top of their speed toward thehill, all bent on planting the glorious old flag on the pinnacle, forthe possession of which they had fought so long and desperately. But farin advance of all of them I saw one of the engineers of the Concord. Iwas both pleased and annoyed at this--pleased that the ship to which Ibelonged should have the honor of hoisting the Stars and Stripes overthe rebel stronghold, and annoyed that I could not be the person who wasto raise it. But it was not my disposition to be discouraged. As I hadfew equals in running, I determined to overtake the engineer, and, ifpossible, to beat him.

  "As soon as I reached the top of the bank, I commenced running, and wassoon ahead of many of those who were far in advance of me when Istarted. The engineer, in the mean time, also proved that he was no meanrunner; and the little flag which he carried over his shoulder moved farup the mountain, dancing about among the rocks and bushes like awill-o'-the-wisp, seeming to recede as I advanced. Soon I had passed allof my competitors with the exception of this one, and the race was nowbetween us. Up, up we ran. I soon discovered that I was gaining at everystep. Presently I was so close to him that I could hear his quick, heavybreathing. We were rapidly nearing the fort that crowned the crest ofthe hill, and I redoubled my exertions. The engineer did likewise. Itseemed as though the sight of those battered fortifications had infusednew life into him, for he ran at a rate that astonished me; and when Ireached the top of the hill the little banner had been planted on thebreastworks, and my rival lay on the ground, panting and exhausted.Cheers, long and loud, burst from the gallant band standing at the footof the hill, who had been interested spectators of our movements, andtheir shouts were answered with redoubled energy by the crew of theConcord, who, in their joy at seeing their own flag planted on the fortby one of their own officers, forgot all the sacrifices they had made toaccomplish that end.

  "In a short time the heights were covered with men, who busiedthemselves in completing the destruction which the rebels had commenced.At dark all returned on board their respective vessels, which moved outinto the stream a short distance, and anchored. I paid dearly for myfoolishness in jumping overboard, and then running that distance in thehot sun; for two days after that I was confined to my bed, and finally,at the doctor's suggestion, I was dumped into an ambulance and sent byland to the hospital-ship. I was well again in two weeks, and learningthat a naval battery was to be mounted on shore, volunteered to assistin working it, received permission, and am ready to face any new dangersfor the sake of the old flag."

  The next day, while Frank and his companion were fighting the battery,the former was surprised by the appearance of a strange officer, whobrought orders for him to report on board his vessel without delay. Heobeyed the summons, and found that the Trenton had been ordered up theYazoo River, and that he had been sent for to take charge of a divisionwhose commanding officer had been sent to the hospital. As soon as hearrived on board, the vessel was got under way, and, in company with theflag-ship and several gun-boats, which they found waiting for them atthe mouth of the Yazoo River, they started toward Haines' Bluff. Thereport was, the attack was to be a 'feigned' one, but Frank thought,from the pounding the Trenton received, that it might as well have beena _real_ one.

  The fight was continued until dark, when the vessels dropped down out ofrange of the batteries and anchored.