CHAPTER X.
The Promotion.
The next day, in obedience to orders from the admiral, the Michigansteamed up Red River, and came to an anchor in front of Fort De Russy. Afew rebel soldiers had taken possession of the fortifications, and thevessel had scarcely dropped her anchor when they opened upon her withmuskets. All hands were ordered under cover, and for two days were keptclosely confined below. The bullets, which constantly whistled over thedeck, did no damage beyond cutting down the flag--which, however waspromptly hoisted again--and battering up the officers' rooms on thequarter-deck, which were not iron-clad. Several attempts were made todislodge the rebels, but, as usual, without success. On the third day,however, a heavy firing up the river, in the direction of Alexandria,announced that the expedition was returning, and the rebels, fearingcapture, hastily withdrew. Toward evening the fleet came in sight, someof the transports having gun-boats alongside of them for protection. Theentire fleet bore marks of the handiwork of the rebels, in the shape ofbattered casemates, broken chimneys, and shattered upper works. Littlehad been accomplished beyond the capture of cotton, and both officersand men teemed delighted to find themselves once more on the way to theMississippi River.
In about an hour after the first boats of the fleet had made theirappearance, a tin-clad came down, bearing the admiral's flag, androunded-to and landed a short distance below the Michigan. Close behindher came another of the mosquito fleet, towed by a transport. Bothvessels were badly cut up, especially the gun-boat, which was almost awreck. Both chimneys had either been broken off by branches of trees orshattered by a shell, and her casemates were pierced in a hundredplaces. Her engines had also been disabled, and her wheel hungmotionless in the water. Still she retained enough of her formerappearance for Frank to recognize in her his old vessel, the Boxer;besides, he saw his cousin on the guards waving his handkerchief to him.While Frank stood watching the vessel, wondering how any of her crewcould have escaped, and how Archie had conducted himself during thefights through which he had passed, the captain came up out of his cabinand exclaimed:
"Mr. Nelson, you're wanted on board the flagship! Don't wait to get yourside-arms, but go at once. The admiral is in a great hurry to see you!"
Frank, wondering what new orders he was about to receive, ran down theladder that led to the afterguard, reached the shore on a plank thatextended from the stern of the vessel to the bank, and in a short timewas in the presence of the admiral.
That gentleman was so busy that he did not notice Frank, until one ofhis clerks exclaimed:
"Admiral! here's Captain Nelson, sir."
"Ah, yes," said the admiral, scarcely looking up from his work. "Sitdown, captain; I'm very busy just at present."
_Captain!_ Frank knew that neither the admiral nor his clerks werein the habit of making mistakes, but he thought they were certainlymistaken this time. Perhaps they were so busy they had not taken time tosee who he was. But he was not kept long in suspense, for the admiral,after signing his name to several documents, turned in his chair, andpicking up some letters that lay on his desk, handed them to Frank,saying:
"Captain, there are your orders. I only wanted to see you to say that Iwish them obeyed with the least possible delay. Have the Boxer back hereas soon as you can, for I want to use her. Get your baggage on board andstart at once."
Frank, so bewildered that he scarcely knew what the admiral was saying,took the letters and hurried back to the Michigan. The captain met himat the gangway, and extending his hand, said, with a smile:
"I'm sorry to have you leave us, Mr. Nelson. I suppose you have got it?"
"I have something, sir," replied Frank, "but I don't know what it is."
As he spoke, he tore open one of the envelopes, and hastily running hiseye over the letter it contained, found, to his astonishment, that hewas an acting master. The next one he opened was an order for him toreport "to the commanding officer of the U. S. S. Boxer for duty and_command of that vessel_." The other contained instructions for himto "proceed to Cairo without delay, and place his vessel under repairs,and as soon as she was put in condition for service, to return andreport to the admiral."
"Just as I expected," said the captain, who seemed to be as highlyelated as Frank himself. "Just as I expected, sir. You deserve it, and Icongratulate you."
Frank made some reply, in his excitement he hardly knew what, andhurried off to pack his trunk and bed-clothes. This being accomplished,his baggage was carried to the cutter, which lay alongside, and aftertaking leave of the captain and his messmates, he stepped into the boatand started for his vessel, which still lay at the bank, below theflagship, with the transport which was to tow her to Cairo. As hestepped on board the Boxer, he was met by Archie, and several of his oldmessmates, who greeted him cordially. The executive officer was incommand, and to him Frank showed his orders, and requested that hisbaggage might be conveyed into the cabin. He then went on deck, andafter ascertaining that the transport was ready to start, ordered theline cast off, and both vessels were soon on their course down theriver.
After finding they were fairly under way, Frank, accompanied by Archie,went into the cabin, and sat down to collect his thoughts, for, in theexcitement of his unexpected promotion, he moved like one in a dream.The cabin steward had already taken his trunk into his state-room, andwas engaged in making his bed. Captain Nelson! How strangely it sounded;and Frank repeated it several times, and gazed about the cabin as if hecould scarcely believe that he was awake. He read his appointment andorders over and over again, both to fully understand what was requiredof him, and to convince himself that he was in reality the commander ofa vessel. When he was made the executive officer of the very boat he nowcommanded, he had reached the height of his ambition, and his presentposition was a step higher than he had dared to look.
The captain of a gun-boat generally lives in a little world of his own.He has a cabin all to himself, messes alone, and rarely has intercoursewith his officers, except upon business. If he has a messmate, it iseither a clerk, or the paymaster or doctor of the vessel. Frank was notentitled to a clerk, but he had a paymaster, and, at his request, Archieat once commenced the removal of his baggage into one of the vacantstate-rooms in the cabin. While thus engaged, the orderly announced theexecutive officer, who entered to inquire if Frank had any orders togive. The latter replied that he had not, and for nearly an hour heremained in conversation with the executive, during which he learned theexact state of affairs about decks. Every thing appeared to be going onsmoothly, and Frank had no desire to show his authority by issuingunnecessary orders. One by one the wardroom and steerage officers camein to congratulate the young commander, and when bed-time came theyreturned to their quarters, saying among themselves that "Captain Nelsondidn't feel any bigger in his new position than he would if he werenothing but a Johnny master's mate."
One afternoon, after they had reached the Mississippi River, as Franksat at his desk, writing a letter to his mother, and Archie lay on thesofa close by, engaged in reading, there was a commotion on deck, andthe orderly burst into the cabin, exclaiming--
"Rebels, cap'n! A battery just ahead, sir!" And he had scarcely spoken,when there was a roar of cannon, and the shells burst over and about thevessels.
"Call to quarters," said Frank, as he sprang to his feet and ran intohis room after his side-arms and the keys to the magazine.
The orderly disappeared, followed by Archie, who, throwing his book intothe furthest corner of the cabin, ran on deck, without even waiting toget his hat.
After ordering the executive, who met him at the door, to have the lampsin the magazine lighted, and to prepare for action, Frank ran into thepilothouse, and looking up the river, discovered a smoke arising from apoint half a mile in advance of them.
"Captain," shouted the commander of the transport, who stood in hispilot-house, "what do you want me to do?"
"Take us up the river as fast as you can," shouted Frank, in reply.
The captain had evide
ntly seen some stirring times while up Red River.He was not accustomed to the noise and confusion of battle, and hisactions indicated that he did not like the idea of attempting to run bythe battery. But his orders from the admiral were to take the Boxer toCairo as soon as possible, and he dared not disobey them.
"All ready below, sir," was the word at this moment passed up throughthe trumpet.
All the guns on board the Boxer were pointed at the battery, and thecrew impatiently waited for the order to fire. Frank stood at his post,watching the battery through a spy-glass, and waiting until they shouldcome to close quarters, so that he could make every shot count. All thiswhile the shells had been dropping into the water, and shrieking throughthe air about the vessels, and one or two had found a lodgement in thewheel-house of the transport. They kept on in silence until they arrivedalmost opposite the battery, which stood out in plain view, unprotectedby levee or other breastwork, and Frank then gave the order to open uponthem. The crash that followed the order, as every gun that could bebrought to bear upon the battery belched forth its contents, wasterrific. Shells and canister rattled over the bank, cutting down therebel gunners, and disabling one of their cannon. As quickly aspossible, the guns were reloaded, and almost before the rebels hadrecovered from their panic, another broadside was poured into them, andwhen the smoke cleared away, the battery was standing deserted. Here wasan opportunity that, to Frank, had he possessed men enough to back himup, would not have been lost; he would have landed, and captured thebattery. But he was ignorant of the force of the rebels. There might bea regiment of them hidden away in the woods--enough to have captured thevessels the moment they touched the bank--and to have lost the Boxerscarcely a week after he had been placed in command of her would havebeen a misfortune indeed. He kept on up the river, shelling the woods aslong as he could bring a gun to bear upon them.
In a few days they arrived at Cairo, where Frank reported to thecommandant of the station, and his vessel was at once placed in thehands of the workmen at the navy-yard. The work was rapidly pushedforward, and at the end of a month she was declared ready for service,and after she had been furnished with a full crew from the receivingship, and Archie had laid in a stock of paymaster's stores, the Boxer,in obedience to orders, started down the river to report to the admiral.