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THE BLUE AND THE GRAY--AFLOAT
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Price per volume $1.50
TAKEN BY THE ENEMY
WITHIN THE ENEMY'S LINES
ON THE BLOCKADE
STAND BY THE UNION
FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT
A VICTORIOUS UNION
THE BLUE AND THE GRAY--ON LAND
Two colors cloth Emblematic Dies Illustrated
Price per volume $1.50
BROTHER AGAINST BROTHER
IN THE SADDLE
A LIEUTENANT AT EIGHTEEN
ON THE STAFF
AT THE FRONT
AN UNDIVIDED UNION
Any Volume Sold Separately
Lee and Shepard Publishers Boston
[Illustration:
"Christy seized him by the collar with both hands." Page 75.]
The
BLUE AND THE GRAY
Series
[Illustration]
By Oliver Optic
FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT
_The Blue and the Gray Series_
FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT
by
OLIVER OPTIC
Author of
"The Army and Navy Series" "Young America Abroad"
"The Great Western Series" "The Woodville Stories"
"The Starry Flag Series" "The Boat-Club Series"
"The Onward and Upward Series" "The Yacht-Club Series"
"The Lake Shore Series" "The Riverdale Stories"
"The Boat-Builder Series" "Taken by the Enemy"
"Within the Enemy's Lines" "On the Blockade"
"Stand by the Union" "A Missing Million"
"A Millionaire at Sixteen" etc., etc., etc.
BOSTON
LEE AND SHEPARD Publishers
Copyright, 1892 by Lee and Shepard
_All Rights Reserved_
Fighting for the Right
Type-Setting and Electrotyping by
C. J. Peters & Son, Boston
To
My Grand Nephew
RICHARD LABAN ADAMS
This Book
Is Affectionately Dedicated
PREFACE
"FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT" is the fifth and last but one of "The Blue and
the Gray Series." The character of the operations in connection with the
war of the Rebellion, and the incidents in which the interest of the
young reader will be concentrated, are somewhat different from most of
those detailed in the preceding volumes of the series, though they all
have the same patriotic tendency, and are carried out with the same
devotion to the welfare of the nation as those which deal almost solely
in deeds of arms.
Although the soldiers and sailors of the army and navy of the Union won
all the honors gained in the field of battle or on the decks of the
national ships, and deserved all the laurels they gathered by their
skill and bravery in the trying days when the republic was in peril,
they were not the only actors in the greatest strife of the nineteenth
century. Not all the labor of "saving the Union" was done in the
trenches, on the march, on the gun deck of a man-of-war, or in other
military and naval operations, though without these the efforts of all
others would have been in vain. Thousands of men and women who never
"smelled gunpowder," who never heard the booming cannon, or the rattling
musketry, who never witnessed a battle on sea or land, but who kept
their minds and hearts in touch with the holy cause, labored diligently
and faithfully to support and sustain the soldiers and sailors at the
front.
If all those who fought no battles are not honored like the leaders and
commanders in the loyal cause, if they wear no laurels on their brows,
if no monuments are erected to transmit their memory to posterity, if
their names and deeds are not recorded in the Valhalla of the redeemed
nation, they ought not to be disregarded and ignored. It was not on the
field of strife alone in the South that the battle was fought and won.
The army and the navy needed a moral, as well as a material support,
which was cheerfully rendered by the great army of the people who never
buckled on a sword, or shouldered a musket. Their work can not be summed
up in deeds, for there was little or nothing that was brilliant and
dazzling in their career. They need no monuments; but their work was
necessary to the final and glorious result of the most terrible war of
modern times.
No apology is necessary for placing the hero of the story and his
skilful associate in a position at a distance from the actual field of
battle. They were working for the salvation of the Union as effectively
as they could have done in the din of the strife. They were "Fighting
for the Right," as they understood it, though it is not treason to say,
thirty years later, that the people of the South were as sincere as
those of the North; and they could hardly have fought and suffered to
the extent they did if it had been otherwise.
The incidents of the volume are more various than in the preceding
stories, which were so largely a repetition of battle scenes; but the
hero is still as earnest as ever in the cause he loves. He attains a
high position without any ambition to win it; for, like millions of
others who gave the best years of their lives to sustain the Union, who
suffered the most terrible hardships and privations, so many hundreds of
thousands giving their lives to their country, Christy fought and
labored for the cause, and not from any personal ambition. It is the
young man's high character, his devotion to duty, rather than the
incidents and adventures in which he is engaged, that render him worthy
of respect, and deserving of the honors that were bestowed upon him. The
younger participants in the war of the Rebellion, Christy Passford among
the number, are beginning to be grizzled with the snows of fifty
winters; but they are still rejoicing in "A Victorious Union."
William T. Adams.
Dorchester, April 18, 1892.
CONTENTS
Page
CHAPTER I.
A Conference at Bonnydale 15
CHAPTER II.
A Complicated Case 26
CHAPTER III.
The Departure of the Chateaugay 37
CHAPTER IV.
Monsieur Gilfleur explains 48
CHAPTER V.
An Abundance of Evidence 59
CHAPTER VI.
The Boarding of the Ionian 70
CHAPTER VII.
A Bold Proposition 81
CHAPTER VIII.
A Notable Expedition 92
CHAPTER IX.
The Frenchman in Bermuda 103
CHAPTER X.
Important Information obtained 114
CHAPTER XI.
An Unexpected Rencontre 125
CHAPTER XII.
As Impracticable Scheme 136
CHAPTER XIII.
At the End of the Chase 147
CHAPTER XIV.
An Easy Victory 158
CHAPTER XV.
The Gentleman with a Grizzly Beard 169
CHAPTER XVI.
Among the Bahamas 180
CHAPTER XVII.
The Landing at New Providence 191
CHAPTER XVIII.
An Affray in Nassau 202
CHAPTER XIX.
An Old Acquaintance 213
CHAPTER XX.
A Band of Ruffians 224
CHAPTER XXI.
A Question of Neutrality 235
CHAPTER XXII.
On Board of the Snapper 246
CHAPTER XXIII.
The Chateaugay in the Distance 257
CHAPTER XXIV.
The Tables turned 268
CHAPTER XXV.
Captain Flanger in Irons 279
CHAPTER XXVI.
A Visit to Tampa Bay 290
CHAPTER XXVII.
Among the Keys of Tampa 302
CHAPTER XXVIII.
The Surrender of the Reindeer 313
CHAPTER XXIX.
Bringing out the Prize 324
CHAPTER XXX.
A Very Important Service 335
CHAPTER XXXI.
An Undesired Promotion 346
FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT
CHAPTER I
A CONFERENCE AT BONNYDALE
"Well, Christy, how do you feel this morning?" asked Captain Passford,
one bright morning in April, at Bonnydale on the Hudson, the residence
of the former owner of the Bellevite, which he had presented to the
government.
"Quite well, father; I think I never felt any better in all my life,"
replied Lieutenant Passford, of the United States Navy, recently
commander of the little gunboat Bronx, on board of which he had been
severely wounded in an action with a Confederate fort in Louisiana.
"Do you feel any soreness at the wound in your arm?" inquired the
devoted parent with some anxiety.
"Not a particle, father."
"Or at the one in your thigh?"
"Not the slightest bit of soreness. In fact, I have been ready to return
to my duty at any time within the last month," replied Christy very
cheerfully. "It would be a shame for me to loiter around home any
longer, when I am as able to plank the deck as I ever was. In truth,
I think I am better and stronger than ever before, for I have had a long
rest."
"Your vacation has been none too long, for you were considerably run
down, the doctor said, in addition to your two wounds," added Captain
Passford, senior; for the young man had held a command, and was entitled
to the same honorary title as his father.
"These doctors sometimes make you think you are sicker than you really
are," said Christy with a laugh.
"But your doctor did not do so, for your mother and I both thought you
were rather run out by your labors in the Gulf."
"If I was, I am all right now. Do I look like a sick one? I weigh more
than I ever did before in my life."
"Your mother has taken excellent care of you, and you certainly look
larger and stronger than when you went to sea in the Bronx."
"But I am very tired of this inactive life. I have been assigned to the
Bellevite as second lieutenant, a position I prefer to a command, for
the reasons I have several times given you, father."
"I am certainly very glad to have you returned to the Bellevite, though
the honors will be easier with you than they were when you were the
commander of the Bronx."
"But I shall escape the responsibility of the command, and avoid being
pointed at as one who commands by official influence," said Christy,
rather warmly; for he felt that he had done his duty with the utmost
fidelity, and it was not pleasant to have his hard-earned honors
discounted by flings at his father's influence with the government.
"It is impossible to escape the sneers of the discontented, and there
are always plenty of such in the navy and the army. But, Christy, you
wrong yourself in taking any notice of such flings, for they have never
been thrown directly at you, if at all. You are over-sensitive, and you
have not correctly interpreted what your superiors have said to you,"
said Captain Passford seriously.
His father recalled some of the conversations between the young officer
and Captain Blowitt and others, reported to him before. He insisted that
the remarks of his superiors were highly complimentary to him, and that
he had no right to take offence at them.
"I dare say I am entirely wrong, father; but it will do me no harm to
serve in a subordinate capacity," added Christy.
"I agree with you here; but I must tell you again, as I have half a
dozen times before, that I never asked a position or promotion for you
at the Navy Department. You have won your honors and your advancement
yourself," continued the father.
"Well, it was all the same, father; you have used your time and your
money very freely in the service of the government, as you could not
help doing. I know that I did my duty, and the department promoted me
because I was your son," said Christy, laughing.
"Not at all, my son; you deserved your promotion every time, and if you
had been the son of a wood-chopper in the State of Maine, you would have
been promoted just the same," argued Captain Passford.
"Perhaps I should," answered the young officer rather doubtfully.
"After what you did in your last cruise with the Bronx, a larger and
finer vessel would have been given to you in recognition of the
brilliant service you had rendered," added the father. "I prevented this
from being done simply because you wished to take the position of second
lieutenant on board of the Bellevite."
"Then I thank you for it, father," replied Christy heartily.
"But the department thinks it has lost an able commander," continued the
captain with a smile.
"I am willing to let the department think so, father. All I really ask
of the officials now is to send me back to the Gulf, and to the
Bellevite. I believe you said that I was to go as a passenger in the
Chateaugay."
"I did; and she has been ready for over a week."
"Why don't she go, then?" asked Christy impatiently.
"On her way to the Gulf she is to engage in some special service,"
replied Captain Passford, as he took some letters from his pocket.
"Letters!" exclaimed the young lieutenant, laughing as he recalled some
such missives on two former occasions. "Do you still keep your three
agents in the island of Great Britain?"
"I don't keep them, for they are now in the employ of the government,
though they still report to me, and we use the system adopted some two
years ago."
"What is it this time, father?" asked Christy, his curiosity as well as
his patriotism excited by this time at the prospect of capturing a
Confederate man-of-war, or even a blockade-runner.
"There are traitors in and about the city of New York," answered Captain
Passford, as he returned the letters to his pocket. "We had a rebel in
the house here at one time, you remember, and it is not quite prudent
just now to explain the contents of the letters."
"All right, father; but I suppose you will read them to me before I sail
for the South."
"I will talk to you about it another time," added the captain, as a
knock was heard at the door. "Come in!"
It was the man-servant of the house, and he brought in a tray on which
there was a card, which Captain Passford took.
"Captain Wilford Chantor," the captain read from the card. "Show him in,
Gates. Lieutenant Chantor is appointed to the command of the Chateaugay,
Christy, in which you take passage to the Gulf; but she will not go
there directly."
"Captain Chantor," said Gates, as he opened the door for the visitor.
"I am happy to see you, Captain Chantor, though I have not had the
pleasure of meeting you before," said the captain, as he rose from his
chair, and bowed to the gentleman, who was in the uniform of a
lieutenant.
"I presume I have the honor to address Captain Horatio Passford," said
the visitor, as he took a letter from his pocket, bowing very
respectfully at the same time, and delivering the letter.
"I am very glad to meet you, Captain Chantor," continued Captain
Passford, taking the hand of the visitor. "Allow me to introduce to you
my son, Lieutenant Passford, who will be a passenger on your ship to the
Gulf."
"I am very happy to make your acquaintance, Mr. Passford, for I need
hardly say that I have heard a great deal about you before, and this is
a very unexpected pleasure," replied Captain Chantor.
"Thank you, Captain, and I am equally happy to meet you, as I am to be a
passenger on your ship," added Christy, as they shook hands very
cordially.
"I had three other passengers on board, but they have been transferred
to the store-ship, which sails to-day, and you will be my only
passenger."
"At my suggestion," said Captain Passford smiling, doubtless at the
puzzled expression of the captain of the Chateaugay at his statement.
"I am to attend to some special service on my voyage to the Gulf, and I
am ordered to take my instructions from you," added Captain Chantor.
"Precisely so; but I hold no official position, and your orders will be
put in proper form before you sail," replied Christy's father. "Now, if
you will be patient for a little while, I will explain the nature of the
special service."
"I shall be very glad to understand the subject, and I am confident my
patience will hold out to any extent you may require."
The conversation so far had taken place in the library. The owner of
Bonnydale rose from his arm-chair, opened the door into the hall, and
looked about him very cautiously. Then he closed a window which the
unusual warmth of an April day had rendered it necessary to open. He
conducted his companions to the part of the room farthest from the door,
and seated them on a sofa, while he placed his arm-chair in front of
them. Even Christy thought his father was taking extraordinary
precautions, and the visitor could make nothing of it.
"As I have had occasion to remark before to-day, there are traitors in
and about New York," the captain began.
"If you have any private business with Captain Chantor, father, I am
perfectly willing to retire," suggested Christy.
"No; I wish you to understand this special service, for you may be
called upon to take a hand in it," replied Captain Passford; and the
son seated himself again. "There are traitors in and about New York,
I repeat. I think we need not greatly wonder that some of the English
people persist in attempting to run the blockade at the South, when some
of our own citizens are indirectly concerned in the same occupation."
This seemed to the captain of the Chateaugay an astounding statement,
and not less so to Christy, and neither of them could make anything of
it; but they were silent, concluding that the special service related to
this matter.
"In what I am about to say to you, Captain Chantor, I understand that I
am talking to an officer of the utmost discretion," continued Captain
Passford, "and not a word of it must be repeated to any person on board
of the Chateaugay, and certainly not to any other person whatever."
"I understand you perfectly, sir," replied the officer. "My lips shall
be sealed to all."
"I wish to say that the command of the Chateaugay would have been
offered to my son, but I objected for the reason that he prefers not to
have a command at present," said the captain.
"That makes it very fortunate for me."
"Very true, though the change was not made for your sake. You were
selected for this command as much on account of your discretion as for
your skill and bravery as an officer."
"I consider myself very highly complimented by the selection."
"Now to the point: I have information that a fast steamer, intended to
carry eight guns, called the Ovidio, sailed from the other side of the
ocean some time since, and she is to be a vessel in the Confederate
navy. Her first port will be Nassau, New Providence."
"Does that prove that any Americans are traitors in and about New York,
father?" asked Christy.
"She is to run the blockade with a cargo consisting in part of American
goods."
Captain Passford took a file of papers from his pocket.