Produced by Louise Hope, David Garcia, Juliet Sutherland
and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at
http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images
generously made available by The Kentuckiana Digital Libra
The Blue and the Gray Series
TAKEN BY THE ENEMY
WITHIN THE ENEMY'S LINES
ON THE BLOCKADE In Press
Lee and Shepard Publishers Boston
[Illustration:
"He saw Two Men making their way through the Grove."--Page 28.]
The
BLUE AND THE GRAY
Series
[Illustration]
By Oliver Optic
WITHIN THE ENEMY'S LINES
_The Blue and the Gray Series_
WITHIN THE ENEMY'S LINES
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 Stories,"
"The Onward and Upward Series," "The Yacht-Club Series,"
"The Lake Shore Series," "The Riverdale Series,"
"The Boat-Builder Series," "Taken by the Enemy," etc.
BOSTON 1890
Lee and Shepard Publishers
10 Milk Street Next "The Old South Meeting House"
NEW YORK Chas. T. Dillingham
718 and 720 Broadway
Copyright, 1889,
by Lee and Shepard
_All rights reserved._
WITHIN THE ENEMY'S LINES.
A MON JEUNE AMI,
(que je n'ai jamais vu, et que je ne connais pas,)
Monsieur Lucien Bing,
de Paris, France,
En Reconnaissance de la Bonté de son Père,
Cette Historiette de la Guerre Civile en Amerique
Est affectueusement Dédié.
PREFACE
"WITHIN THE ENEMY'S LINES" is the second volume of "The Blue and the
Gray Series." Like its predecessor, of course, its scenes are connected
with the war of the Rebellion; and perhaps the writer ought to be
thankful that he is not required in such a work to rise to the dignity
of history, but he believes that all his events were possible, and that
every one of them has had its parallel in the actual occurrences of the
historic period of which he writes. In fact, some of the experiences of
the actors in the terrible drama of a quarter of a century ago would
pass more readily for fiction than for reality, and detailed on the
pages of a story would be deemed impossible by the conservative reader.
The nation has passed out of its ordeal of fire, and an excellent spirit
on the part of both parties to the great strife is still growing and
strengthening, in spite of an occasional exhibition of folly on both
sides on the part of those who have not outlived the bitterness of the
past, and who probably will not outlive it. The time will certainly come
when the memories of the conflict, the repetition of the stories of the
war, and even the partisan praise bestowed upon the heroes of both
sides, will excite no more ill feeling than does an allusion to the
War of the Roses in England.
In this country the advocate of either side will tell his story, relate
his history, and jingle his verse in his own way, and from his own
standpoint. Those upon the other side will be magnanimous enough to
tolerate him, at least in silence. Histories, romances, poems, and plays
relating to the war, are produced in greater numbers as the gap between
the days of battle and the days of peace widens; but the old fires are
not rekindled, the old bitterness still slumbers, and the Great United
Nation still lives on in perfect peace.
The author hopes he has done nothing on these pages to impair the
growing harmony between the two sections which have happily become
one, or to impregnate the minds of those who have been born since the
strife ended with any of its bitterness. He has endeavored to make
as high-toned men on the one side as the other, with the same moral
sentiment in the one party as the other, and to exhibit their only
difference in the one great question of Union or Disunion.
Dorchester, May 2, 1889.
CONTENTS
Page
CHAPTER I.
An Unexpected Visitor 15
CHAPTER II.
A Difference of Opinion 27
CHAPTER III.
The dignified Naval Officer 37
CHAPTER IV.
Corny Passford plays Another Part 48
CHAPTER V.
Captain Carboneer and his Party 59
CHAPTER VI.
The Cabin of the Florence 70
CHAPTER VII.
Midshipman Christy Passford 81
CHAPTER VIII.
Arranging the Signals 92
CHAPTER IX.
The Approach of the Vampire 103
CHAPTER X.
A Shot from the Long Gun 114
CHAPTER XI.
The Battle alongside the Bellevite 125
CHAPTER XII.
The Prisoner of War 136
CHAPTER XIII.
After the Battle 146
CHAPTER XIV.
The Beginning of a Chase 157
CHAPTER XV.
A Chase off the Bermudas 168
CHAPTER XVI.
The Confederate Steamer Yazoo 179
CHAPTER XVII.
A Satisfactory Order 190
CHAPTER XVIII.
Lieutenant Passford in Command 201
CHAPTER XIX.
Some Trouble on Board the Teaser 212
CHAPTER XX.
Coming to the Point 223
CHAPTER XXI.
On a Dark and Foggy Night 234
CHAPTER XXII.
A Variety of Night Signals 245
CHAPTER XXIII.
Another Night Expedition 256
CHAPTER XXIV.
Lieutenant Passford on a Mission 206
CHAPTER XXV.
Christy becomes a Victim 278
CHAPTER XXVI.
The Action on the Deck of the Teaser 289
CHAPTER XXVII.
A Visit from Colonel Homer Passford 300
CHAPTER XXVIII.
An Enterprise for a Dark Night 311
CHAPTER XXIX.
The New Mate of the Cotton Schooner 322
CHAPTER XXX.
The Prize-Master of the Judith 333
WITHIN THE ENEMY'S LINES
CHAPTER I
AN UNEXPECTED VISITOR
"Cornelius!" exclaimed Captain Passford, as a young man of nineteen was
shown into the library of the magnificent dwelling of the millionnaire
at Bonnydale, on the Hudson.
"Cornelius Passford, Uncle Horatio," replied the young man, as the
captain rushed to him and extended his hand.
"I think there can be no mistake about it; and I should have been no
more surprised if Mr. Jefferson Davis had been ushered into my library
at this moment," continued Captain Passford, still retaining the hand of
his nephew. "I understood that you were a soldier in the Confederate
army."
"I was a soldier; but I am not one just now," replied the visitor, with
some embarrassment in his manner, though the circumstances were strange
enough to account for it.
"How are your father and mother and Miss Gerty, Corny?" asked the uncle
of the visitor, giving the young man the name by which he was generally
called both at home and in the family of his uncle.
"They were all very well when I left them," replied Corny, looking on
the floor, as though he was not altogether satisfied with himself.
"Of course, you brought letters from your father and Gerty?"
"No, sir; I brought no letters," replied Corny, and, more than before,
he looked as though he was not enjoying his present visit.
"No letters!" exclaimed Captain Passford, evidently surprised beyond
measure at the apparent want of kindly feeling on the part of members
of his brother's family in the South.
"Not a letter, Uncle Horatio," answered Corny, bracing himself up, as
though he realized that he was not presenting a demeanor such as he
thought the occasion required of him.
"This is very strange," added Captain Passford, with a cloud playing on
his fine features.
"It is war between the North and the South, Uncle Horatio, and I suppose
my father did not feel like writing any letters. Gerty never writes any
letters if she can help it," Corny explained.
"But Gerty used to write to Florry about once a week."
"Did she? I didn't know it. She never would write to me when I was
away from home," said Corny, who seemed to be very anxious not to say
anything that was not consistent with the present situation, whatever
it was.
"When I parted with my brother on board of the Bellevite, both of us
shed tears as we realized that war made enemies of us; but each of us
promised to do all he could for the other in case of need. I am very
sure that there was not the slightest unkind feeling between us. Of
course, I did not expect him to write me the war news, but I think he
could have written a few lines without any allusion to the war," said
Captain Passford, pained at this want of filial affection on the part
of his brother.
At that moment the bell for tea rang, and the captain invited his nephew
to the table with him. The host was saddened by the absence of news from
his brother, of any kindly expression from one who was of the same blood
as himself. He was not quite satisfied with Corny's manner, or with the
little he seemed to be willing to say about the rest of the family. It
was certainly very strange that the young man should be there at all,
and his awkwardness and confusion made the visit seem still more
singular.
It was possible that the young man had just arrived and was fatigued
by the trials and perils of his trip, for he must have come by some
roundabout way; and very likely he felt nervous and uneasy in the midst
of people who were loyal to the government and the Union. Captain
Passford decided to say nothing more to his nephew at present as to
the occasion and the manner of his visit to Bonnydale, and during the
evening meal he avoided all allusion to the war, so far as it was
possible to do so. Mrs. Passford and Florry received him very kindly,
but following the example of the head of the family, they spoke only of
domestic affairs, and of the relations of the two families as they had
been before the war.
Between the brothers Homer and Horatio Passford, even from their early
boyhood, a remarkably strong fraternal affection had subsisted. Both of
them were high-toned men, and both of them had always been faithful in
the discharge of every duty to God and man. Each of them had a wife, a
son and a daughter, and two happier families could not have been found
on the face of the earth. They were not only devoted to each other, each
within its own circle, but the two families were as nearly one as it was
possible to be.
Captain Horatio had formerly been a shipmaster, and had accumulated
an immense fortune. Homer was less fortunate in this respect, and his
tastes were somewhat different from those of his brother. He wanted to
be a planter, and with the financial assistance of his brother, he went
into the business of raising cotton near Mobile, in Alabama. But years
before the war, he had paid off every dollar of his indebtedness to
Horatio, and had made a comfortable fortune besides. The two families
had visited each other as much an possible, and the captain, with his
little family, had been almost to the plantation in the Bellevite, the
magnificent steam-yacht of the Northerner.
During the preceding winter, Captain Passford, his wife and son, had
visited most of the islands of the Atlantic; but the health of Miss
Florry was considerably impaired, and the doctors would not permit her
to make this sea-voyage, but recommended her to keep quiet in some
southern locality. She had therefore passed the winter at Glenfield,
which was the name of Homer Passford's plantation. On his return from
this long cruise, the owner of the Bellevite obtained his first news
that war existed between the North and the South from the pilot. The
three members of the family on board of the steamer were greatly
distressed over the fact that Florry was still at the home of her
uncle in Alabama, within the enemy's lines.
Without going on shore, Captain Passford decided to arm his yacht, which
was large enough for a man-of-war, and hasten to Mobile Bay to bring
back his daughter. He was in doubt with regard to the political feeling
of Homer, but believed that he would still adhere to the government and
the Union. It was a part of his mission to bring his brother and his
family to his own home at Bonnydale. Mrs. Passford was sent on shore in
a tug, and Christy, the son, was to go with her; but the young man, just
entering his seventeenth year, protested against being left at home, and
as the captain believed that a patriotic citizen ought to be willing to
give his all, even his sons, to his country, the young man went with his
father. The mother was as devoted to her country as the father, and
terrible as was the ordeal, she consented to part with him for such a
duty.
By an event fortunate for him, Captain Passford succeeded in obtaining
an armament for his vessel, as well as an abundant supply of ammunition;
and the vessel was refitted for the perilous service in which she was
to be engaged. At Nassau, Christy made the acquaintance of a young man
who proved to be of great service to the expedition, and the Bellevite
reached her destination in safety, though not without some rather
exciting incidents.
Captain Passford found that his brother was sincerely and devotedly
attached to the Southern cause. They discussed the great question for
hours upon hours, each striving to convert the other to his own views,
but with no success on the part of either. Homer Passford was a
religious man, conscientious in the discharge of every duty, and nothing
less could be said of his Northern brother. In a short time the owner of
the Bellevite found that he had fallen into a "hornet's nest," for the
planter did not believe that he ought to allow the steam-yacht to be
taken to New York to become a part of the navy of the Union. He declared
his convictions to his brother, who was compelled to regard the planter
as an enemy in spite of the relations subsisting between them. Both of
them placed their duty to their own country above every other
consideration.
Captain Passford was obliged to get his daughter out of his brother's
house by stealth, and to make his escape with the Bellevite as best he
could.
Major Lindley Pierson, in command of Fort Gaines, at the entrance to
Mobile Bay, had permitted the steamer to pass, having been deceived by
his younger brother. He had been a frequent visitor at the mansion of
Homer Passford, attracted there, it appeared, by the lovely daughter of
the planter's brother, remaining there for the winter. Perhaps on her
account, perhaps with the fear that the Bellevite was not what she had
appeared to be, he had gone to the vicinity of Glenfield to inquire into
the mission of the steamer.
Homer Passford, acting upon his convictions, gave information which
resulted in an attempt to capture the Bellevite. Christy, not informed
in regard to the plans of his father to depart at once in the steamer,
was "Taken by the Enemy," and had some very stirring adventures in the
bay. But the steamer escaped from the numerous enemies that awaited her,
and Christy got on board of her at the last minute. The Bellevite ran
the gantlet of the forts in a dense fog, and brought Miss Florry in
safety to her home at Bonnydale.
Corny Passford, whose unexpected arrival at Bonnydale had excited the
astonishment of his uncle, was a year older than Christy, and had
enlisted in the Confederate service at the insistence of Major Pierson.
Without knowing anything in particular about the matter, his uncle
believed, at his visit to Glenfield, that Corny was as earnestly devoted
to the Southern cause as his father, judging entirely from the fact that
he had enlisted as a soldier.
Corny had a good appetite, and a good supper was set before him. He ate
like a hungry boy, and the fact that he was within the enemy's lines did
not seem to have any influence upon him. His aunt helped him till he
seemed to be filled to repletion, for she thought he must have been
accustomed of late only to the most indifferent fare. After supper, he
followed his uncle back to the library; but he seemed less embarrassed
than before.
"Where is Christy, Uncle Horatio?" asked Corny, as he seated himself in
the library. "I have not seen him yet; and as I was away at the fort
when you went to Glenfield, I did not see him then."
"I don't know where he is just now, though he is in or about the house
most of the time," replied the captain. "Are you still in the army,
Corny?"
"No, sir, I am here. I did not like the service very well, and I thought
I should like the navy better. The reason why I did not like it as well
as at first was because I was no longer in Major Pierson's battalion,"
replied Corny, looking at his uncle as though he expected a question
from him.
"Then Major Pierson is no longer in the army?" added the captain.
"Oh, yes, he is; but I think he was the maddest man in the army soon
after you left."
"Indeed! Why was he so mad?"
"Because he was removed from command of Fort Gaines for letting you pass
it in your steamer."
"Then he is still in the service?" asked Captain Passford.
"Yes, sir; he is a good officer, and he will make his way, if he was
guilty of a blunder in letting the Bellevite pass the fort."
"Then you intend to be a sailor, Corny?"
"Yes, sir; in fact, I am a sailor now. I had been in your yacht so
much that I knew something about the ropes, and I had no difficulty in
getting transferred, as sailors were wanted more than soldiers," replied
Corny, who seemed to be studying the figures in the carpet.
"But if you went into the navy, how do you happen to be in New York?"
asked Captain Passford.
"I suppose you remember the Dauphine, which was fitting out when you
were in Mobile Bay?" continued Corny.
"I heard the name, and was told that she was one of the vessels that
tried to prevent the escape of the Bellevite."
"I was sent on board of her; but, in coming out of the bay, she was
captured by a Federal vessel, and sent to New York. I hid myself when
the crew were taken off, and came in her here," replied Corny, still
studying the carpet.
Captain Passford had not heard of the capture of the Dauphine. He was
not quite satisfied with the story of his nephew. But he was obliged to
go to the city, and he handed the guest over to his wife and daughter.
Corny wanted to see Christy, and Mrs. Passford had begun to be uneasy
that he did not return at dark. Corny went out to find him.