This eBook was produced by David Garcia Juliet SutherlandCharles Franks and the Online Distributed Proofreading TeamFRANK ON THE LOWER MISSISSIPPIBYHARRY CASTLEMON  CONTENTS  CHAPTER    ITHE NEW PAYMASTER  CHAPTER   IIA NIGHT EXPEDITION  CHAPTER  IIIARCHIE IN A PREDICAMENT  CHAPTER   IVA MARK FOR THE UNION  CHAPTER    VA RUN FOR LIFE  CHAPTER   VIFRANK TURNS DETECTIVE  CHAPTER  VIIFRANKS FIRST COMMAND  CHAPTER VIIIAN UNLUCKY FLIGHT  CHAPTER   IXUP THE WASHITA  CHAPTER    XTHE PROMOTION  CHAPTER   XITHE RIVAL SPIES  CHAPTER  XIIA SCOUTING PARTY  CHAPTER XIIITOM THE COXSWAIN  CHAPTER  XIVA REBEL TRICK  CHAPTER   XVHONORABLY DISCHARGEDFRANK ON THE LOWER MISSISSIPPICHAPTER IThe New PaymasterVicksburg had fallen and the army had marched in and taken possessionof the city How Frank longed to accompany it that he might see theinside of the rebel stronghold which had so long withstood the advanceof our fleet and army He stood leaning against one of the monster gunswhich at his bidding had spoken so often and so effectively in favorof the Union and for two hours watched the long lines of warwornsoldiers as they moved into the works At length a tremendous cheerarose from the city and Frank discovered a party of soldiers on thecupola of the courthouse from which a few moments afterward floatedthe Stars and Stripes Then came faintly to his ears the words of afamiliar song which were caught up by the soldiers in the city then bythose who were still marching in and Well rally round the flagboys was sung by an immense choir The rebels in the streets gazedwonderingly at the men on the spire and listened to the song and thetriumphant shouts of the conquering army which proclaimed the beginningof the downfall of their confederacyTo Frank it was one of the proudest moments of his lifea sight hewould not have missed to be able to float at the masthead of his vesselthe broad pennant of the admiral All he had endured was forgotten andwhen the Old Flag was unfurled in the air which had but a short timebefore floated the stars and bars he pulled off his cap and shoutedat the top of his lungsHaving thus given vent to his feelings of exultation in obedience toorders he commenced the removal of his battery on board the Trenton Itwas two days work to accomplish this but Frank who was impatient tosee the inside of the fortifications worked with a will and finally thebattery was mounted in its old position On the following day theTrenton moved down the river and came to anchor in front of VicksburgShore liberty was granted and Frank in company with several of hisbrother officers strolled about the city On every side the houses borethe marks of Union shot and shell and the streets were blocked withfortifications showing that had the city been taken by storm it wasthe intention of the rebels to dispute every inch of the ground Everything bore evidence to the fact that the fight had been a most desperateone that the rebels had surrendered only when they found that it wasimpossible to hold out longerIn some places the streets ran through deep cuts in the bank and inthese banks were the famous gopher holes They were caves dug inthe ground into which a person if he happened to hear a shell comingmight run for safety Outside the city the fortifications were mostextensive riflepits ran in every direction flanked by strong fortswhose battered walls attested the fury of the iron hail that had beenpoured upon them It was night before Frank was aware of it sointerested was he in every thing about him and he returned on board hisvessel weary with his long walk but amply repaid by seeing the insideof what its rebel occupants had called the Gibraltar of AmericaDuring the next two days several vessels of the squadron passed thecity on their way to new fields of action further down the river Oneof themthe Boxer a tinclad mounting eight gunshad Frank on boardHe had been detached from the Trenton and ordered to join this vesselwhich had been assigned a station a short distance below Grand Gulf Asusual he had no difficulty in becoming acquainted with his newmessmates and he soon felt perfectly at home among them He found ashe had done in every other mess of which he had been a member thatthere was the usual amount of wrangling and disputing and it amused himexceedingly All the mess seemed to be indignant at the caterer who didnot appear to stand very high in their estimation The latter helearned had just made an assessment upon the mess to the amount often dollars for each member and as there was no paymaster on board theofficers had but very little ready money and were anxious to know whereall the funds paid into the treasury went to He also found that thecaterers authority was not as much respected as he had a right toclaim for during the very first meal Frank ate in the mess a disputearose which threatened for a time to end in the whole matter beingcarried before the captainOne of the members of the mess who was temporarily attached to thevessel was a pilot who had been pressed into the service He was agenuine rebel and frequently said that he was called a traitor becausehe was in favor of allowing the South to peaceably withdraw from theUnion The doctor a little fat jolly man and a thorough Unionistwho believed in handling all rebels without gloves took up the swordand the debate that followed was long and stormy The pilot as itproved hardly knew the reasons why the South had attempted to secedeand was constantly clinching his arguments by saying Men who knowmore and who have done more fighting during this war than you DoctorBrown say that they have a right to do so The debate waxed