captains of the civil war-第15节

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　halted　by　the　Confederate　defenses　above　Memphis；　another　four　hundred　higher　still。

There　were　several　reasons　why　Farragut　should　not　have　gone　up。　His　big　ships　would　certainly　be　stranded　if　he　went　up　and　waited　for　the　army　to　come　down；　moreover；　when　stranded；　these　ships　would　be　captured　while　waiting；　because　both　banks　were　swarming　with　vastly　outnumbering　Confederate　troops。　Then；　such　a　disaster　would　more　than　offset　the　triumph　of　New　Orleans　by　still　further　depressing　Federal　morale　at　a　time　when　the　Federal　arms　were　doing　none　too　well　near　Washington。　Finally；　all　the　force　that　was　being　worse　than　wasted　up　the　Mississippi　might　have　been　turned　against　Mobile；　which；　at　that　time；　was　much　weaker　than　the　defenses　Farragut　had　already　overcome。　But　the　people　of　the　North　were　clamorous　for　more　victories　along　the　line　to　which　the　press　had　drawn　their　gaze。　So　the　Government　ordered　the　fleet　to　carry　on　this　impossible　campaign。

Farragut　did　his　best。　Within　a　month　of　passing　the　forts　he　had　not　only　captured　New　Orleans　and　repaired　the　many　serious　damages　suffered　by　his　fleet　but　had　captured　Baton　Rouge；　and　taken　even　his　biggest　ships　to　Vicksburg；　five　hundred　miles　from　the　Gulf；　against　a　continuous　current；　and　right　through　the　heart　of　a　hostile　land。　Finding　that　there　were　thirty　thousand　Confederates　in；　near；　or　within　a　day　of　Vicksburg　he　and　General　Thomas　Williams　agreed　that　nothing　could　be　done　with　the　fifteen　hundred　troops　which　formed　the　only　landing　party。　Sickness　and　casualties　had　reduced　the　ships'　companies；　so　there　were　not　even　a　few　seamen　to　spare　as　reinforcements　for　these　fifteen　hundred　soldiers；　whom　Butler　had　sent；　under　Williams；　with　the　fleet。　Then　Farragut　turned　back；　his　stores　running　dangerously　short　owing　to　the　enormous　difficulties　of　keeping　open　his　long；　precarious　line　of　communications。　〃I　arrived　in　New　Orleans　with　five　or　six　days'　provisions　and　one　anchor；　and　am　now　trying　to　procure　others　。　。　。　。　Fighting　is　nothing　to　the　evils　of　the　rivergetting　on　shore；　running　foul　of　one　another；　losing　anchors；　etc。〃　In　a　confidential　letter　home　he　is　still　more　outspoken。　〃They　will　keep　us　in　this　river　till　the　vessels　break　down　and　all　the　little　reputation　we　have　made　has　evaporated。　The　Government　appears　to　think　that　we　can　do　anything。　They　expect；　me　to　navigate　the　Mississippi　nine　hundred　miles　in　the　face　of　batteries；　ironclad　rams；　etc。；　and　yet　with　all　the　ironclad　vessels　they　have　North　they　could　not　get　to　Norfolk　or　Richmond。〃

Back　from　Washington　came　still　more　urgent　orders　to　join　the　Mississippi　flotilla　which　was　coming　down　to　Vicksburg　from　the　north　under　Flag　Officer　Charles　H。　Davis。　So　once　more　the　fleet　worked　its　laboriously　wasteful　way　up　to　Vicksburg；　where　it　passed　the　forts　with　the　help　of　Porter's　flotilla　of　mortar…boats　on　the　twenty…eighth　of　June　and　joined　Davis　on　the　first　of　July。　There；　in　useless　danger；　the　joint　forces　lay　till　the　fifteenth；　the　day　on　which　Grant's　own　〃most　anxious　period　of　the　war〃　began　on　the　Memphis…Corinth　line；　four　hundred　miles　above。

Farragut；　getting　very　anxious　about　the　shoaling　of　the　water；　was　then　preparing　to　run　down　when　he　heard　firing　in　the　Yazoo；　a　tributary　that　joined　the　Mississippi　four　miles　higher　up。　This　came　from　a　fight　between　one　of　his　reconnoitering　gunboats；　the　Carondelet；　and　the　Arkansas；　an　ironclad　Confederate　ram　that　would　have　been　very　dangerous　indeed　if　her　miserable　engines　had　been　able　to　give　her　any　speed。　She　was　beating　the　Carondelet；　but　getting　her　smoke…stack　so　badly　holed　that　her　speed　dropped　down　to　one　knot；　which　scarcely　gave　her　steerage　way　and　made　her　unable　to　ram。　Firing　hard　she　ran　the　gauntlet　of　both　fleets　and　took　refuge　under　the　Vicksburg　bluffs；　whence　she　might　run　out　and　ram　the　Union　vessels　below。　Farragut　therefore　ran　down　himself；　hoping　to　smash　her　by　successive　broadsides　in　passing。　But　the　difficulties　of　the　passage　wasted　the　daylight；　so　that　he　had　to　run　by　at　night。　She　therefore　survived　his　attack；　and　went　downstream　to　join　the　Confederates　against　Baton　Rouge。　But　her　engines　gave　way　before　she　got　there；　and　she　had　to　be　blown　up。

Farragut　was　back　at　New　Orleans　before　the　end　of　July。　On　the　fifth　of　August　the　Confederates　made　their　attack　on　Baton　Rouge；　but　were　beaten　back　by　the　Union　garrison　aided　by　three　of　Farragut's　gunboats　and　two　larger　vessels　from　Davis's　command。　The　losses　were　not　very　severe　on　either　side；　but　the　Union　lost　a　leader　of　really　magnificent　promise　in　its　commanding　general；　Thomas　Williams；　a　great…hearted；　cool…headed　man　and　most　accomplished　officer。　The　garrison　of　Baton　Rouge；　being　too　small　and　sickly　and　exposed；　was　withdrawn　to　New　Orleans　a　few　days　later。

Then　Farragut　at　last　returned　to　the　Gulf　blockade。　Davis　went　back　up　the　river；　where　he　was　succeeded　by　D。D。　Porter　in　October。　And　the　Confederates；　warned　of　what　was　coming；　made　Port　Hudson　and　Vicksburg　as　strong　as　they　could。　Vicksburg　was　now　the　only　point　they　held　on　the　Mississippi　where　there　were　rails　on　both　sides；　and　the　Red　River；　flowing　in　from　the　West　between　Vicksburg　and　Port　Hudson；　was　the　only　good　line　of　communication　connecting　them　with　Texas；　whence　so　much　of　their　meat　was　obtained。

For　three　months　Farragut　directed　the　Gulf　blockade　from　Pensacola；　where；　on　the　day　of　his　arrival；　the　twentieth　of　August；　he　was　the　first　American　to　hoist　an　admiral's　flag。　The　rank　of　rear…admiral　in　the　United　States　Navy　had　been　created　on　the　previous　sixteenth　of　July；　and　Farragut　was　the　senior　of　the　first　three　officers　upon　whom　it　was　conferred。

Farragut　became　the　ranking　admiral　just　when　the　United　States　Navy　was　having　its　hardest　struggle　to　do　its　fivefold　duty　well。　There　was　commerce　protection　on　the　high　seas；　blockade　along　the　coast；　cooperation　with　the　army　on　salt　water　and　on　fresh；　and　of　course　the　destruction　of　the　nascent　Confederate　forces　afloat。　But　perhaps　a　knottier　problem　than　any　part　of　its　combatant　duty　was　how　to　manage；　in　the　very　midst　of　war；　that　rapid　expansion　of　its　own　strength　for　which　no　government　had　let　it　prepare　in　time　of　peace。　During　this　year　the　number　of　vessels　in　commission　grew　from　264　to　427。　Yet　such　a　form　of　expansion　was　much　simpler　than　that　of　the　enlisted　men；　and　the　expansion　of　even　the　most　highly　trained　enlisted　personnel　was　very　much　simpler　than　the　corresponding　expansion　of　the　officers。　Happily　for　the　United　States　Navy　it　started　with　a　long　lead　over　its　enemy。　More　happily　still　it　could　expand　with　the　help　of　greatly　superior　resources。　Most　happily　of　all；　the　sevenfold　expansion　that　was　effected　before　the　war　was　over　could　be　made　under　leaders　like　Farragut：　leaders；　that　is；　who；　though　in　mere　numbers　they　were　no　more；　in　proportion　to　their　whole　service；　than　the　flag　as　mere　material　is　to　a　man…of…war；　were　yet；　as　is　the　flag；　the　living　symbol　of　a　people's　soul。

Commerce　protection　on　the　high　seas　was　an　exceedingly　harassing　affair。　A　few　swift　raiders；　having　the　initiative；　enjoyed　great　advantages　over　a　far　larger　number　of　defending　vessels。　Every　daring　raid　was　trumpeted　round　the　world；　bringing　down　unmeasured；　and　often　unmerited；　blame　on　the　defense。　The　most　successful　vigilance　would；　on　the　other　hand；　pass　by　unheeded。　The　Union　navy　lacked　the　means　of　patrolling　the　sea　lanes　of　commerce　over　millions　and　millions　of　desolate　square　miles。　Consequently　the　war…risk　insurance　rose　to　a　prohibitive　height　on　vessels　flying　the　Stars　and　Stripes；　and；　as　a　further　result；　enormous　transfers　were　made　to　other　flags。　The　incessant　calls　for　recruits；　afloat　and　ashore；　and　to　some　extent　the　lure　of　the　western　lands；　also　robbed　the　merchant　service　of　its　men。　Thus；　one　way　and　another；　the　glory　of　the　old　merchant　marine　departed　with　the　Civil　War。

Blockade　was　more　to　the　point　than　any　attempt　to　patrol　the　sea　lanes。　Yet　it　was　even　more　harassing；　for　it　involved　three　distinct　though　closely　correlated　kinds　of　operation：　not　only　the　seizure；　in　conjunction　with　the　army；　of　enemy　ports；　and　the　patrolling　of　an　enemy　coastline　three　thousand　miles　long；　but　also　the　patrolling　of　those　oversea　ports　from　which　most　contraband　came。　This　oversea　patrol　was　the　most　effective；　because　it　went　straight　to　the　source　of　trouble。　But　it　required　extraordinary　vigilance；　because　it　had　to　be　conducted　from　beyond　the　three…mile　limit；　and　with　the　greatest　care　for　all　the　rights　of　neutrals。

By　mid…November　Farragut　was　back　at　New　Orleans。　A　month　later　General　Banks　arrived　with　reinforcements。　He　superseded　General　Butler　and　was　under　orders　to　cooperate　with　McClernand；　Grant's　second…in…command；　who　was　to　come　down　the　Mississippi　from　Cairo。　But　the　proposed　meeting　of　the　two　armies　never　took　place。　Banks　remained　south　of　Port　Hudson；　McClernand　far　north　of　Vicksburg；　for；　as　we　shall　see　in　the　next　chapter；　Sherman's　attempt　to　take　Vicksburg　from　the　North　failed　on　the　twenty…ninth　of　December。

The　naval　and　river　campaigns　of　'62　thus　ende