The Statesman.
London, England, 1815-03-25 00:00:00

NEIV ORLEANS.

Tire following letter, written from the banks of
tly, Mississippi, by an Otlicer on the staff of the
expedition, contains some interesting particulars of
the late disastrous attack and repulse :

" January 16.

" Here we are lying wet enough in sugar-cane
huts, after having met with a severe repulse, on
Sunday, the Bth of January, in a general assault
on the strongly fortified position of the Yankees,
covering the capital of this country. The 85th
regiment, sailors, and marines, wore, after incre-
dible labour and exertion, passed over to the right
bank of the Mississippi during the night of the 7th
morning of the Bth ; hut owing to the unfore-
seen and unavoidable difficulties, they were not
all over so soon as hail been calculated on, conse-
quently not sufficiently advanced when the signal
for the general attack was mule just before dawn of
day ; owing to which untoward circumstance, those
on the left bank, where the principal strong opposi-
tion was, did not profit, as was meant they should,
from their combined attack, and the fate of the day
was decided on our part before they began to act ;
but for all this, I do not know that there could be
any remedy, wider all the circumstances of the case;
nor do I know that blame .can attach any where,
however unfortunate the result has been.
" General Gibbs commanded the 2d brigade, con-
sisting of the 4th, 210, and 44th regiments ; Gene-
ral Keane the 3d, consisting of the 830, 931, and
Path; General Lambert had the Ist, consisting of
the fusileers and 43d. This latter brigade was to be
in reserve; the two first to begin the attack, which
they accordingly did. The enemy's position was un-
commonly strong, in the form of a crescent, flanked
on the right by the Mississippi, on the left by a thick
Avood, and au impassable morass; the whole crown-
ed with innumerable artillery, and loop-holed for
the musketry, with a nurroW plain iii front, not
ramie than half a mile broad, by which only we could
ppproacit them.
" whole of our columns were at their appoint-
ed stations before day-light, awaiting the signal
rocket to be thrown for the general attack. It was
tired off as the day began to dawn; a Omit time be-
fore which Sir E. Pakenham had passed the first bri-
gade. withost speaking to any body. We all
moved on to the front, under a most galling fire of
cannon and small arms; but, as the day opened,
we soon observed the broken columns making for
the rear, and a vast of number of wounded pass.
ing and lying groaning around us. General Lam-
bert was, at this present poment, informed of the
lamented fall of the Commander in Chief, and
that. in consequence of this, and the severe wound
of General Gibbs, be was left in command. We
were ordered to deploy into line, and lie down in
the swamp, to avoid the destructive showers of
grape, which were within three hundred yards, play-
ing away most furiously on us. Ilere we lay till ten
at night, as wet as ever poor devils were, seeing all
the movements of our foes, and hearing all their or-
ders.

44k A flag of truce was sent in towardsthe even-
ing, and the Americans spoke much of peace, but
every thing around them looked quite the contrary,
as nothing could be seen before them but the dead
and dying. Major King, of the fusileers, was
killed early, as was Captain Henry, with the Lieu.
tenant-Colonel detached with the third brigade.—
Lieutenant Hutchinson had no less than four balls
through his cap; Lieutenant Lorentz, the other
L. C. Sub. received a wound between the shoulders,
not very severe. The column lost a great many men.
Capt. Robinson, Brigade-Major, to Major-General
Lambert, had a ball through his saddle-cloth, with.
out injury. The Americans lost very few men ; not
one hundred to our thousand, being completely un-
dor cover of their position, and protected by a wet
ditchotltogether too formidable for so trilling a force
to earry ; for we had not altogether above 500 men
in the attack. _ _

" The Ist brigade preserved a noble front, and
wore too formidable an appearance for Jonathan to
oppose them. The 7th lost above ninety, the 43d
sixty-three. The 40th are just arrived from Cork,
but are not to land, as we hype to be all on board
our shins in less than a week. indeed, wa thought
to have been so ere this. We ought to hare had the
free navigation of the Mississippi before %se landed.
We have several sickly from the wet weather, and
if we are not off immediately, I fear we shall hare
numbers more.

" We espect to go to Bermuila—they are at this
moment shelling us as fast as they catt—the Ame-
ricans have no enterprise or we should not escape so
well— we get nothing to buy but bullocks and a few
vild fon l—we are on a sugar plantation, and, of
- course, have plenty of sweets without cost. The
river is a fine one ; bat, believe me, there is nothing
else in this quarter worth coming 6000 miles to see.
.The people appear to be Dons and blacks) DODO of
whom seem anions to be our Allies."