Glasgow weekly times. (Glasgow, Mo.) 1848-1861, 1852-11-11
Incident of the Battle of New Orleans

A BRUSH ofncer, VINO was Ill the Dallle
OF New Orleans, mentions an incident Of
thrilling strangeness, and very descriptive OF
the Western hunter, many Of whom marched
to the defense of New Orleans, as volun-
teers in the army under the renowned An
drew Jackson.
We marched, said the officer, in solid
column, of twelve thousand men, i'll direct
line upon the American detenses. | be-
longed to the staff; and as we advanced we
watched through our glasses the position
and arrangements Of our enemy with that
intensity an officer only feels when march,
ing into the jaws of death, with the asst
rance that, while he thus offers himself as !
sacrifice to the demands OF his country, eve
~ action TO be successful or otherwise, will
be Judged with the most heartless scrutiny
1t was strange sight, that long range of
cotton bales--a new material for breast |
works-with the crowd Of human beings
behind, their heads only visible above the
line Of defense. We could distinctly see
their long rifles laying over the bales, and
the battery of Gen. Coffee directly in front,
with its great mouth gaping towards us, as
they waited TO devour us, and the position
of Gen. jackson, with his staff around him.
But what attracted our attention most was
tho tall figure of a man standing on the
on the breast works, dressed in lipsey wool
en-, with buckskin leggins, and broad-rim-
med felt hat, that fell around the face. al
most concealing his features He was
standing in one of those picturesque and
graceful attitudes, peculiar TO those natural
men-dwellers in the forests. The body
rested on the left leg, and swayed with a
curved line upwards; the right arm was ex-
tended, the hand grasping the rifle near the
muzzle. the butt Of which rested near the
toe of his right foot, while with his hand he
raised the rim of the hat from his eyes. and
seemed gazing from beneath intensely upon
our advancing column. The cannon of
Gen. Coffee had opened upon us, and tore
through our ranks with dreadful slaughter;
but we continued to advance, unwavering
and cool, as if nothing threatened cur pro-
Gress.
The roar of cannon seemed 10 have no eff
feet upon the figure standing on the cotton
bales, but he seemed fixed and motionleSs as
stature. At last he moved, threw back
the hat-rim over the crown with his left
haad,raised the rifle to his shoulder, and
TOOK aim at our group. Our eyes were riv-
cted on him. At whom had he levelled his
piece? But the distance was so great that
we looked at each other and smiled. We
saw The rife flash, and my right hand COM
panion, as noble-looking fellow as ever
rode at the head Of his regiment, fell from his
saddle. The hunter paused few moments
without moving the gun from his shoulder,
then reloaded and assumed his former atti-
tude. Throwing the hat-rm over his eyes.
and again holding it UP with his left hand
he fixed his piercing gaze upon us as if
hunting out another victim. SOnce more the
hat-rim was back, and the gun raised to the
shoulder. This time we did not smile. but
cast short glances at each other, 10 see which
of us must die; and when again the rifle
flashed another Of us dropped to the earth.
There were something awful in thus march
ing on to certain death.
Gen. Coffee's battery, and thousands Of
musket balls playing upon our ranks, we
cared not for; there was chance of eScap-
ing unscathed. Most of us had walked up
on batteries hundred times more destruc-
tive without quailing; but TO know that eve
~ time that rifle was leveled towards us,
and its bullet sprang from the barrel, one
of must as surely fall; to see the cleaning
sun flash as the deadly iron came down, and
see it rest, motionless as if poised upon a
rock, and know when the hammer struck,
and the sparks flew to the full-primed pan,
the messenger of death drove unerringIy TO
its goal; to know this, and still march on,
was awful.
could see nothing but the tall figure
standing on the breast-work. He seemed
.,.la,, III.
Stunning through the smoke the supernatur-
al appearance Of some great spirit. Again
did he reload and discharge his rifle with
the same unlailing aim; and it was with in
describable pleasure that behcld as we
neared the American lines, the sulphurous
smoke gathered around us, and shut that
spectral hunter from my gaze. We lost
the battle; and to my mind the Kentucky
rifleman contributed more to our defeat than
ANYTHING else; for while he remained to our
sight our attention was drawn from our du-
ties; and when at last we became enshroud-
ed in the smoke, the work was complete:
we were in utter confusion, and unable, in
the extremity, to restore order sufficient to
make any successful attack
So long as thousands and thousands oI
rifles remain in the hands of the people, So
long as men come up from childhood able
ere the down'appears to the chin, to hit the
center of mark, or strike the deer at one
hundred and fifty yards in the most vital
point; so long as there is a great portion OF
the Republic who live as free as the wild
Indian, knowing no leader but their own
choosing, knowing no law but that of right
and the honorable observance of friendly in
tercourse, America is unconquerable; and
all the armies of the combined world, though
they might drive them from the seacost, and
across the Aleghany Mountains, would not
be able to subdue the free-sonled hunter
among the mountains and great prares and
mighty ems az Tho West