The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1853-03-24
Incident at the Battle OF New Orleans.
BY A BRITISH OFFICER.

|
We marched, said the officer in soil
, column Of twelve thousand men in drec
Inc upon the American detences. be
longed 10 the staff, and as we advanced
we watched through our glasses the po
sition OF our enemy, with that intensit,
an officer feels when marching into lh,
laws Of death, with the assurance that
while be thus offers himself as a sacrifice
to the demands Of bis country, every ac
lion, he he successful or otherwise, vii
be judged with the most hearlIess scru
tiny.
II was strange sight, that long range
y! cotton bales-a new material for breast
works; with the crowd Of human beiugs
behind, their heads only visible above the
| lines Of defence. We could distinctly see
their long rifles laying over the bales, and
the battery Of Gen. Coffee directly in from,
with its great mouth gaping towards US
as they waited TO devour us, and the po
slion Of Gen. jackson. with his staff around
him.
But what attracted our attention most
was the figure of tall man standing on the
breast dressed in !nsey wooden.
with buckskin ieggins, and broad brimmed
elt hat that fell around his face almost
|concealing his features. As he was stand
ing in one Of these picturesque aud graceful
attitudes peculiartotho natural men dwell
ling in the forest The body rested on the
left leg, and swnyed with carved line
I'll tho rif.tf ayto,I,I h.
hand grasping the rifle near The muzz|e,
The bult Of which rested near the toe of the
right foot, while with the other band he
raised the rim Of bis hat from his eyes, and
seemed gazing from beneath intensely up.
on our advancing column. The cannon Of
Gen. Coffee had opened upon Us, and tore
through oar ranks with drendtul slaughter;
bul we continued to advance, unwaverine
md cool, as if nothing had threatened Us.
The roar Of the cannon seemed To have
40 eliee, on the figure standing on the cot.
ton bales, but he seemed to be fixed and
notnnless as statue AT last he moved.
threw back the hat rim over the crown
with tho left hand, raised the rifle To hi
shoulder aud took aim at our group. Oar
eyes were riyeted upon him. But tic dis
tauce was so great th,t we looked al each
,ber and smiled. We saw the rife fash
5uI m, right hand companion, as noble a
.ukiug fellow as ever rode al the head OF =
regiment, fell from his saddle. The hunt
er paused few moments without moving
the gun from bis shoulder then reloaded
aud assumed his .nrmer attitude. Throw
ing The ett rim over t,.s eyes. and again
holding il up with his left IL nd, he ilxed
his piercing gaze upon US, as It huntIng ou'
mother victim. Once more the hat r,,:,
was thrown back and the gun raised TO his
shoulder. This time We did not smile but
east short glances at each other, TO sec
which OF us must die; and when again the
rifle flashed, another one Of US dropped 10
the ground There was something most
awf.l ia thus marching on to certain death
Gan. c, fees battery and thousands ii
nuskct balls PLAYING upon our ranks ""
cared no, for-lherc was a chance ot esca-
ping uuscaihed. Most of US had walked
upln batteries thousand times more des,
tructive, without quaiing; but to know that
every time that rifle was leveled towards
US, and its bullet sprang from the barrel
one Of us must as surely fall; to see the
cleaning sun flash as the deadly iron came
down and see ii rest mntlnnless, as II poised
upon rock, and know when the hammer
struck and the sparks flew to the full pr'-
med pon. the messenger Of death drove I'm,
errinyIv 10 its goal to know this, and still
march on, was awful.
could see nothing but the tall figure
standing on the breastwork. lie seemed
to grow phantom like, higher and higher,
assuming through the smoke the superna,
ural appearance of some great spirit
Again did he reload and discharge his rifle
with unerring aim, and it was with indes
cribable pleasure that beheld, as we near
ed the American lines, the sulphurou'
clouds gather around US and shut the spec
tral hunter from my gaze. We lost the
battle; and to my mind the Kentucky rifle
man contributed more to our defeat than
any thing else; for while he remained t.
our sight, our attention was drawn from onI
duties, and when at last we became en-
shrouded in the smoke the work was com
plete; we were 10 utter confusion, and un
able in the extremity, TO restore order sui
ficen, TO make any successful attack.
| The DRUsEs. The Arabs in our will agt
were Il lazy sci OF people, bat with no IN
dustry could ever learn 10 initiate lheII
luxurious method of drinking. They have