Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1853-01-26
An INCIDENT IN THE BATTLE OF NEW OR.
LEANS.

An INCIDENT IN THE BATTLE OF NEW Or
LEANS.
A British officer, who was in the battle of
New Orleans, mentions an incident of thrill
ing strangeness, aud one very descriptive of
, the Western hunter, many of whom march
ed to the defence of New Orleans, as vol
unteers in the army under the renowned
Andrew Jackson:
We marched, said the officer, in a solid
column of twelve thousand men in direct
{ line upon the American defences. [ be-
longeG to the staff and as we advanced,
we watched through our glasses the posi-
ton and arrangements Of our enemy,
with that intensity an officer only feels when
marching into the jaws of death, with the as
Esurance that while he thus offers himself as
a sacrifice to the demands +of his country,
every action, be he successful or otherwise,
will be Judged with the most heartless scru-
tiny.
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 defence. We could distinctly see
their long rifles lying 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
the figure of tall man standing on the
breastworks, dressed in linsey-woollen, with
buckskin leggins, and a broad -brimmed
felt hat that fell around the face, almost con-
cealing his features. He was standing in
; one OF those picturesque and graceful atti-
, tudes peculiar to those natural men-dwellers
in the forests. The body rested on the left
leg, and swayed with a curved line upward );
the right arm was extended the hand grasp
: ing the rifle near the muzzle, the butt of
0 which rested near the toe of his right foot,
! while with his hand be raised the rim Of the
t hat from his eyes, and seemed gazing from
beneath intensely upon our advancing col
4 umn. The cannon of Gen. Coffee had
# opened US, and tore through our ranks with
n dreadful slaughter; but we continued to adj
vance, unwavering and COOL as if nothing
threatened our progress.
@ The roar of cannon seemed to have no
;. effect upon the figure standing on the cot
@ ton bales, but he seemed fixed and motion
Il less as a statue. At last he moved, threw
back the hat-rim over the crown with his left
hand, raised the rife to his shoulder, and
: took aim at our group. Our eyes were riy-
cited upon him. At whom had he leve!led
hatp aS tpssel NS el6okda At each ohef and smiled
We saw the rife flash, and my right hand
companion, as noble-looking as ever rode at
J. the head of his regiment, fell from his sad
die. The hunter paused few moments,
t. without moving the gun from his shoulder,
J. reloaded and assumed his former attitude.
;. Throwing the hat-rim over his eyes, and a
o gain holding it up with the left hand, he tx
F. ed his piercing gaze upon us as if hunting
O out another victim. Once more the hat
J. rim was thrown back and the gun raised tc
IN the shoulder. This time we did not smile
o. but cast short glances at each other, to SEE
,e which Of US must die; and when again tht
[e rifle flashed, another one of us dropped t
O. the earth, There was something most aw
5 full in marching on to certain death.
o. Gen. Cofees battery, and thousands o
"a musket-balls playing upon our ranks, W.
cared not for-tbere was a chance Of escap
! ing unscathed. Most of US had walked up
~ on batteries q hundred times more destruc
f. tive, without qualing; but to know that ev
N cry time that rife was levelled towards US
% and its bullet sprang from the barrel, en-
~ of us must as surely fall; to see the gleam
o. ing sun flash as the deadly iron came down
and see it rest motionless, as if poised upo
rock, and know, when the hammer strucI
: and the sparks flew to the full primed par
- that the messenger of death drove unerrine
~ ~ ly to it's goal-to know this, and still marc
on, was awful.
nd could see nothing but the tall fgur
,al standing on the breastwork. He SCENE
,lv to grow, phantom-like. higher and highe
Id assuming through the smoke, the superna
nd ural appearance Of some great spirit Aga
.od did he reload and discharge his rifle, wit
ro- the same unfailing aim and it was with i
ras describable pleasure that | beheld, as Y
Ian ncared the American lires, the sui lphuro1
his cloud gathered around US, and shut that spe
oh trail hunter from my gaze. We lost the ba
sat tie; and to my MUD, Ele Kentucky riff
an man contributed more to our defeat tn;
nm anything else for while he remained to 0,
sight, our attention was drawn from our
IA ties and when at last we became enshroud
~. . in the smoke, the work was complete
~ were in utter confusion, and unable, in t
" extremity, to restore order sufficient to ma
any successful attack.
So long as thousands and thousands Of
fies remain in the hands ofthe people, so 10
s eau as men come up from their childhood, alb
mt ere the down appears on the chin, to hit t
'ob, centre of mark, or strike the deer. at
lev. yards, in the most vital point; so long
ore, there is great proportion of the Repub
ard who live as the wild indian. knowing no !
9th, but that of right, and the honorable obs
lar vance of friendly intercourse. America is +,
on conquerahle; and all the armies of the co
son bined world. though they might drive th
and from the scacoast and across the Allegha
,rgy mountains, would not be able to subdue
) of free souled hunter among the mountains a
den great prairies and mighty siyers of the We
eth
=,
breo LovE.-The brightest part of love is its {