Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1856-03-26
The Hero Of New Orleans.


All our readers have often heard of Old
Hickory, who fought many enemies in the
course of his life !; and among them none was
more powerful, fascinating and subtle than
the National Bank, with its gold and silver
and paper arms, spreading Ike the railroad
bands all over the nation Lion-like and in
corruptible, dissimilar to many who had yielded
to its bribes and accommodations, he vanquish-
ed the unconstitutional mammoth.
Let US now for while direct our attention
to an individual much his junior in age;-we
mean Young Hickory, who preceded the old
traced back to Scotland: and they belonged
to that band of colonists whereby England
designed to establish permanent dominion in
Ireland, after she had subjugated that ill-fated
nation Young Hickory's grandfather was
christened Hugh. He was linen draper
near Carrickfergus in the northeast of the
Emerald Isle; and had four sous, the young
est of whom was named Andrew. In the
same year that the infamous stamp act was
passed, in 1865, British oppression compelled
this youngest son, with his family, to leave
their native country. They accordingly en-
barked for America, and settled in South
Carolina.
Just eighty-nine years ago, this day, was
born the infant Hickory; and though native
American himself, his unfortunate parents
were nothing but industrious, liberty-loving,
fugitive foreigners and worse than this,
they were Irish An Irish family in free
America. the only asylum on earth for the
down trodden Yes down in South Carolina,
one of our glorious thirteen, this Irish family
settled and a poor American Irish or Irish
American infant dared to be born, in two
years afterwards; and he also dared to breathe
American soil, after he was born. This da-
ring child was no less than Young Hickory,
the subject of our brief sketch and while
lad, his father died and left him an orphan,
in no opulent circumstances. His mother
gave his two brothers common education,
but desirous to see this daring youngster, this
half-Irish orphan in the church, sent him to
an academy, where he progressed rapidly in
his studies But the revolutionary war reused
his friends and neighbors, who were also Irish
and Scotch, to join the resistance to Britain
They were but few of thousands of Irish
men who helped the colonies throw off the
British yoke In 1880, August 6, at the age
of thirteen, this daring youth. with his broth
er Robert, was fighting under Sumpter against
the English garrison at Rocky Mount Next
year, we find him battling party of tories.
Know -Nothings,) who were endeavoring to
waylay and kill the patriot Lands then shell
tered in our young hero's house. At two
different vollies, three men were shot down
close by his side, while he was firing at these
marauders. In each instance Providence fa-
vored this half Irish boy, for he was uninju-
red. Shortly after this Lord CORVALLIS sent
detachment of dragons in pursuit of him
and his comrades. They were successful -
These reckless soldiers served the household
property of his mother pretty much as were
the patriot Jefferson's crops. slaves, fences,
barus and live stock, served directly under
the eye of Corvallis No effort was made
by the commanding officer to save her proper
ty from destruction. Nor were the juvenile
prisoners treated civilly This was the same
CORVALLIS that, on his return home, decora-
ted and enriched his house with the silver and
other mcveables his myrmidons had flched
from Americans 1t was Lord Cornwallis
Young Hickory was sent to Jail in Camden,
where he remained till released by means of
his mother, common Irish woman. How
could she have influence Not long after
this exhausted with her constant efforts to aid
the sufferings of American prisoners at Char
lesion, she died.
When near eighteen he began to study law.
At the age of twenty he was appointed Dis
trict Solicitor for part of North Carolina.
We soon find him active in skirnlishes with
the Indians. They styled him ''Sharp Knife, !"
and : Pointed Arrow" His legal practice
became extensive and lucrative. In 1896 be