The River Falls journal. (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1857-1861, 1858-12-01
. SSflilstellaneous<
ENCEDENT OF THE BATTLE
OF NEW ORB Fans.


A British officer, who was in the bat
tie at New Orleans, mentions an incl
dent Of thrilling strangeness, and very de-
scriptiye of the Western hunter, many Of
whom marched to the defense Of New
Orleans as volunteers in the army, under
tie renowned General jackson:
sWe marched said the officer, Gin q
solid column of twelve thousand men, in
direct line upon the American defenses.
I belonged to the staff; and as we advan-
ced, watched through our glasses the po-
sition and arrangements of our enemy
with that intensity an officer feels when
marching into the jaws Of death, with the
assurance that while he offers himself as
sacrifice to the demands of his country
every action, be it successful or otherwise,
will be Judged with the most heaTtless
scrutiny.
It 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 sec
the long rifles laying over the bales, and
the battery of General Coffee directly
in front, with its great mouth gaping to-
wards us, and the position of Gen. Jack
son, with his staff around hina. But what
attracted our attention most, was the fig
IRE of tall man standing on the breast
works, dressed in linsey-woolsey, with
buckskin leggings, and q broad trimmed
felt hat that fell round his face, almost
concealing his features. He WAS stand
ing in one Of those picturesque and grace
ful attitudes, peculiar to those men-dwell-
ers in the forests. The body rested on
the left leg, and swayed with q curved
ineupwards; the right arm was extern
ded, the hand grasping the rifle near the
muzzle, the butt ofwhich rested Oh the toe
Of his right foot, while with his hand he
raised the rim of his hat from his eyes,
and seemed gazing from beneath, intense
ly upon our advancing column. The
cannon of Gen. Coffee had opened on us
and tore through our ralks with dread
full slaughter; but we continued to adj
vance, unwavering and cool, as if moth
ing threatened our progress.
The rof cannon seemed to have no
effect upon the figure standing on the cot
ton bales, but he seemed fixed and mo-
tionless as statue. At last ho moved,
threw back the hat rim over the crown
with his left hand, raised the rifle to his
shoulder and took aim at our group
Our eyes were riveted on him. At whom
had he levelled his piece? But the dis
lance was so great that we looked at each
other and smiled. We saw the rife flash
and my right hand companion, rs noble
looking a fellow as ever rode at the head
of regim ent, fell from bis saddle. Z he
hunter paused q few moments without ia
king his gun from his shoulder, then re
loaded and resumed his former attitude
| Throwing the hat rim over his eyes anc
again holding it up with his left hand, h
fixed his piercing gaze upon us as if hun
ting out another victim. Once more th(
hat rim was thrown back and the gul
raised the shoulder This time we die
not smile, but cast short gances at eacl
other, to see which of us must die; an(
when the rifle again flashed, another 0
us dropped to the earth. There wa
something awful in thus marching on tt
certain death.
Gen. Coffec's battery and thousand
of musket balls played upon our ranks
we cared not for them there was
chance of escaping unscathed. Most Q
us had walked upon batteries THOUSAND
times more destructive without quailing
but to know that every time that rife wa
levelled toward us, and its bullet spran,
from the barrel, one of must surely fall
to see the cleaning sun flash as th
deadly iron came down, and see it res
motionless, as if poised upon a rock, an
know, when the hammer struck and tn
sparks few to the full primed pan, that tn
messenger of death strobe unerringly t
its eoal-to know this, and still march OF
was awful.
could see nothing but the tall 6gul
. standing on the breastwoak. He SCENE
to grow, phantom-like, taller. assumin
through the smoke the supernatural al
pearance of some great spirit. Again d
he reload and discharge bis rifle with t
same unfailing aim; and it was with il
!, deseribable pleasure that as we neared Il
: American lines, the sulphurous srnol
lrathered around US and shut that spe