The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1860-01-06
Incident of the Battle of New
Orleans,

A British officer, who was in the battle
of New Orleans, mentions an incident of
thrilling strangeness, and very descriptive
Of the defence of New Orleans by volun-
teers in the army under the renowned An
drew Jackson:
We marched, said the officer, in a solid
column Of twelve thousand men, in direct
! line upon the American defences. | be
/ longed to the staff, and as we advanced
watched through our glasses the position
and arrangements Of our enemy with that
/ intensity an officer only feels when
marching into the jaws of death, with the
assurance that while he thus offers himself
as sacrifice TO the demands ot his coun
try, every action, be it successful or ether
wise, will be Judged with the most heart
less scrutiny.
1t was strange sight, that long range
of cotton baes-a new material for breast
works-with the crowd of human beings
behind, their heads ony visible above the
line Of defence We could distinctly see
their long rifles lying over the bales and
the battery Of Gen. Jackson, with his staff
around him. But what attracted our
! attention most, was a tall man standing On
the breastworks, dressed in linsey wool
sey with buckskin leggings, and broad
brimmed hat that fell around his face,
almost concealing his features. lie was
standing in one of those picturesque
and graceful attitudes, peculiar to those
natural man dwelers IN the forests. The
body restel on the left leg, and swayed
with q carved line upwards; the right arm
was extended the hand grasping the rifle
near the muzzle, the butt of which rested
near the toe of the right foot, while with
lis 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
on Us, and tore through our ranks with
dreadful slaughter but we continued to
advance, unwavering and cool, as if moth
ing threatened our progress
The roar Of cannon seemed to have no
effect upon the figure standing on the cot
ton bales, but lie seemed fixed and notion
less as q statue At last he moved, threw
back the rim over the crown with his left
hand, raised the rifle to his shoulder and
took aim at our group. At whom had he
leveled bis piece! But the distance was
so great that we looked at each other and
smiled. We saw the rifle flash and my
right hand companion, as noble looking
fellow as ever rode at the head ofb;s regi
ment, fell from his saddle. The hunter
paused for a few moments without moving
the gun from his shoulder, then reloaded
and assumed his former attitude. Throw
ING bis hat rim over his eyes and holding
it up with bis left hand, he fixed his pier
cling gaze upon as if hunting out another
victim. Once more the hat rim was
thrown back and the gun raised to the
shoulder. This time we did not smile,
but cast short glances at each other to
see which Of US must die and when the
rifle again flashed, another of us dropped
to the earth. There was something awfdl
in thus marching on to certain death.
Gen. Coffee's battery and thousands of
musket balls played upon our ranks we
of escaping unscathed. Most of US had
walked upon batteries hundred times
more destructive, without qualing; but
TO know that every time the rifle was lev
eed towards US, and its bullet sprang from
the barrel, one of us must surely fall To
see the cleaning sun flash as the deadly
IRON came down, and see it rest motionless
as if poised on a rock, and know, when
the hammer struck sparks and flew to the
fuIl-primed pan, that the messenger of
death drove unerringly to its goal-to
know this and still march on, was awful.
could see nothing but the tall figure
standing on breastwork He seemed to
grow, phantom like taller and taller, as
suming through the smoke the supernatu
raj appearance of some great spirit
Again did he reload and discharge his ri
he with the same unfaiiing aim and il was
with indescribable pleasure that beheld,
as we approached the American lines, the
| suIphurous smoke gather around Us, and
shut that spectral hunter from our gaze.
! We lost the battle, and TO my mind the
! Kentucky hunter contributed more to our
defeat than anything else; for, while he
remained to our sight, our attention was
/ drawn from our duties, and when at last
we became eushrouded in the smoke, the
/ WOfk WAS COlil ,td, We Ntlo III uCtei
! confusion and unable in the extremity to
restore sufficient order to make any sue
cessfu attack.
So long as thousands of rifles remain in
the hands of the people, as long as men
come up from their childhood able, ere
the down appears upon the chin, to hit
the centre of {, mark, or strike a deer al
one hundred and fifty yards, in the most
Vita part; so long as there is great por
tion of the Republic who live as free as
the wild Indian, knowing no leader bu
their own choosing, knowing no Law bu
that of right, AMI the honorable observ
ance of friendly Intercourse, America i
unconquerable, and all the armies Of th'
combined world, though they might drive
them from the sea coast and the AlIegha
~ mountains, they would not be abe t.
subdue the free soulad hunter among tn,
mountains and great prairies and might
rivers Of the West"