The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1869-01-03

y
tsli thin, fever.wasted body to its height and
raised his clenched right hand ominously in the air.
"pown it came upon the table with crash.
BY the Eternal he exclaimed, they shall not
sic p on our soilti rcd lI OF .r'c
"a nome later. sunnoning his aids, he said
more quietly, Gentlemen, the British are below:
we will fight them to night
"The general kept bis word. That evening our
little army marched out to attack the enemy. IL
was scarcely more than 900 strong, bat it con-
tanned some splendid fighting material. There
were Col. linda Mississippi Dragons, well
mounted and armed, and Gen. Cofee's Tennessee
shsrp-sbooters-ea Inau shouldering a long,
heavy rife, with which be co1ld bring down q
squirrel from the taest pine that ever grew
1.-The night battle of the 23d Of December Is
what call the first or little battle Of New Or.
leans, to distinguish it, you know from the second
or grea battle of the Sth OF January. A strange,
confused affair IL was, with most of the luck on
our side. If this had not been so, if we had
been beaten and driven back. then the city
would probably have fallen. And In our part
of the field, matters looked rather squally for a
time. Twas on the extreme right. Here the
redcoats. after having given way twice before our
well. directed fire of small arms and cannon raj
lied in great numbers and made desperate
charge upon our artlllerymen, with the purpose
Of capturing their guns. Our men recoiled in con-
fusion. Then the horses, some Of them badly
wounded, broke loose and rushed msdy to the rear.
''' This will never do heard the general ssy
in stern voice to himself BE spurred his large,
the middle of the fire. shouted in the tone that few
who heard it can forget. " SAGE ue guns SAVE
THE GUEs.! SAVE THE GUNS! Up his voice
rising with each repetition Of the order. until il
rung clearly above all the din and clamor OF the
conflict
"His presence and commands were all-power-
full. Our fellows turned savagely on the enemy,
and backed, in the very nick of time, by some
fresh companies from the seventh regiment, they
pressed the British in their turn, and protected
their DreciOus giXDOuQQere.O
Jeil.-" beg pardon, Uncle, but want you
helped by your gunboats? ,"
Our Uncle" We hadn't as much of a gunboat,
my boy, as would 60 to the making of a child's
schooner, called the Carolina we did have at
hand. and don't believe we could have managed
without her. She anchored In the river just OPP
posite the British position, and her first broad
side laid low, II is said from seventy 10 hundred
English soldiers
Myself lc,ed'lously) -"What, uncle Do you
believe Ihatgp
our Uncle (sha,Ply)-"And pray, sir, why
shouldn't 1 believe it, A ll-simed broadside at
short range is no baby-play. | can tell you
~ can't even glance at all that happened be.
tween this and the great final battle In January.
Both armies threw mp lines of defense and planted
cannon. What do you think the British batteries
were partly made OF Why, sugar barrels huge
b gsheads, stolen from the planters barns; while
our works were composed OF cotton bales Bat,
to the Britishers'' surprise, Cur balls plunged
through and through tnelr sugar CASKS, and as Tor
the cotton bales on our side, they were not only
knocked about in every direction, but fred by the
enemy's shot, so that jackson had them rolled
awsy, and the thick, black mud OF the Delta was
used in their stead.
"Thongh our guns were both fewer and smaller
then those opp sed to US, they did superb service.
One battery, commanded by a Capt. Humphrey,
b, came celebrated. He was the coolest fellow
in the world. with q hawks eye, and pulled an
erDal cigar. l do believe he smoked in his
sleep?
Zone day British eighteen Founder, couche
behind narrow, low works in his front, bothered
him greatly. IN stop your tongue, you noisy
devil cried Humphrey. Very carefully he sighte
his piece, only a twelve FOUNDER, and applied the
match with his own hand. moment, and we
saw the gun.carrisge he had aimed at, shedding a
cloud of splnters and half dozen men running
from the spot in confusion.
Every day, and all day long, we 'pegged
away thus at each other"
Myself" And the Carolina helped you still,
Uncle ~
our Uncie.-"No! poor dear the brutes man.
aged to get couple Of screamers (the biggest
sort of guns) into position, and blew her out of
the water But we had a larger ship-the Lou.
O. JtH.L 10 telr 'Lt~s--p plaza and scored the
State at that time? ;"
On, Unele-"0, Claiborne and precious pol.
troon be was, with a set of fellows about him in
the Legislature as scary as rabbits He had con.
tioi over the State ammunition, but actually re.
FUSED TO give 1t up to our general Jackson sent
Ior DID. DE came trembling, with face the color
of parboiled potatoes.
jackson reared, in a voice that might have
been heard half mile away, If you don't send
me balls and powder instantly, governor I'll chop
on your head and have it rsmmed into one Of
those held-pieces ,
The balls and powder were not long in ar.
irving after that y
MySeg-"What! do you really think Gen.
jackson would have chopped off the governors
mead II be had refused to obey him? "
ri oI.fI tsTf- l.
would and without minutes hesitation y
Jem (oIel2ng hlS eyes an dStOHiSb ment land
ranmed the head down a cannonl''
orr Uncle (pOSittUely)-" OF course What
otner use could he have put it to, the obstinate,
worthless noddle2r
Boh Boys togettei-"But. surely, that would
have been wrong and cruel ?"
Ot1' Uncle (lciH a logged frozen -
Nothing OF the sort What was a stupid gov.
ernor's head-piece worth, compared with the sal.
vation OF great city, great State, a great
country! Children, don't talk nonsense -
Jfn.-"Mere as mum as mice, Uncle: now
won't you go on to the other batte-the last
great fight, mean ,"
orr Uncle.-"'Pshsw, you are getting sleepy
Boys (Reproachfuliy).-"How can you say
or Une'e.-"wby, then, wen take glass of
vine round, TO keep US going"
He spoke as if half reluctant to proceed. but
we both knew that nothing delighted him So much |
Is to talk of this battle, and ey time he con-
rived somehow to relate what we had not heard |
before and thus to keep up our interest.
or JRcle.-"The sih OF January, 1915.
ell upon Sunday. Our camp remained quiet /
Nj night, but the British soldiers had been bawl. |
ng and singing at the top of their voices. We /
oald hear them distinctly. thick, cold mist /
oiled from the river across the plain, and partly
oncealed it. Suddenly great rocket dsrted no
bove their lines, played backwards and for wards
2 the ar, and then dropped into thu Mississippi. |
lead silence followed. II was now barely day.
ght. Peering through the gloom, we could
ust catch the CLINT Of the redcosts advancing in
wo vast columns. That upon the left came most
apdly on: two or three thousand men, veterans
DO! They massed upon three of our batteries,
ehind which stood, cool and determined, Gen. |
s1ron's Tennessee RifemeD. supported by rsgi. |
ent Of hensuekians. under Gen. Adair. |
:" Our guns opened on the advance, cutting
ing. fearful, bloody lanes through its very heart.
want far of myself, having been sent with an |
rder to Adair. At every discharge of our cannon |
could see shattered arms, legs, and entire bodies
'metimes, hurled shockingly into the air. But |
re regiment reformed and came steadily onward
At last they were within two hundred yards of |
:, within range Of four lines of sharp.shooters.
'ery mothers son of whom could hit a bulls eve
that distance.
i" Now. men. shouted Carroll, FrRE,u