The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1875-10-21
An Interesting Renaissance Of the War
Of 1919.

VI 1S11s
\ The death of Mr.. E. M, Brank of
Greenville, Kentucky-father of the
Rev. DR.. Brank, the pastor of the
Central Presbyterian Church of this
clty-was announced in our paper two
weeks ago. Mr. Brank was noted for
his stately proportions, great strength,
dauntless courage, and unerring skill
with the rifle.
At the battle of New Orleans, when
he was about "a years old, he held the
commission of Lieutenant in company
OF Kentucky volunteers. As the British
army advanced upon the American de-
lenses, seizing the gun of one of his
men, named Michael Sewers, Mr..
Drank mounted the breastworks di-
rectly in front of the approaching enc
my, and, taking deliberate aim ut the
officers, fired number of telling shots.
This incident was fully authenticated,
but the effect of the daring act was not
known until many years afterward,
when the following graphic account
was published by British officer:
BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS.
A British officer, who was at the bat
tie of New Orleans, mentions an incl
dent OF thrilling strangeness, and very
descriptive of the Western hunters,
many of whom marched to the defense
OF New Orleans as volunteers under the
renowned Andrew jackson.
We marched, said the officer, in q
solid column of 12 900 men, in direct
line for the American defenses. be-
| fn ho faH
watched through our glass 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 of |
his country, every action, be it success
full or otherwise, will be judged with |
most heartless scrutiny.
1t was a strange sight, that long /!
range of cotton bales--a new material |
for breastwork-- the crowd of hu-t
man beings behind, their heads only
visible above the line of defense. We
could distinctly see the long rifles lying
over the bales, and the battery of Gen.
Coffee directly in front with its great
mouth gaping toward US, and the posi-
ton of Gen. jackson, with his staff |
around him. But what attracted our
attention most was the figure of a man
standing on the breast-works, dressed
in linsey-woolsey, with buckskin leg
gins and broad-rimmed felt hat that
fell around his face, almost concealing
his features. He was standing in one
OF those picturesque and graceful atti-
tudes peculiar to those natural men,
dweHers in the forest. The body rested
on the left leg, and swayed with a
curved line upward; 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 his left hand he raised the
rim of the hat from his eyes, and SEEM
ed gazing from beneath intensely upon
our advancing column. The cannon of
Gen. Coffee had opened upon us, and
tore through our ranks with dreadful
slaughter; but we continued to advance
unwavering and cool, as if nothing
threatened our progress.
The roar OF cannon seemed to have
no effect upon the figure standing upon
the cotton bales, but he seemed fixed
and mOtiOnless as a statue. At last
he moved, threw back the hat rim over
the crown with his left hand, raised the
rifle to his shoulder and aimed at our
group. Our eyes were riveted upon
him. At whom had he leveled his
piece? But the distance was so great h
that we looked at each other and
smiled. We saw the rifle flash, and Ii
my right hand companion, as noble
a fellow as ever rode at the head
of regiment, fell from his saddle. II
The hunter paused for few moments, /.
without moving his rifle from his
shoulder, then reloaded and resumed |,
his former attitude. TArowing the hat
rim over his eyes and again holding it
up with the left hand, he fixed his
piercing gaze upon us as if hunting out
another victim. Once more the hat
rim was thrown back, and the gun rais-
ed to the shoulder. This time we did ,
not smile, but cast short glances at
each other, to see which of us must die II
and when the rifle again flashed, an
other of us dropped to the earth. There I;
was something awful in marching on to |
certain death
Gen. Coffee's battery and thousands
of musket balls played among our
ranks. We cared not for them; there
was chance of escaping unscathed. II
Most Of us had walked upon batteries a
hundred times as destructive without
quailing, but to know that every time
that rifle was leveled towards us and
the bullet sprang from its barrel one Of
us must surely fall To see the gleam-
ing sun fash as the iron came down, |,