The Dickinson press., 1883-07-14
THE BATTLE AT THE BALES.

A kiss for me!
THE BATTLE AT THE BALES.
A u that Gen. jackson Had In Reserve
for the British.
the Louisville journal.
Your correspondent "Secretario," from
New Orleans, states in your issue Sunday,
q, 1881, in his article on sLatitte,
the Pirate, " concerning the death of Gen.
Sir Edward Packenham, c~ommander-in
chief Of the British forces, the following:
The last act of his eventful career was
the elimination of his long-treasured re-
venge, and served also to restore him to ia
vor with the people and authorities of
defiance. 1t was at the battle of New Or
leans. He was the genius of the great bat
tie. His blood boiled at the sight of the
red Les Anglais perides!" he
shouted to his men; make every shot tell!
Fire low, my boys!" he thundered to them,
and his were the first guns to fire. Laterin
the battle q general officer is seen to lead
the British forces. He mounts tho para
pet, waving his sword and cheering his men.
Latitte sprang forward with a pistol i'll hand
"a flash, and Packenham falls MORALLY
wounded. The victory is gained and La.
titte's revenge sated."
His letter is headed "The Romance of
Piracy" This account of the death of Sir
Edward Packenham is certainly q romance,
and far, very far, from the truth as it ought
to appear in history. 1 learned the full
particulars Of Gen. P~ackenham's death
from u very intimate friend of my father,
Col. VIM. McCutchen of Mason's Point,
Humphreys county, Tenn. The old hero
was on the ground at the time Packenham
was killed, and commanded a picked COM
pany of marksmen from d Tennessee reg.
iment. Col. McCutchen was a man noted
for his strict integrity and love of truth;
consequently his statement of this affair is
entitled to u full belief in its truthfulness.
I will now give you his version of Gen.
Packenham's death, as clearly and as brief
" as l can, and precisely as I have often
heard him detail it around my fathers fire.
side in the longag Col. McCutchen COM
manded Il company of infantry from Will
Hanson county, Tenn, and was ordered by
Gen. Jackson, who knew him Us o very clear
sighted marksman," to pick u company of
choice ritiemen from his regiment to shoot
the British officers, and to shoot them
alone." He did 80, and had under his COM
mand the best shots i n the army, and was
stationed near the center of the line of
breastworks running at right angles from
the river. The Mississippi was extremely
high ut the time of the battle of New Orleans
so high as to he within d few inches of
the top of the levee-therebv creating some
fear that it might break over and drown
both armies. Col. McCutchen says the
British regulars-men who had fought
Napoleon OH the Peninsula of Spain and
drove that naughty conqueror from his
prey-came up to the attack beautifully,
bringing facines with them to fill up the
ditch in our front so that the rear lines
could cross over with ease, and thus scale
or breastworkB. The colonel remarked,
with d solemn air, that the first lines
melted away like frost before
a warm sun, and helped to fill up the ditch
themselves from the intense and deadly
fire of our rifiemen. They were repulsed u
second timo with terrible slaughter, broke
and fell back under a fire that they had
never met before, even from Napoleon's
best troops. Again, a third time they
rushed to the attack, evidently led by SOM
superior officer, for they came rushing III
with unusual vigor md steadiness. All III
once a lull in the battle revealed the fac,
that something dreadful and unexpected
had occurred in the British lines. The
British officers Of all ranks were seen tc
rush to the center Of their army, they moi
being over 300 yards from Jul lines. The
colonel said he was fully convinced from
the movements of the officers and the
apathy afterward in the attack that Gen
Packenham was certainly killed at that
.ime and that he was shot by nj OF
our unerring marksmen. In fact
he stated that he afterwards learned
from some Brstish soldiers, who wer,
pulled off the breastwork by our men, that
the commotion in their lines was produced
by Gen. Packenham's death. If that wa!
SO, and Col. McCGtcheu says there could
not be q doubt Of it, Gen. Packenham was
killed at least $50 yards from our line of
works, and consequently couldnot have been
killed in q hnnd-t to hand encounter by
"Laftte, the pirate, as stated 10y "Sec-
-etario." The truth is, Latitte was sta.
tioned..to the left of Col. McCutchen's po-
sition, n Packenham was killed imme.
diately in front of Col. McCutchen's line
of s%harpshooters. Our own hero stated
that the ditch in bis front was so full Of
dead soldiers that the attacking column had
no dific ulty in crossing over as they lay al
thick on the ground as one ever saw stones
on q very stony field. 1 asked him if many
of the British got on the breast
works. He replied, only a few
and thew were Immediately killed o
made prisoner of war. During the lull il
the battle spoken of above one Of the Col
M~cCutchen's best riiemen begged him Il
let him shoot a soldier struggling across tn
ditch, as no officers were in sight. Col
MeCutchen said: II looked on and saw
| khok th1 oo11;or Lol n Ioo.k:G,l aonk1o~ ~,
that it was particularly brightand attractive
1 said:
ayes, you may shoot him, but shoot hin
through his canteen." The riaeman raised
his gun and took deliberate aim, and at til,
crack of his piece his game tumbled owe
dead. After the battle the soldier aeke,
Col. McCutchen to let him go over and SCI
"where he shot that blasted Britisher.
Says he went, and in a few moments re-
tuned with the canteen. having sent q bal
directly throughita and consequently through
the heart of it's unfortunate owner. o.
the canteen was painted this interesting ye
wicked couplet:
civilian Willy is my name,
And old England is my nation;
To whip the id Yankees
And take New Orleans is our destination
Then followed several other crude
rhymes of similar import-something abou
Beauty and Booty"-but they were 81
broken up by the passage of the ball as Il
be almost entirely unintelligible. While
am thus repeating this interesting remlnis
cence from the lips of q living participant
in the battle of New Orleans, 1 crave you
pardon and space to repeat a few other
learned from the same source.
Just before the battle commenced Col
McCutchen said he was walking over to his
right and near the levee, when he saw Gen
jackson ride up under considerable excite.
ment and order an officer to furnish an or.
derby sergeant and 81 men to report imme.