Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-12-31

NEW ORLEANS.
 Events now moved fast. On the 16th martial law was proclaimed, and the sailors were called to man the vessels. All prisoners guilty of low grade offenses were released and put to work wherever needed. The creole ladies prepared their elegant houses for hospitals. The quad room women, natural nurses, were organ ized and instructed. Old men and lads were formed into a city reserve. The free colored men pledged their lives to protect the city whether against the British in front or their black kinsmen in the rear. A force was sent across the river, and Gen. Morgan was placed in command on that bank. All were ex- horted to extra vigilance. And yet the enemy stole a march upon the OutpOsts and made their first move a perfect sue cess.
 On the 18th the British light fiotilla at tackled, defeated and captured the six gunbOats of Capt. Jones, each side losing about sixty men in killed and wounded. They then pushed their work with such zeal that soon after dark of the 22d they had 1,G00 men landed on Bayou Bien- venue, near the southwest point of Lake Borgne. They waded through the swamp, captured the American picket and ad- vanced so silently to the solid ground near the river that they captured all the people on the Villere and Chalmette plan tatiOnS. In short, they were within nine miles of New Orleans and no one in the city knew it. But Maj. Gabriel Villere escaped from their custody and brought the news to the city. At half past 1 on tue 23d Jackson heard the details. Turn ing to his aids he said:
 "Gentlemen, we must fight them to- night"
 Orders were rapidly given, and by dark all available troops were at the Rodriguez canal, six miles below the city. From the river to the swamp may be anywhere from hun dred yards to ten miles; at this point it beyond that is cypress timber in a muddy morass. Along the canal at 7 D. m. of the 23d Jackson had 2,131 men in four teen separate commands, with two six pOunders. The British had halted at the Nillere plantation, two miles below, be- cause the captured pickets had told them that Jackson had 15,000 soldiers in the l city. The men honestly believed it, hay ing talked the matter over and eXagger- ated as militia do; so, when separately examined, they told the same story. Gen. Coffee was directed to steal through the cypress swamp and come in on the
 
 was to drop down opposite =. ir camp and sweep their position at rancom. At the first sound of her guns Jackson's men were to advance, touching elbows, in the dark and fire low"
 Half-past '; the pale moon barely visible through the mist. The Carolina discharges her biggest gun. By rare chance it strikes the very center of 8 British bivouac and lays hundred men on the wet earth. The rest of the bat | tie cannot be described. It was, says Gen Coffee, "a war of detachments and | duels." Prisoners were taken and re, taken-both sides were confused. At 1C o'clock the Americans retired, having lost 24 killed, 115 wounded and "A pris- oners. The British loss was 46 killed l 167 wounded and GA prisoners. But the Carolina continued for days to throw chance shots among them, inhictine much damage. Early next morning Jackson set his force and all the avail ables from the city to constructing the noted breastwork from the river to the swamp.
 Oh, for an Atlantic cable Oh, fol some swift courier of the air to bring the news from Ghent; for if these brave meI could only have known it, they were nc | longer enemies. Early on that very morning Clay, Gallatin and Adams met the British plenipotentiaries for the last act of the treaty of peace, and before noon it was signed.
 All Christmas Day the American: toiled in the entrenchment, banking III the soft spongy mud of the delta. Al day the Carolina continued to harass tht British. On the 26th they got up theil heaviest guns. At dawn on the 27tl they opened rain of hot shot, and il half an hour the Carolina's crew aban doned her. Scarcely were they out ol danger when a terrific explosion sem her fragments high in air. It rattled the window glass in New Orleans. It sem burning fragments among the Americans on both sides of the river. The Louis jana succeeded in escaping up the river Then the British could erect their re doubts and plant their batteries in peace On the 28th they made a grand recon noissance, losing fifty killed anC wounded. The Americans lost nine killed and eight wounded
 A desultory skirmishing of o'ltposti lasted till New Years Day, when regular artillery battle took place, in which tht