The Wichita daily eagle., 1894-03-01

story was published c-er his own name
by the very rich and influential creole
gentleman who supplied the cotton and
though numbers of his contemporaries
really sustained his story, there has
never been denial of the imputation
that the laurels of the battle of New
Orleans belonged not to Gen. Jackson.
but to one Of the greatest soldiers OF
modern times
Who" with one voice inquired all
the rest, was this unknown and un-
honored seldiero"
He was Marshal Moreau, one of Ma
poleons fayorite and greatest lieuten
ants. He was one of the greatest en-
gineers the world ever produced, and
he controlled all the work of that arm
of the French army under the emperor
himself. Until they quarreled Napoleon
had more regard and respect for Moreau
than any of his marshals- II was this
man who devised. arranged, and exc
cuted the battle of New Orieans-Mar.
shall Moreau.''
There was another short spell of in.
credulous silence Some smiled. Others
testifed.t their open unbelief by shaking
their heads. The Louisianian was
evidently irritated.
If | were in New Orleans" he said,
y could show You, among published
evidence, book entitled Fifty Years
in Both Hemispheres 1t was written
by Victo Nolte. Victor Noite was the
man who owned the cotton bales used
in constructing the breastwork which
the picked redcoats of Pakenham were
annihilated in trying to carry. 1t is a
chatty book of "reminiscences and
diarylike personal notes When it wa.
written all those involved were con.
temporaries of the writer. He does
not try to promulgate a striking, not
to say startling, discovery.
He merely relates, as if he were
stating the details of a generally
known and undisputed fact, how
Moreau thought out the plan of the
breastworks; how a demand was made
upon himself (Nolte) for the Invaluable
bales; how he gladly complied with the
request of his compatriot, the marshal,
and how that favorite engineer of the
Z SiCHS va dPciCoA iiiiASCil COuStIuC
the breastworks, after conferring with
jackson and obtaining his consent, and
how, finally, he directed the strategy OF
the day
Another thing" said the Louisi-
anian. You have believed all along
that the defense of the breastworks,
the slaughter of the British aud the
lriI1irc. IF
plished by Kentucky rifemen Moth.
ing of the kind, according to Nolte,
who naturally had an acute personal
interest in the battle fought on both
sides of his fortifcation of cotton
bales
He says that the sharpshooters ol
.Iackson's army consisted not of men
from Kentucky, but of pirates from
Barataria. enjoying a sort of amnesty
Tor their loyal services to the young re-
public. It was brigade of Lafitte's
men who came in from the gulf to re.
inforce Jackson's small but gallant
host. They We're insubordinate, and
gave great deal of trouble, but they
fought with the intrepidity and thor
Oughness of so many demigods.
IF you will take the trou ble," con.
cluded the man from Louisiana. ''tc
hunt up the real story of the battle OF
New Orleans and will read Victor
Nolte's Fifty Years in Both Hemi-
Spheres and then finally go down to
New Orleans and make the acquaint-
ance of some of the old people in the /
French quarter. in order to get ac. /
quainted with the stories bequeathed +
to them by their fathers and grand. (
fathers, you will, to put it mildly, be /
surprised