The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1896-12-31
BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS.
Unpuh'i'hrd Letter IN which General
jackson DtIUrlbrA tho FIGHT.

jackson DtsUrlbrs the Fight.
january Century: The following IL u
hitherto unpublished letter written by
General Jackson to Mr.. James Monroe.
y portion OF the letter folIowa:
There was II very heavy fog ON the
river that morning. and the British had
Formed ana were moving before l know
It, The disposition % the rinCmcn was
very DlmrlH. They were told IN In Nos
nhh :. No. ! was 10 fire first, then
Rtep back md let No. . shoot while he
reloaded. About COO yards from the ri.
iicmcn there was great drainage cnnal
running bnCk from the Mississippi river
TO tho swamp IN the rear nf the titled
lnnd on which W. were operating. Along
this canal the british formed, under tho
IRE OF the few artillery pieces | Ind
near enough to thom to Eot their rnnEr.
nut the Instant | saw them ] said 10
Coffee, whom | directed to hurry 10 his
line. which was to be first attacked:
"By -, we have got them: they are
OuryI" Coffee dnshud forward, and, rid
INK along the line, called out. Don't
Hhoot until you Gun Scc their belt
huCklCs!"
The British, thus formed, moved on
nj quick atCp, without firing phot.
10 within one hundred yards or the
knCcllng rltcmcn, who were holding
their fire TIL they could Hcr the belt
buckles OF their enemies. The british
advance wan executed M though they
had been OH parade. They marched
shoulder TO shoulder, with The step Ot
veterans. as they were. At one hundred
yards distance from our line the order
was given: EXTEND column front,
Doublc-qulck, march! CHARGE" with
bRyonets ut the charge, they came on
us Mt run. | own II was an anxious
moment; well knew the charging COL
llmn wns made UP OF picked troops OF
the British army. They had been train
cd by the duke himself. were communal
ed by his brothcr-ln-lHw. and had sue
cesslully held on the nDicst OF SGpO-
Icons marshals In the Spanish cam
paiGn.
My rIncmcn had never seen such nm
attack. nor had they ever before fought
white mcn The morning, too. was
damp: thulr powder might not burn
well. God help u.s." muttcrcd,
watching the rapidly advancing line.
Seventy, sixty, ilfty. finally forty yards.
wcr" they from the silent kurclnE rifle
men. All OF my men l could SEQ waH
their long rides rested on the logs be-
we'll: not shot was fired until the red
coats We're within forty yards heard
COnce's voice as lie roured out: "SOw,
men. aim for the center OF the cross
belts, Firc!" a second after the order
cracklluE, blazing flash ran all along
our line. The smoke hung so heavily in
tho misty morning air that l could not
see what had happened, | called Tom
OvCrton and Abner Duncan, OF my stan.
and We Illlopcl toward Coftce'g line.
In 4 few seconds after the first fire. there
came another sharp. ringing TeIlcy. AS
came within one hundred and ilfty yards
OF Coffee the smoke lifted enough for
me 20 make out whit was happening.
The British were falling back In n
confused. disordcrly mass. and tho en-
tire first ranks or their column were
blown away. For two hundred yards In
our front the ground was covered with
n mass OF wrlthlns wounded. dead and
dying r,r!COnts. BY the time the rifles
were wiped the British line was reform
cd. and on IL came again. This time
they were led by General Pakenham in
person, Gallantiy mounted, and riding
az though he was on parade. Just be-
fore he got within range OF COifcc's
line ! heard single rifle shot from q
group Of country carts we had been
using. about LIS yards distant. and n
moment thereafter | saw Pakenham
reel and pitch out OF his saddle. have
have always believed he fell from u
bullet OF 4 free man OF color who was IL
famous rItic-shot. and came from the
Attakapas region OF Louisiana. The
second advance was precisely like the
first in Its ending. In five Tolleys the
l.5OO or more rlilemen killed and wound
ed 2,ll7 British soldiers. two-thirds OF
them killed dead or mortnlly wounded.
/ did not know where General Pakcn-
ham was lying, or should have sent
TO him or gone In person. TO offer any
service In my power to render.
was told he lived two hours after he
was hit His wound was directly
drought he liver and bowels. General
Kccne. I hear. was killed dead. They
sent IL flag 10 me, asking leav. to gather
up their wounded and bury their dead.
which. OF course. granted. was told
by wounded officer tina, the rank and
Me absolutely refused TO make u third
charge. We have no chance with such
shooting rs these Americans do" they
said.