Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1897-01-09
Description of the Battle of New Or
leans Written by Gen. Jack
sons Own Hand.
A LETTER OF HISTORICAL INTEREST
How Great Britain's Brave Sons Went
Down in the Most Remarkable
Engagement in the Worlds
History.

cember appears an entertaining article
on this famous military engagement by
Mr.. William Hugh Robaets. wherein is
incorporated letter from Gen. jackson
describing the battle. The letter was ad
dressed to Mr.. James Monroe, who il
1903 was American minister to the French
repnalic. It reads as follows:
The battle, said Gen. jackson, com
menoed at a very little before a. m,
January s, 1916, and as far as the infant
ry was concerned it was over by 8 a. m.
Ny force was very much mixed. l had
portions of the 7th and 44th regular in
fantry regiments, Kentucky and Tennes-
see riflemen, creoles, United States ma.
rines and sailors, Baratarian men-one of
them Capt. Dominique You, commanded
part of my artillery land famous gun
ner he was)-and two battalions of free
negroes. had in the action about 5000
U en-. The British strength was almost
the same as mine, but vastly superior in
riflemen killed and wounded 2,117 in less
than an hour, including two general off.
GERS (both died on the field, each divis-
ion commander), seven full colonies, with
seventy five line and staff officers. lost
six killed and seven wounded.
AS to tactics, there were very little in
use on either side. We had some works
of earth fronting the river, but the Ken
tucky and Tennessee rifemen, who sus-
tanned the main attack, had protected
themselves by work about two feet and
a half high, made of logs two feet apart,
and the space between filled in with earth.
This work began at the Mississippi river,
and ended in the swamp, being at right
angle with the river.
Thinking this the weakest portion of
our line, and seeing ununiformsd men
behind the trifing defenses, Gen. Paken-
ham thought it the best thing to begin
his attack by carrying this part of my
line with the bayonet. On the Sd of jan
uarg had ord,red that each rifleman's
powder horn be filled, and enough lead for
100 bullets issued, besides good material
for bullet patching. Coffee reported to
me on the 7th that this order had been
obeyed, and every man had cleaned up
his rifle and put new flint in the ham
mer, 80 we we're as ready as we could be
for the attack.
There was very heavy fog on the river
that morning, and the British had formed
and were moving before knew it. The
disposition of the rihemen was very
simple. They were told off in numbers
one and two. Number one was to fire
first, then step back and let number two
shoot while he reloaded. About 600
yards from the riflemen there was great
drainage canal running back from the
Mississippi river to the swamp in the
rear of the titled land ON which we were
operating. Along this canal the British
formed, under the fire of the few artillery
pieces had near enough to them to get
their range. But the instant saw them
said to Coffee, whom I directed to hurry
to his line, which was to be the first at
tackled: By --, we have got them; they
are ours! Coffee dashed forward, and
riding along his line, called out: "Don't
shoot till you can see their belt buckles" "
The British were formed in mass, we'll
closed up, and about two companies
front.
The British, thus formed, moved on at
quick pace, without firing shot, to
within 100 yards of the kneeling riflemen,
who were holding their fire till they could
see the belt buckles of their enemies. The
British advance was executed as though
they had been on parade. They marched
shoulder to shoulder, with the step of vet
Grams, as they were. At 100 yards dis.
tance from our line the order was given;
"Extend column front; ouble quick,
march! Charge" With bayonets at the
charge, they came on us at run. own
it was an anxious moment; | we'll knew
the charging column was made up of the
picked troops of the British army. They
ha9 been trained by the duke himself,
commanded by his brother in.law, and
had successfully held off the abiest of Ma
poleon's marshals in the Spanish cam
paign. My rihemen had never seen such
an attack, nor had they ever fought be-
fore white men. The morning, too, was
damp; their powder might not burn we'll
God help Us, muttered, watching the
rapidly advancing line. Seventy, sixty,
fifty, forty yards, were they from the 81.
lent kneeling ritlemen. All of my men |
could see was their long rifles rested on
the logs before them. They obeyed their
orders we'll; not shot was fired until the
redcoats were within forty yards. heard
Coffee's voice as he roared out: "Now,
men, aim for the ,enter of the cross
belts! Fret" second after the order a
cracking, blazing fash ran all along our
line. The smoke hung 30 heavily on the
misty morning air that could not see
what had happened. called Tom Over
ton and Abner Duncan, OF my staff, and
We galloped toward Coffee's line. In a
few seconds after the first fire there came
another sharp, ringing volley. As came
withing $50 yards of Coffee, the smoke
lifted enough for me to make out what
was happening. The British we're falling
back ia a confused, disorderly mass, and
the entire first ranks of their column
were blown away. For 200 yards in our
front the ground was covered with a mass
of writhing wounded dead and dying red
coats. By the time the rifles were wiped,
the British line was reformed, and on ii
came again. This time they we're led by
Gen. Pakenham Ia person, gallantly
mounted and riding as though he was on
parade. just before he got within range
Of Coffee's line heard a single rife shot
from group of country carts We had
been using, about IT'S yards distant, and
a moment thereafter l saw Pakenham
reel and pitch out of his saddle. I have
always believed he fell from the bullet of
free man of color, who was a famous
rifle shot, and came from the Atakappas
region OF Louisiana. The second ad'
vance was precisely like the first in its
ending. In fivs volleYst the 1900 or more
rifiemen killed and wounded 2,1l7 British
soldiers, two thirds OF them killed, dead
or mortally wounded. did not know
whore Gen. Pakenham was lying, or
should, have sent to him, or gone to him
in person, to offer any service In my