Semi=weekly graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1895-1902, 1897-02-13
THEIR DEADLY FIRE.
THE AMERICAN RlFLEmEN AT TIE
BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS.

a Description of tho Engagement by Gen
oral Jackson Letter From "old niois
oTy''-IIow Paokenbam's Veterans wer,
Defeated by Frontiersmen.
In The Gentury William Hugh Rob
arts has an article entitled Napoleon.
Interest In the Battle of New Orleans .
In this isquoted a hitherto unpublished
letter written by General jackson to Mr..
James Monroe A portion Of the letter
follows
There was very heavy fog on the
nYer that morning, and the British had
formed and were moving before knew
It, The disposition Of the riflemen was
very simple, They were told off in Nos.
l and 2. No. l was to fire first, then
step back and let No. shoot while he
reloaded About Goo yards from the rife
men thero WAS great drainage canal
running back from the Mississippi river
to tho swamp in the rear of the titled
land ON which we were operating. Along
this canal tho British formed, under the
IRE OF the few artillery pieces [ had
near enough to them to get their range.
But the instant / saw them / said to
Coffee, whom directed to hurry to his
line, which was to be first attacked !;
by -, we have got them They arc
oursF' Coffee dashed forward, and rid
ing along bis line, called out, "Don t
shoot till you can see their belt bucklesl'
Inc British were formed in mass, we'll
closed up. and about two companies
front
The British thus formed, moved Oh
at quick step, without firing a shot, to
within 100 yards Of the kneelinQ rife
men, who were holding their fire till
| they could sec the belt buckles of their
enemies. The British advance was exc.
outed as though they had been on pa.
rade. They marched shoulder to shout
der. with the step Of veterans, as they
were At 100 yards distance from our
Inc the order was given; extend col
! umn frontl Double quick, march,
| Charged With bayonets at the charge.
they came on us at run. own it was
an anxious moment. we'll knew the
charging column VA made up of the
picked troops Of tho British army. They
had been trained by the duke himself,
were commanded by his brother-in-law
and had successfully held of the ablest
OF Napoleen.s }narshals in the Spanish
campaign. My riAemen had mover seen
such an attack, nor had they ever before
fought white men, The morning, too,
was damp. Their powder might not
burn we'll. God help usp' I muttered,
watching the rapidly advancing line.
Seventy, 60, 30, finally 40 yards, were
they from the silent kneeling rifemen.
All of my men that could see was their
long rifles reated on the logs before
them. They obeyed their orders we'll.
Not q shot was fired until the redeoats
were within 20 yards. 1 heard Coffee's
voice as he reared out Now, men, aim
for the center of tho cross beltsl FireP'
A second after the order cracking,
blazing iiash ran all along our line. The
smoke hung so heavily in the misty
morning air that I could not see what
had happened. called Tom Qyerton
and AbneF Duncan Of my staff, and we
galloped toward Coffee's line. In few
seconds after the first fire there came
another sharp, ringing vollov. AS /
came within 100 yards Of Coffee the
smoke lifted enough for me to make out
what was happening.
The British Were falling back in "a
confused, disorderly mass, and the en-
tire first ranks of their column were
blown away, For 200 yards in qur front
the ground was covered with a mass of
writing, wounded, dead and dying red
coats. By the time the rifles were wiped
the British line was reformed, and on
it came again. This time they were led
by General Pakenham in person, gal
lantly mounted and riding as though he
was on parade. just before he got within
range of Ooffee's line I heard single
rifle shot from group of country carts
we had been using, about 175 yards dis.
tant, and moment thereafter l saw
Pakenham reel and pitch out of his sad
die have always believed he fell from
the bullet of freeman OF color who
was famous rifle shot and came from
the Atakappas region Of Louisiana. The
second advance was precisely like the
first i'll its ending. In five yolleys the
1900 or more rifiemen killed aud
wounded 2,117 British soldiers, two
thirds of Thorn killed dead or mortally
wounded l did not know where Gen
eral Pakenham was lying, or I 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
through the liver and bowels. General
Keene, hear, was killed, They sent
flag to me, asking leave to gather
up their wounded and bury their dead,
which, Of course. granted. l was told
by a wounded officer that the rank and
file absolutely refused to make third
charge, "We have no chance with such
shooting as these Americans do, they
said
Hereditary Suicide.
An extraordinary instance of heredi-