The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1897-01-30
DEADLY FIRE.
THE AMERICAN RiFLEMEN AT the
BATTLE or NEW ORLEANS.

= description or tine Engagement by GEN.
! eral Jackson-A Letter From ..Old Hick-
1 ory'-How r~aekenhan's Veterans Were
1 Defeated by FrontEersmen.
I In The Century William Hugh Rob
arts las III; fsticlo entitled "Napoleon's
Interest III The Battle Of New Orleans"
In this is qunled q hitherto unpublished
%ssefter written ~ General Jackson to Mr..
sJaE1Ss Monroe. ! portion Of tho letter
follows:
! There was a very heavy fog on tho
sariver that morning. and the British had
sformed aud were moving before I knew
III. The disposition of the rifiemen was
livery simple. They were told off il Ncs.
1 ] and 2. No. was to fire first, then
lstep back and let No. . shoot while he
.Ireloaaed. About G00yards from the rife
men there was a great drainage canal
drumming beck from the Mississippi river
TO tho swamp in the rear cf the titled
sland On which we were operating. Along
this canal the British formed, under the
fire OF the few artillery pieces I had
near enough to them to get their range.
] But the instant / saw them | said to
sCohae, whom | directed to hurry 70 his
line, which was TO be first attacked /:
/ by -. we have got them! They are
Sonrsl' Coffee dashed forward, and, rid
ing along bis line, called our, Don't
.shoot till you can see their belt bucklcs!'
The British We're formed iii mass, we'll
closed up, and about two companies
front.
/ The British, thus formed, moved on
at q quick step, without firing q shot, to.
within 100 yards of the kneeling ride
men, who were holding their fire till
they could see the belt buckles Of their
enemies. The British advance was exc
cuted as Though they had been on "a
rade. They marched shoulder 70 shout
der, with the step of veterans, as they
were. At 100 yards distance from our
line the order was given: Extend col
umn 'front.' Double quick, marchil
.Charge!' With bayonets at the charge, |
they came on US ut q run. / own it wasI
an anxious moment. I well knew the
charging column was made up of the
picked troops Of the British army. They
had been trained by the duke himself, |
were commanded by his brother-in-law
and had successfully held off the ablestI
tot Napoleon's marshals in the Spanish
campaign. My rit1emen had never seen
such an attack, nor had they ever BEFORE
fought white men, The morning, too,
was damp. Their powder might not
burn well. God help usi'' I muttered, !
watching the rapidly advancing line. |
Seventy, GO, 80, finally 40 yards, were
they from the silent kneeIing rifemen.
All OF my men that Icouid see was their
long rifles rested Oh the logs heforeE
them. They obeyed their orders well. !
Not q shot was fired until the redcoats !
We're within 40 yards. | heard Coffee's ;
voice as he reared ont: Now, men, aim
for the center of the cross beltst Fire!nk
a second after the order d cracking. l
blazing fash ran all alcng our line. The
smoke hung so heavily III the misty /
morning air that | could not see what I
had happened. / called Tom Overton {
and Ahner Duncan Of my staff, and wei
galloped toward Coffee's fine. In q fewE
seconds after the first fire there camel
another sharp, ringing volley. As III
came within $50 yards Of Coffee the j
smoke lifted enough for me to make outE
what was happening. D
The British were falling back in al
confused, disorderly mass, and the en- !
tire first ranks Of their column weret
blown away. For 200 yards in our 'front.'
the ground was covered with a mass OF I
writhing, wounded, dead and dying red /
coats. By the time the rifles were wiped J
the British line vas reformed, and on l
1T came again. This time they were led I
by General Pakenham in person. gal 4
lantly mounted and riding as though be D
was on parade. just before he got within d
range OF Coffee line | heard a single \
rifle shot from q group of country carts i
we had been using, about IT'S yards dis 4
tant, and q moment thereafter | saw 4
reel and pitch out of his sad &
die. have always believed he fell from 1
the bullet OF a freeman of color who Il
was a famous rife shot and came. from D
the Atakappas region Of Louisiana. The
second advance was precisely like the \
in its ending. In five volleys the i
], 500 or more rifiemen Killed and Z
wounded ALT British soldiers, two
thirds Of them killed dead or mortally 4
wounded. did not know where Gem
eral Pakenham was lying, or ! should
have sent to him or gone in person toE
offer any service in my power { o render. 4
was told he lived two hours afterE
was hit. His wound was directly
through the liver and bowels. General B
keene, | hear, was killed. They sent
3 flag to me. asking leave to gather
up their wounded and bury their dead, :
which. Of course, | granted. I was told
BY a wounded officer that the rank and