The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1897-01-27
SOLDIERS BUDGET.
The Battle OF New Orleans.

In the January Century William
| Hugh Robarts has an sltl,le entitled
NapOleon's Interest in the Battle of
New Orleans" In this is quoted a
hitherto unpublished letter written by
Gen. Jackson to Mr.. James Monroe.
| A portion of the letter follows:
There was very heavy fog on the
river that morning, and the British had
| formed and were moving before know
it. The disposition of the rifemen
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 re oaded.
About six hundred yards from the rifle.
men there was great drainage canal
running back from the Mississippi river
to the swamp in the rear of the TILED
land on which we were operating.
Along this canal the British formed,
under the fire of the few arii lery pieces
l 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 10 be first
attacked: "Bv -, 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, well closed up, and about two
companies front.
The British, thus formed, moved on
at n quick step, without firing shot, to
within one hundred yards Of The
kneeling rihemen, who were hc lding
their fire I'll they could see the belt
buckles Of the enemies. The British
advance was executed as though they
had been on parade. They marched
shoulder to shoulder, with the step of
veterans, as they we're. AT one hun
bred yards distance from our line
the order was given, Extend co.
umn front" "Doube quick, march!
Charge!" With bayonets at the
charge, they came on US at run. l
own it was an anxious moment; | 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 the
brother in-law, and had successfully
held off the ablest of Napoleon's mar
shals in the Spanish campaign. My
riflemen had never seen such an at
tack, nor had they ever before fought
white men. The morning, too, was
damp; their powder might not burn
well. "God help us!" l muttered,
watching the rapidly advancing line.
Seventy, sixty, fifty, finally forty yards,
were they from the silent kneeling ri
femen. All of my men l could see
was their long rifles rested on the logs
before them. They obeyed their or
ders well; not a shot was fired until
the redcoats were within forty yards.
heard Coffee's voice as he roared out:
"Now, men, aim for the center of the
cross belts! Fire!" A second after
the order a cracking, blazing flash ran
all along our line. The smoke hung so
heavily in the misty morning air that
could not see what had happened.
called Tom Overton and Abner Dun
can, of my staff, and we galloped
toward Coffee's line. In few seconds
after the first fire there came another
sharp. ringing vclley. AS 1 came
within one hundred and fifty 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 two hundred yards
in front the ground was covered with a
mass of writhing, wounded, dead and
dying redcoats. By the time the rifles
were wiped the British line was re-
formed, and on it came again. This
time they were led by General Paken-
ham in person, CALAMITY mounted, and
riding as though he was on parade.
Just before he got within range of
Coffe's line l heard a single rifie-shot
from group of country carts We had
been using, about one hundred and
seventy five yards distant, and a mo-
ment thereafter 1 saw Pakenham reel
and pitch out of his saddle. have al
ways believed he fell from the bullet of
free man of color, who was q famous
rifle-shot, and came from the Antakap-
pas region of Louisiana. The second
advance was precisely like the first in
its ending. In five volleys the 1900 or
more riflemen killed and wounded p
III British soldiers, two thirds of them
killed dead or MORALLY wounded.
did not know where General Pakenham
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
through the liver and bowels. General
Keene, hear, was killed dead. They
sent a flag to me, asking leave to
gather up their wounded and bury their
dead, which, of course, / granted. l
} was told by wounded officer that the
rank and file absolutely refused to make
a third charge. "We have no chance
J with such shooting as these Americans
do" they said.
. When the news reached Europe of
the battle at Chslmette, commonly
know as the battle of New Orleans, and
of the terribly distrous results to the
English army, the account at first was
/ net credited. That trained force
: from the picked regiments of the Brit
: ish army, schooled in war, with COM
, manders of the distinction that Paken.
r ham and Keene enjoyed, should meet
with such defeat at the hands of q
"militia general" was hardly to be be-
! lieved under any circumstances; but
that out of a force of 5000 strong there
. should be loss of 2,117 killed and
t wounded on the British side, while the
3 Americans had only six killed anC