The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1897-01-28
THE BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS.
A Description of the Engagement by GEN
eral jackson.

huge Roberts has an article entitled
"NapoleOn's Interest in the Battle of
New Orleans" In this is quoted a,
hitherto unpublished letter written
by General Jackson to Mr.. James
Monroe. A portion of the letter fol-
lows.
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
riflemen was very simple. They were
told Off by 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 a 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 |
was near enough to them TO get their
range. But the instant | saw them
| said to Coffee whom l directed to
hurry to his line, which was to be
first attacked, "By--, we have
got them; 'they are oursn' Coffee
dashed forward and riding along
his line, called out: Don't shoot
till you can see their belt buckles. "
The British We're formed III mass well
closed up, and about two companies
front.
The British, thus formed, moved
on at quickstep without firing a shot
to within one hundred yards of the
knceling riflemen, who We're holding
there fire till they could see the belt
buckles Of there enemies. The Brit
ish advance was executed as though
they had been on parade. They
marched shoulder to shoulder, with
the step Of veterans as they were. At
one hundred yards distance from our
line the order was given. Extend
column front" Double quick.
march; Charge" With bayonet 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 train
ed by the Duke himself, were COM
manded by his brother-in-law, and
had successfully held off the ablest of
NapoleOn's marshals in the Spanish
campaign. My rifemen had never
seen such an attack, nor had they ever
before fought white men. The morn
ing, too, was damp; their powder
might not burn well. "God help us!''
| muttered, watching the rapidly ad-
vancing line. Seventy, sixty, fifty,
finally forty yards, were they from
the silent kneeling riflmen.
All ofsmy men could see was their
long rifles rested on the logs before
them. They obeyed their orders well.
Not a shot was fired until the redcoats
were within forty yards. | heard
Coffee voice as he roared out; Now
men, aim for the centre of the cross
belts! Fire." A second after the Or
der 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 to-
ward Coffee's line In a few seconds
after the first fire there came another
sharp, ringing volley. AS | 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 in a con-
fused, disorderly mass, and the entire
first ranks of their column were blown
away. For two hundred yards in our
front the ground was covered with a
mass of writing, 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, gallantly mounted,
and riding as though he was on parade.
Just before be got in range of Coffee's
line | heard a single rifle shot from a
group of country carts we had been
using, about one hundred and seventy
five yards distant, and a moment
thereafter l saw Pakenham reel and
pitch out of his saddle. have always
believed that he fell from the bullet of
a free man of color, who was a famous
rifle shot, and came from the Atakap-
pas region of Louisiana. The second
advance was precisely like the first in
its ending. In five volleys the 800 or
more rifiemen killed and wounded g.
III British soldiers. two-thirds of
them killed dead or mortally
wounded. | did not know where
General Pakenham was lying or
should have sent to him, or gone in
person, to offer any service in nv
power to render