The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1897-02-27
THEIR DEADLY FIRE.
THE AMERICAN RlFLEMEN AT THE
BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS.

A Description of the Engagement by Gem
eraI Jackson-A Letter From .tOid HEX
ory"-How Packenham's Veterans Were
Defeated by Frontiersmen.
In The Century William Hugh Rob-
arts 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In this is quoted a hitherto unpublished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
follows:
There was a very heavy f., On tho
river that morning, and the British had
formed and were moving before / knew
1t. The disposition of the riflemen was
very simple. They were told off in Nos.
l and 2. No. 1 was to fire first, then
step back and let No. 2 shoot while he
reloaded. About 600 yards from the rifle
men 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 We're 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
Coffee, whom l directed to hurry to his
line, which was to be first attacked !:
"By --. WI have got theml They are
ours!' Coffee dashed forward, and, rid
ing along his line, called out, "Don't
shoot till you can see their belt bucklesp'
The British were formed in mass, we'll
closed up, and about two companies
front.
The British, thus formed, moved on
at a quick step, without firing a shot. to
within 100 yards of the kneeling rife
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 pa
rade. They marched shoulder to 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, march,
Charged" With bayonets at the charge,
they came on us at a run. I own it was
an anxious moment. l 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 ablest
of Napoleon's marshals in the Spanish
campaign. My ri1emen had never 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 usl' I muttered,
watching the rapidly advancing line.
Seventy, so, 80, finally 40 yards, were
they from the silent kneeling rif1emen.
All of my men that I could see was their
long rifles rested on the logs before
them. They obeyed their orders we'll.
Not a shot was fred until the redcoats
were within 40 yards. I heard Coffee's
voice as he roared out: "Now, men, aim
for the center of the cross beltsl Fire!'
A second after the order q cracking,
blazing flash ran all along our line. The
smoke hung SO heavily in the misty
morning air that l could not see what
had happened. / called Tom Overton
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 within 100 yards of Coffee the
smoke lifted enough for me to make out
what was happening.
The British were falling back in q
u%onfused, d~isorderly mass, and the en-.
tire first ranks of their column were
blown away. For 200 yards in our front
tho urnunI Suou ortyorol with N M
writhing, wounded, dead and dying red
coats. By the time the rifles were wiped
the British line was reformed, and OH
it came again. This time they were led
by General Pakenham In person. gal
lantly mounted and riding as though hi
was on parade. Just before he got within
range of Coffee's line I heard q single
rife shot from a group of country cartl
we had been using, about 175 yards dis
tant, and a moment thereafter I saw
Pakenham reel and pitch out of his sad
die. | have always believed he fell from
the bullet of a freeman of color wht
was a famous rife shot and came from
the Atakappas region of Louisiana. Thu
second advance was precisely like thu
first in it's ending. In five volleys tn
800 or more rifemen killed ant
wounded AIT British soldiers, two
thirds of them killed dead or mortal,
wounded. l did not know where Gen
eral Pakenham was lying, or I shoul'
have sent to him or gone in person t.
offer any service in my power to render
1 was told he lived two hours afte
he was hit. His wound was directl,
through the liver and bowels. Genera
Keene, l hear, was killed. They sen
a flag to me, asking leave to gathe
up their wounded and bury their dead
which, of course, I granted. I was toll
by a wounded officer that the rank an
file absolutely refused to make a thir
charge. "We have no chance with sue
shooting as these Americans do" the
said.