Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1897-09-13
THEIR DEADLY FIRE.
THE AMERICAN RIFLEMEN AT THE
 BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS

< Description of the Engagement by Gsu
 eral Jackson-A Letter From "oId HioLs
 Ory"-How Paekenham's Veterans Waas
 Defeated by Frentiersmen.
 In The Century William Hugh Rob, arts has an article entitled Napoleon 'a Interest h the Battle of New Orleans. 't In this IS quoted hitherto unpublished letter writtei by General Jackson to Mr James Monroe. A portion of the lettS follows:
 There was very heavy fog on the river that morning, and the British had formed and were moving before knew 1t. The disposition of the rihemen was very simple. They were told off in Nos and ?. No. 1 was to fire first, thea step back and let No. shoot while hf reloaded. About 600 yards from the rife men there was great drainage canal running back from the Mississippi riyeH to the swamp in the rear of the titled land 9a which we were operating. Along this canal tie British formed, under ths are of the few artillery pieces I had near enough to them to get their range. But the instant 1 saw them I said to Coffee, whom directed to hurry to his line, which was to be first attacked, , By -, We have got theml They are oursl' Coffee dashed forward, and, lid, tng along his lino, called out, Don't ihoot till you can see their belt bucklesl' The British were formed ill mass, wnlj tlosed up, and about two oompanisp front
 The British. thus formed, moved ca d quick stea, without firing shot, to within 100 yards of the kneeling rifle, men, who were holding their fire tiR thay could see the belt buckles of theil enemies. The British advance was exc. euted as though they had been on pa race. They marched shoulder to shoul der. with the step of veterans, as they wele, At 100 yards distance from our line the order was given: Extend col, umA front Double quick, marohl GhasgeP' With bayonets at the charge, they came on us at run. own it was an anxious moment I we'll 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 hy his brother-in-l law aud 5ad 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 morning, too, was damp. Their powder might not burn well. God help us!'' muttered, watching the rapidly advancing line. Seventy, 60, DO, finally 40 yards, were they from the silent kneeling rifemen. All of tay men that 1 could see was their long rifles rested on the logs before them. They obeyed their orders well. Not shot was fired until the redcoats were within 40 yards. I heard Coffee 3 voice as he roared out: "Now, men, aim for the canter of the cross belts! FireP' 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 I could not sec what had happened. I called Tom Overton and Abner Duncan of my staff, and we galloped toward Coffee's line In few seconds after the first fire there came another sharp, ringing volley. As came within 160 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 our front the ground was covered with a mass of writhing, wounded, dead and dying red. coats. By the time the rifles were wiped the British ling 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 Coffeea line l heard single rife shot from group of country carts we had been using, about 175 yards dis. tant, and a moment thereafter l saw Pakenham reel and pitch out of his sad dle. have always believed he fell from i the bullet of a freeman of color who 1 was famous fife shot and came from the Atakappas region of Louisiana. The second advance was precisely like the first in it's ending. In five yolleys ths 1, 500 of more rii1emen killed and wounded 2,117 British soldiers, two- thirds of them killed dead or mortally wounded I did not know where Gen. eral Pakenham was lying, or l should have sent to him or gone ill 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, I hear, was killed. They sent flag to me, asking leave to gather up their wounded and bury their dead, which, of course, I granted. l was told by 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