The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1897-03-06
BILL ARP'S LETTER.
A HIGHLY INTERESTING RETRO.
SPECTIvE COMMUNICATION.
Suggests That All Patriotic Young Amert-
cans Should Read of the Battle
of New Orleane.

is Is the Sth OF January-a DAY mem0H
.-oie in the annals of American history. Tho
young people ought to read about the battle
OF New Orleans-Jackson's great battle,
where his troops in less than an hour
killed and wounded 1900 OF the flower OF
the British army and lost only eight killed
and thirteen wounded. Never in the history
of the world has a battle been fought in
which there was SO great disparity OF loss.
Pakenham who was In command OF l2,oOu
troops, was the brother-in-law of Yelling
ton and had only a short time before OBJ
tanned great victory over Napoleon at
Salamanca. Jackson had only 6 900 untrain-
ed riflemen, and Pakenham was killed and
his army routed aad put to flight. This bat
tie established the prowess OF the snuthern
yeomaDry and made Jackson president. He
was certainly very wonderful man. He
had but a little schooling In an old field
school, and never learned in the course OF
his life to use the English language correctly.
When only thirteen years old an English
officer cut him with his sword because he
refused to black his boots. His father died
early, his brothers we're killed in the reyolu-
tionary war and his mother died from hard
ship and suffering and SO he grew up with
an intense hatred of the British. The FAM
iIy were Scotch-Irish, and my friend, George
Adair, would say that accounts for ali his
wonderful Deeds He had but little knowl-
edge of law, but was made public prosecu-
tor and was terror to evil-doers. He gave
the new state its name of Tennessee, and
waged a war of years against the Indians,
whom he subdued, not only in his own state,
but even in Alabama, Mississippi and Flori-
da. He had to cut out roads werever he went
with his troops and almost every great high
way in the south from north Georgia to the
Mississippi is still known TO the old men as
Jackson's road. When on the warpath he
paid no respect to orders from Washington,
but pursued. bis own plans in defiance of the
| government. He was several times wounded
| in battle and in duels with his political enc
| mics, but sec ms to have lived q charmed
| life. He followed no precedents and made
no alliances with political cliques. He was
| always original, self-willed and defiant. John
| Forsythe was his secretary OF state and Ber-
rien his attorney general, both from Georgia.
He hated Adams and Clay and all the follow
| ers of Jay and Hamilton. He challenged
Winfield Scott for u remark he made about
! him. He turned Calhoun out of his cabinet
because Mrs. Calhoun wouldn't associate
with Mrs. Eaton, the wife of the secretary oil
| war. The wing papers had maligned jack
| sons wife and Jackson never forgaye the
| party for it and turned 1000 of them out OF
| office the first year of his administration
| His chiya1rous respect for the female sex was
the most wlnsome feature about his ciiarae,
| ter. Sam Houston and Davy Crockett had
! fought under him and were his trusted po-
| litical friends and advisers. Like Grant and
| Taylor, they had fought their way up In
hard dangerous warfare, and had but little
| respect for the limitations of law or the
provoking delays OF red tape. Almost al
| West Pointers have a similar contempt fol
the slow methods of the civil law, and es
pecially for the writ OF habeas corpus anC
appeals from court to court. ! remember
when General Joe Johnston ordered court
martial at Centerville, Va, to try two soldiers
for striking their captain. The crime wa:
committed at 10 O'Clock In the morning
They were tried on the afternoon of thu
same day and shot the next morning at sun
rise. That is the kind of swift !usiice tina
military men admire.
There are some curious things abou. est
old-time presidents. Three of them died Oh
the Fourth of July. The first fourteen wor
tno beard; sixteen no moustache; twelve has
no middle name; five were named james
seven had thirteen letters In their names
and every name had the letter A in il, some
where, except John Tyler's, and he was
vice president. So it is no use in nominal
ing man who has not that little vowel t
give him luck, nor is thirteen an unluck
number among presidents. 1t is my mis-
fortune that never saw a president.
| looked toward Franklin Pierce once in Ne,
York, but he was so tangled up In carriag
with other gentlemen that / could not dis
tinguish him. But have seen quite mum
Der of great men-some of them, indeed
who were greater than presidents. / say
Daniel Webster and Clay and Choate an
heard them speak. Mr.. Calhoun put hi
hand on my head when / was q lad and spok
kind words to me-. / still reverence hi
memory, for he was great and a good maj
saw and heard Jefferson Davis on the ba
tle.ield and on the platform after the war.
saw and heard all the great men of Georgi
l n r..
The greatest speech 1 ever heard from an
of them it seems to me- was made by Waite
Colquitt, but was young democrat the
and very susceptible. During the war / sal
the great generals quite often. Lee an
Johnston, Longstreet, Beauregard, Earl
Hardee and others. / never saw Stonewa
Jackson but once, and then he was aslee
lying upon some straw in General Lee
tent. i wish / had photograph of tn
scene. 1t was about MONDAY. Lee, wit
his staff were dining at their camp table
but Jackson was tired out vii
the seven days fighting, al
General Lee said, 'sLet him sleep; he nee,
rest more than food" ALI the great men
have ever seen are dead, save General Lon
street and General Gordon, whom our pc
pie have delighted to honor Age is tellir
on them now, and they should be retired c
liberal pension from the national treasur
! | and so should all our other heroes. Yes, ar
their widows, too.
Well, the glad greetings of Christm
, times are over at our house, and 50 are Il
sad farewells. The banquet hall is deserte
The long table has been shorten.
up to its accustomed length. T.
holly and the mistletoe have wither,
and lost the glossy green that gave WELDON
/ to the holidays and to the children wi
came from afar. A sad, reflective silen
broods around the family hearth, for we q
bordering upon the future and wonderiI
if we all shall ever meet again. But we h
happy time, old and young. Old San
| Claus headed the procession and the lit
folks have not subsidized yet Last night
! had to get off our dignity and play wi
| them. Everything we could think Of, fre
"Clubfistf to 'sMilybright." And we ma
| an "Aunt Betty for them and introduc
them to the king and queen, and we h
music, too--sweet. delicious music that 81
tens us down and makes as think of heave
Home and sweet contentment and lovi
children bring US as near to heaven as
can get in this sublunary world. The til
was when had ambition and wanted to
great man, but all that Is nothing no
Domestic love is worth everything else.
s.Sa5 is the home where loye-domestie 10
No longer nestles.
. But stricken by some cruel doom,
Its corpse lies on the trestles."
BILL ARP, in Atlanta Constitution