Semi=weekly graphic., 1897-01-20
THEIR DEADLY FIRE.
THE AMERICAN RlFlEMEN AT THE
 BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS.

BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS.
 4 Description of the Engagement by Gem
 oral Jaokson-A Letter From "old flick
 oryp-How Pacl,enIan's veterans We're
 Defeated by Frontiorsmen.
 In The Century William Hugh Rob- arts has an article entitled .Napoleon's g Interest In the Battle of New Orleans. " In this is quoted hitherto unpublished letter written by General Jackson to MT. fJames Monroe A portion of the letter follows;
 There was a very heavy fog on the river that morning, and the British had formed and were moving before l knew it. The disposition of the rihemen was very simple. They were told off in Nos i 1 and 3. No. was to fire first, then step back and let No. } shoot while he reloaded. About GOO 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 tiled land on which wewere operating. Along this canal the British formed, under the fire of the few artillery pieces 1 had near enough to them to get their range But the instant l saw them l said to Coffee, whom directed to hurry to his line, which was to be first attacked: By -, we have got theml They are I Oursr' Coffee dashed forward, and, rid ing along his line called out, Don't shoot till you can see their belt buckles!3 The British were formed in mass, well closed up, and about two companies front
 The British thus formed, moved on
 at quick step, without firing shot, to
 within 100 yards Of the kneeling rifle
 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 shoul-
 der, with the step of veterans, as they
 were At 100 yards distance from our
 line the order was given: "Extend col
 umn frontl Double quick, march,
 Chargeh With bayonets at the charge,
 they came on us at run. l own 1t 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 maTshals in the Spanish
 campaign My riAemen 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 usF9 I muttered, watching the rapidly advancing line. Seventy, 60, 90. finally 10 yards. were
 they from the silent lneeling riAemen.
 All of my men that 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 C0ffee's
 voice as he rOared out; Now, men, aim
 for the center of the cross belts Firel
 A second after the order a cracking, blazing flash ran all along our line. The smoke hung SD heavily in the misty , morning air that I could not see what had happened 1 called Tom Overton l 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 1 came within 150 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 r the ground was covered with a mass of ! writhing, wounded, dead and dying red I coats. By tho time tborifes were wiped
 the British line was reformed, and on a it came again This time they were led
 by General Pakenham in person, gal , lantly mounted and riding as though he 7 was on parade. Just before he got within
 range of Coifce's line I heard q single a rife shot from a group of country carts
 we had been using, about 175 yards dis
 tant, and q moment thereafter l saw
 Pakeubam reel and pitch out of his sad l. de. have always believed he fell from D the bullet of freeman of color who 3 was a famous rife shot and came from ' the Atakappas region of Louisiana The E second advance was precisely like the - first ill it's ending. In five volleys the F 1,500 CT more uhemen killed and - wounded 2,117 British soldiers, two l. thirds of them killed dead or mortally @ wounded. did not know where Gen. - eral Pakenham was lying, or I should t have sent to him or gene iu person tC : offer any service in my power to render l. l was told he lived two hours after l. he was hit His wound was directly D through the liver and bowels. Genera - Keene, 1 hear was killed. They .seut 2 a flag to me- asking leave to gather n up their wounded and bury their dead - which, of course, granted. was tol( 0 by q wounded officer that the rank anu e file absolutely refused to make a thirt $ charge. We have no chance with sucl r shooting as these Americans do;' the, a said
 , Hereditary Suicide.
 n An extraordinary instance of heredi tary tendency to suicide was told b,
 Professor Brouartel in Paris lately. 4
 farmer near Etampes hanged himsel
 without apparent cause, leaving a fam