Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1897-09-10
THEIR DEADLY FIRE.
THE AMERICAN slFLEMEn AT THa
 BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS

{ Description of the Engagement by Get
 eral Jackkon--A Letter From .'Old Hfels
 orye--How Packerhzm's Veterans Were
 Defeated by Frontiersmen.
 In The Century William Hugh Rol.- arts has an article entitled "Nap1leon,E Interest h the Battle of New Orleans. II Id this is quoted il hitherto unpublished letter written by General Jackson to Mir. Flames Monroe A portion of the lettw 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 rifiemen WIS very simple. They were told off in Nos and 3. No. 1 was to fire first thea atep back and let No. 3 shoot while he reloaded. About 600 yards from the rife men there was great drainage canal funning back from the Mississippi rives to the swamp in the rear of the titled ss..ad on whic. wc were opera ating. Along this canal the British formed, under the fire of the few artillery pieces l had near enough to them to get their range. But the instant I saw them I said to Coffee, whom directed to hurry to his line, which was to be first attack ed ssBy -, we have got themi They are uursl" Coffee dashed forward, and, lid ing along his line, called out, "Don't Dhoot till you can see their belt bucklesP The British were formed in mass, walI kIosed up, and about two oompani9, ffont.
 The British, thus formed, moved eA ht quick step, without firing shot, to xitain 100 yards of the kneeling rife. nen, who were holding their fire till tbey could sec the belt buckles of then ell emies. The British advance was exc. oused as though they had been on pa. raGe. They marched shoulder to shout der. with the step of veterans, as they Were. At 100 yards distance from ou1 line the order was given: Extend col, cs1is iro.4t Double quick, march EhatgeP' With bayonets at the charge, they came on us at run. own 1t was an anxious moment. 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 by his brother in law TfAnd had successfully held off the abless 'aof Napoleon marshals i'll the Spanish Campaign My rifemen had never seen eueh nn 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, 50, 50, finally 40 yards, were fhey from the silent kneeling rifemen. Al of my men that could see was their long rifles rested on the logs before them. They obeyed their orders we'll. Not shot was fired until the redcoats were within 40 yards heard Coffees Syoiee as he roared out "Now. men, aim for the center Of the cross beltsl Fire'' A second after the order a cracking, Blazing fash ran all along our line The smoke hung so heavily in the misty norning air that I could not see what iad happened. I called Tom Oyerton Apd Abnes Duncan of my staff, and we E gDlloped toward Coffee's line. In few Geeonds after the first fire there came ahother sharp, ringing volley. As game within 150 yards of Coffee the
 
 what was happening.
 The British were falling back in oenfused, digorderly mass, and the en. tire first rauks of their column were blown away. For 200 yards i'll our front the ground " as covered with mass of writhing, wounded, dead and dying red Boats By the time the rifles were wiped the British lins was reformed, and on lt 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 tange of Coffee'a line 1 heard a single rifie shot from a group of country carts VIZ had been usirg, about 175 yards dis fant, and moment thereafter l saw FAkenham reel and pitch out of his sad. #dle. have always believed he fell from z the bullet of freeman of color who J Was famous rifle shot and came from the Atakappas region of Louisiana. The Ss@ond advance was precisely like the #nrHt ln It's ending. In five volleys the #1tb0O of more rii1emen killed and Wpunded 2,117 British soldiers, two [ fhlrds of them killed dead or mortally #a{tS oHueu. ulu uOt kHOW WU6F6 G6u- eml Pakelham was lying, or I should nave sent to him or gone in person to oner any service in my power to render.
 was told he lived two honrs after ne was hit. His wound was directly through the liver and bowels. General heene, hear, was killed. They sent
 fiag to me, asking leave to gather nt Qp their wounded and bury their dead, aich, of course, granted. was told
 wounded officer that the rank and e absolutely refused to make third Qarge. We have no chance with such eAootlng as tlseso Americans do" they Her editary Suicide.
 u n extraordinary instance of heredi.