Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1897-03-10
THEIR DEADLY FIRE.
THE AMERICAN RisLemsN AT THE
 BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS

In The CCBtury William Hugh Rob. arts has an artiela entitled Napoleon's g Interest In tho Battlo of New Orleans. U In this is squoted a hitherto unpublished letter written by General Jackson to Mir James Monroe.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 I knew it. The disposition of the rihemon was very simple They were told off in Nos. l and Z. No. was to fire first, then step back and Jet No. shoot while he reloaded About 600 yards from the rife men there was great drainage canal running back from the Mississippi river to the swamp in the rear of the titled land on which we were operating. Along this canal the British formed, under the fire of the few artillery pieces l had near enough to them to got their range. But the instant l saw them I said to Coffee, whom I directed to hurry to his line, which was to be first attackeol By -, we have got theml They are oursi'' Coffee dashed forward, and, ri6' ing along his ine, called out, Don't shoot till you can see their belt bueklest 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 a shot, to within 100 yards of the kneeling rifie- men, who were holding their fire till they could sec the belt buckles of theif enemies. The British advance was exe- oated as though they had been on pa xade They marched shoulder to ahoul- 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 Chargep' With bayonets at the charge, they came on us at Q run. own it was an anxious moment. l 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 and had successfully held off the ablest of Napoleon marshals in the Spanish campaign Ny riffemen 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 usl' muttered, watching the rapidly advancing line. Seventy, 60, 90. finally 40 yards, were they from the silent kheeling rifemen. All of my men that could sec was their long rifles rested on the logs before them. They obeyed their orders well. Not shot was fred until tho redeoats were within 40 yards l heard Goffee's voice as he roared out: Now. men, aim for the center of tho cross beltsl 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 see what had happened I called Tom Overton and Abner Duncan Of my staff, and we galloped toward Goffee's line In few seconds after the first fro there came another sharp, ringing yolley. As l came within 150 yards of Coffee the smoke lifted enough for nc to make out what WAS happening.
 The British were falling back in confused, disorderly mass, and the en- tire first ranks of their column were blown away. For 900 yards in our front the ground was covered with q mass of writhing, wounded, dead and dying red coats. By the time the rifles were wiped the British line 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 Gonee's line 1 heard a single rife shot from a group of country carts VIC had been using, about 175 yards dis tant, and moment thereafter l saw Pakenham reel and pitch out of his sad dle. I have always believed he fell from the bullet of @ freeman of color who was famous rifle shot and came from the Atakappas region of Louisiana. Tho second advance was precisely like the first in it's ending. In five volleys che 1,500 or more rifemen killed and wounded 9,1f7 British soldiers, two thirds of them killed dead or mortally wounded I did not know whore 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, hear, was killed. They sent 8 flag to mo, asking leave to gather up their wounded and bury their dead, which, of course, I granted. I was told by wounded officer that the rank and fife absolutely refused to make third charge. "We have no chance with such shooting as theso Americans do. they said,
 Hereditary Suicide.
 An extraordinary instance of heredi- nary fandonoy to suicide was told by