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

Suggests That All Patriotic Young Amerl.
cans Should Read OF the Battle
of New Orleans.
is is the 9Th Of January--a day memors
.Die in the annals of American history. The
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 hos battle been fought In
which there was SO great disparity of loss.
Pakenham, who was In command Of 1000
troops, was the brother-in-law Of Yelling
ton and had only short time before OBJ
tanned great victory over Napoleon at
Salamanca. Jackson had only G, 600 untrain-
ed rifemen, and Pakenham was killed and
his army routed and put to flight. This bat
tie established the .prpwess Of the snuthern
yeomanry 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 were killed in the revolu-
tioDary war and his mother died from hard
ship and suffering and so he grew up with
an intense hatred of the British. The FAM
lily were Scotch-Irish, and my friend, George
Adair, would say that accounts for all 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 q 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 his own plans in defiance of the
government. He was several times wounded
in battle and in duels with his political enc
mics, but seems to have lived 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 fo7' 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 OF
war. The WING papers had maligncd jack
sons wife and jackson never forgaye the
office the first year of his administration.
His chivalrous respect for the female sex was
the most winsome feature about his charac-
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 all
West Pointers have similar contempt for
the slow methods of the civil law, and es-
pecially for the writ of habeas corpus and
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 was
committed at 10 o'clock in the morning.
They were tried on the afternoon of the
same day and shot the next morning at SUM-
rise. That is the kind Of swift lusjice that
military men admire.
There are some curious things abou. csc
old-time presidents. Three of them died on
the Fourth of July. The first fourteen wore
no beard; sixteen no moustache; twelve had
NO middle name; five were named James;
seven had thirteen letters in their names,
and every name had the letter in IL, some
where, except John Tyler's, and he was a
vice president. So 1t is no use In nominal
ing man who has not that little vowel to
give him luck, nor Is thirteen an unlueky
number among presidents. 1t is my mis-
fortune that never saw president,
looked toward Franklin Pierce once in New
York, but he was so tangled up In carriage
with other gentlemen that could not dis
tinguish him. But have seen quite n num-
Der of great men-some of them, indeed,
who were greater than presidents / saw
Daniel Webster and Clay and Choate and
heard them speak. Mr.. Calhoun put his
hand on nv head when was a lad and spoke
Kind xrOrtc + otf i {r
memory, for he was a great and good man.
l saw and heard Jefferson Davis on the bat
tlefield and ON the platform after the war.
saw and heard all the great men of Georgia
who figured in politics in the '40's and SOS.
The greatest speech / ever heard from any
of them, it seems to me, was made by Walker
Colquitt, but was young democrat then
the great generals quite often. Lee and
Johnston, Longstreet, Beauregard, Early,
Hardee and others. never saw Stonewall
Jackson but once, and then he was asleep,
lying upon some straw in General Lees
tent. j. wish l had photograph OF that
scene. 1t was about MONDAY. Lee, with
his staff were dining at their camp tables,
but Jackson was tired out with
the seven days fighting, and
General Lee said, LET him. sleep; he needs
rest more than food" ALI the great men
have ever seen are dead, save General Long
street and General Gordon, whom our pco-
pie have delighted to honor. Age Is telling
on them now, and they should be retired on
n liberal pension from the national treasury
and so should all our other heroes. Yes, and
their widows, too.
Well, the glad greetings Of Christmas
times are over at our house, and so are the
sad farewells. The banquet hall is deserted.
The long table has been shortened
up to its accustomed length. The
holly and the mistletoe have withered
and lost the glossy green that gave welcome
to the holidays and to the children who
came from afar. A sad, reflective silence
broods around the family hearth, for we are
bordering upon the future and wondering
If we all shall ever meet again. But we had
happy time, old and young. Old Santa
Claus headed the procession, and the little
folks have not subsidized yet. Last night we
had to get off our dignity and play with
them. Everything we could think Of, from
"Clubfst' to "Milybright." And we made
an "Aunt Betty for them and introduced
them to the king and queen, and we had
music, too-sweet. delicious music that sof-
tens US down and makes Ms think OF heaven,
Home and sweet contentment and loving
children bring us as near to heaven as we