Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1897-02-18
The Battle of New Orleans.


hitherto unpublished letter written by
General Jackson to Mr.. James Mon
roe. a portion of the letter follows
There was very heavy fog on the
river that morning, and the British
had formed and were moving before l
knew it. The disposition of the rife
men was very simple. They were
told off in numbers one and two.
Number one was to fire first, then
step back and let number two shoot
while he reloaded. About 600 yards
from the rifamen 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 had near enough
to them to get their range. But the
instant | saw them l said TO Cattee,
whom | directed 10 hurry to his line,
which was to be first attacked BY
-, we have them, they are ours :
Coffee dashed forward, and, riding
along his line, called out Don't shoot
till you can see their belt buckles.
The British were formed in mass, well
closed up, and about two companies
front
"The British, thus formed, moved on
at a quick step, without firing a shot,
to within one hundred yards of the
kneeling rihemen, who were holding
their fire till they could see the belt
buckles Of their enemies The Brit
ish advance was executed as though
they had been on parade. They
marched shoulder to shoulder, with
the step Of veterans, as they were.
At one hundred yards distance from
our line the order was given, Extend
column, trot. Double quick, march !
Charge With bayonet at the charge,
they come at us on a run. ! own 1t
was an anxious moment: | 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 broth
er-in-law, and had successfully held
off the ablest of Napoleon marshals
in the Spanish campaign. My rifle
men had never seen such an attack, or
had they ever before fought white men.
The morning, too, was damp; their
powder might not burn well God
help us l muttered, watching the
rapidly advancingline. Seventy, six
]
ty, fifty, finally forty yards, were they
from the silent kneeling riAemen.
"All of my men I 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 forty yards. heard COT
fees voice as he roared out: Now,
men, aim for the centre Of the cross
belts Fire A second after the or
dering a cracking, blazing flash ran
all along our line. The smoke hung
so heavily in the misty morning ar
that could not see what happened.
l called Tom Overton and Abner Dun
can, of my staff, and we galloPed to-
ward Coffee's line. In few seconds
after the first fire there came another
sharp, ringing volley. As l came
within one hundred and fifty 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 two hudred yards
in our front the ground was covered
with a mass of writhing wounded,
dead and dying redcoats. 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, gallant
ly mounted, and riding as though he
was on parade. Just before he got
within range of Cofee's line l heard
a single rife shot from a group Of
country carts we had been using,
about one hundred and seventy-fve
yards distant, and moment there
after saw Pakenham reel and pitch
out Of his saddle have always be-
Eeved that he fell from the bullet Of
a free man Of color, who was famous
rife-shot, and came from the Atakap-
pos region of Louisiana. The second
advance was precisely ike the first in
its ending. In FIVE volleys the l 800
or more Iifemen killed and wounded
2,1l7 British soldiers, two-thirds Of
them killed dead or mortally wounded.
I did not know where General Paken-
ham was lying, or I should have sent