The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1898-01-06
BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2.
no oDsMAN AGAINST A GOLD LACE
MAJOR.

70 oDsMAN AGAINST A GOLD LACE
MAJOR.
As he rose to Slay the British
er Ballard was the picture of a
iNcky rlfeman. Six feet high,
+erfully built, smooth -shaven face,
features that looked as it one of
old masters might have carved
n out of marble, a mass of curly,
chestnut hair falling almost to
shoulders, big, resolute blue eyes
It seemed to look right through you.
d in buff buckskin hunting shirt,
fusely fringed and braided on the
ar, cuffs and in front with black
}, light gray homespun trousers
black welts down the sides, heavy
er boots with elkskin legglngs
nearly to the knees, and on his
4 cap of black squirrel skins, with
e or four tails hanging for tassels
the left side.
His belt, knife sheath, bullet
IN and flint holder were marvels
quaw needlework on buckskin.
were spoils of battle, taken by
from the body of a Shawnee
whom he had slain in a skirmish
Maumee two years before. He
pw (I8I5) about 2S years old,
efore the war had studied law
cen admitted to the bar. But
/ been all through this war, be-
G with Tippecanoe and then
up around the Lakes and on
anada frontier with Harrison,
ohnson and Green Clay. He
peen home less than three
when Jackson called on Ken
to help defend New Orleans,
was the very first to volunteer.
inE RIFLE THAT SET THE PACE.
"His rifle was the finest in our
whole force; indeed, the finest ever
saw. 1t was made in 1903 at Lancas
ter Pa, for his father, who presented
it to HIM on his twenty-frst birthday.
It was 40 inches long in the barrel,
Fhich was S-square or octagonal in
hape calibre As to the pound. 1t
fas full stocked with curley maple
pd profusely mounted with coin sill
fr had Leman waterproof lock,
.!$r trigger and weighed exactly 16
bounds. He had used it at Tippe-
Eanoe and in many other battles and
|kirmishes with the British and Indians
bn the Canada frontier. But whatever
lay have been the previous exploits
of this magnificent weapon, by far her
greatest service to our country was
when, in the hands of Morgan Ballard,
she set Kentuckys pace at New
Orleans
"This shot was the signal. As it
echoed Ben Hardin called out : Start
the music, boys =
"No other orders were given so far
as ! heard during the rest of the
battle. Captain Hardin fell into
ranks with us and Piled his old rifle as
industriously as any and, you can de-
pend on it, as effectively, because he
was one of "Boone's Originals" and
not in the habit of wasting lead. The
whole breastwork was now ablaze
fpm end to end. The English line
" st staggered, then stopped, then
roke and fled in the widest confus-
bn.
"The air was heavy and the smoke
Iailed low, which bothered us some.
General Jackson saw this and prompt
|ly ordered the two cannon near the
centre of the line to cease firing in
order to abate the smoke nuisance as
much as possible.
"Still. Notwithstanding the smoke,
very few bullets actually missed.
About tie only lead wasted was when
several balls hit the same red coat,
when one would have been enough.
We saw plenty of evidence OF this the
next day under the flag of truse when
we buried their dead within the 900
yard limit and carried their wounded
mo their lines. Many of them were
hit in two or three places. In few
cases their dead weie found with two
bullets through the head when they
got closest to us !"
THE WRECK OF THE BRITISH COLUMN.
Now let us see what the experience
of the other side was. Major Bur
roughs, the British staff officer previ-
ously quoted, says in a narrative pub
|lished in the Royal Military Chronicle,
ES1e<:
"When all was supposed to be
ready and the fee began to lift pro-
voking delay occurred. The parties
detailed to carry the fasclnes and
sealing-ladders had by some misunder-