Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1898-01-06

mas dinner In New Orleans sounded
like a dismal Jest
Night came on and the British re-
treated out Of short range, whsre il was
possible TO build fire without furnishing
the Americans with target jackson
snsnt Christmas Day iu strengthening
his entertainments. Tho British Christ
mas was somewhat rheered by thu
arrival of the commanding general.
Sir Edward Packenham, an officer of
brilliant record in tho West Indies and
in the Peninsula, 1t is due the momory
of this brave soldier and worthy gentle
man 10 again deny tho silly story that
he gave tho brutal watchwold, Beauty
and Booty.
Rumor, alwaya promo TO oxaggerate.
spread the report that tho luke OF
Wellington bad assumed the command
OF tho British army. Al we now know,
thors bnd been soma thought Of placing
him 10 charge of the New Orleans ak
petition. jackson went ON with his
| preparations, az Ito would have done
had Wellington and Napoleon combined
against him. Packenbam found u gen
oral disconte over Keane's manage
ment, lack OF harmony between army
and navy and widespread heliei that
the American army was large uld
growing. Nsithsr tho ritlemsn NOR the
loating batteries observed Christmas.
| III few officers tried to eat their
dinners in q negro hut round shot
would tear through the frai structure
and probably kill nue or two of the
party. packenhaln was a good soldier,
nni he saw that something must be
done promptly. The night of the 2Cth,
was spent by tia Britieh in dragging -
| and Founders from the ships to the
levee.
December 9th l,egan with q heavy
cannonade from the British works. Jobn
Bull was bent on destroying the yessaia
that had deprived him Of food End
sleep. John made blunder. The
British ire was centred on the Caro-
lima, and. while she was heing kuonked
TO pieces, the Louisiana, a much more
powerful craft, secured a position whern
no Britibn shot could reach her, but
where abe could easily reach the
British. Packeuhnm 8 army bad des-
troyed a mosouistn aud missed
hornet, The Americans passed the
night 10 the most desperate skirmiBh
ing. A British outpost would ba
attacked go tiercely as TO give tho i'm
|
made. In few minutes the Americans
would retire, and in % minutes some
other point would be nssailed. The
shells from the British howitzers and
tho shots of the Tennessee backwoods
men made, as the popular song would
have 1t, very hot time in the camp
that night.
Tbs restless Jackson had a plan Of
cutting the loves and drowning the
British, il other measures failed; hot
he did not find il necessary TO call
water to his aid On the morning OF
the 2Sth OF December the british adj.
ynnced, but the American land battery,
aided by tina Louisiana, drove them
back. Reane's column was broken,
Gibbs reiterated, the British artillery
was crippled by the torribls American
| gunners. The whole British campaign
seemed a series Of disasters. Sickness,
shot, athryntinu, the long knife and the
tomahawk had thinned their ranks.
They had proved their courage and
their discipline, but their only trophies
we're sick list and death roll.
Confident in their speedy triumph,
the British had not laid in sufficient
stock OF rations. Their pork WIS bad !;
their biscuit no better. Dyssntsry
spread through their camp. They could
sympathize with the hunter who, after
seizipg wolf by the ears, declared
that he could not hold on and was
afraid to let go. Gen. Packenham and
Admiral Cochrane were not dismayed
by all that had passed, and made new
plane. Three days we're spent in drag
ging heavy guns from the feet. jack
son meanwhile landed some of the
Louis' sna's guns, and made battery
manned, it ia said, by natives of every
country except England. Commodore
Patterson and Lieut.. Thompson were
tho very men Jackson wanted. The
marine battery opened fire on the Both
and did considerable damage. Sharp.
shooting continued, and at one post
three British sentrias were killed 10
the same night. Tho skirmishes and
SURPRISES we're also maintained. On
the 3lst there was day of continual
artillery fighting, the Americans having
the advantage.
Now Years Day, 1915, began with a
tremendous fire from British guns
manned by sailors who had seen Copen-
hagen and Trafalgar. Oddly enough,
both sides made serious mistakes. The
British rolled hogsheads of sugar into
their parapets and the American can
non shot pierced the sugar without
difficulty, whilo our sandy works were
only made more Bolid by the shot that
lodged in them. The Americans blum
dered by pressing cotton bales into an
emhankment British shot set fire to
the cotton and the heavy smoke nearly
blinded our gunners. This cotton bale
experiment was our frat and last. We
did not use cotton bales on the Sth of
January, anu DR.. English's contenptu-
GUS allusion to the story is pardonable.
An hour and quarter of furious
canonading and the British fire began
to slaoken. Tho British emhankmenis
vera beatsn iD and the guns exploded.
by noon the British batteries, manned
by Nelson's veterans, were silenced,
and tina gunner who dared show his
head fell almost instantly. A fierce
skirmiah ia the swamp ended with
soue losa to the British. Walter says
That PackennHm's troops on the night
Of the LIST had gone without food or
sleep for GO hours. The British uni
forms were gay, and Jackson's troops
we're a ragged corps, but the Americans
had plenty to eat, and could eat in
safety. packenhhm q weary troops had
to drag most of their dismounten guns
back to camp. The American riilomen
and scouting parties grew holder than
ever.
Gen. Lambert brought reinforcements
to The British. Days OF weary lahor
wers spent in digging a canal, while tho
Ameficans prenarbd for the hard fight