Semi=weekly graphic., 1898-06-11
THEIR DEADLY FIRE.
THE AMERICAN RlFLEMEN AT THIS
 BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS.

Description of the Engagement by osa.
 eraI Jackson-A Letter From '4old HisA-
 Sry"-How Packenham's Veterans wsss
 Defeated by Frontiersmen.
 In The Century William Hugh Rob Arts has an article entitled "Napoleon'a Interest In the Battle of New Orleans. [" In this is quoted hitherto unpublished letter writter by General Jackson to Mfr James Monroe. A portion of the lettw follows:
 There was very heavy fog on ths river that morning, and the British had formed and were moving before I knew 1t, The disposition of the rifemen was very simple. They were told off in NoS and g. No was to fire first, than step back and let No. shoot while hS reloaded. About 500 yards from the rife men there was great drainage canal running back from the Mississippi rives to the swamp in the rear of the titled land on which we were operating. Along this canal the British formed. under the Ere of the few artillery pieces ! had near enough to them to get their range. But the instant 1 saw them said to Coffee, whom directed to hurry to his line, which was to be first attack edl By -. we have got themi They RrS oursi" Coffee dashed forward, and, lid Ing along his line, called out, "Don's shoot till you can see their belt bucklesp The British were formed in mass, well closed up, and about two oompaniRs lsont
 The British, thus formed, moved ca As n quick step, without firing a shot, to witAin 100 yards of the kneeling rife. men, who were holding their fire till they could soa the belt buckles of theiN mamies. The British advance was exc outed as though they had been on pa race. They marched shoulder to shout der. with tho step of veterans, as they weHe. At 100 yards distance from oUz line the order was given: Extend col umL frontl Double quick marohl Ch0sgel" With bayonets at the charge they came on us at a run. own 1t was an anxious moment. 1 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 brother in-law and bad successfully held off the ablest of Napoleon s marshals in the Spanish campaign. My rifemen had never seen such un attack, nor had they ever before fought white men. The morning, too, was damp. Their powder might moi burn well. God heip usl'' I muttered, watching tho rapidly advancing line. Seventy, GO, 30, finally 40 yards, were they from the silent kneeling rifemcn. All of lny men that could see was their long rifles rested on the logs before them, They obeyed tbeir orders well. Not shot was fired until the redcoata were within 10 yards. 1 heard Coffee's voice as he roared out "Now, men, aim for the center of the cross beltsi Firei'' 1 A second after the order a cracking, 1 blazing fash ran all along our line The | smoke hung 90 heavily in the misty morning air that l could not see what had happened l called Tom Overton and Abnel Duncan of my staff, and ws l galloped toward Coffee's line In few seconds after the first fire there cama another sharp, ringing voIley. As l came within 150 yards of Coffee the smoke lifted enough for me to make out what was happening
 The Brithh were falling back in Q confused, disorderly mass, and the en. tire first ranks of their column were blown away. For 200 yards in our front the ground WAS covered with a mass of writhing, wounded, dead and dying red 1 coats. By the time the rifles were wiped she British linz was reformed, and oy II came again. This time they wero led l by General PaEonham in person, gal iantiy mounted and riding as though hs 9gas m parade. Just before be got within rangp of Ga01fee'a line l beard Q single rifle >Eot from group of country carts We n2d been usi1g, about l75 yards dis cant and a moment thereafter I saw Paketham reel and pitch out of his sad die. have alWays believed he fell from the Nullet of freeman of color whu was D famous rife shot and came from the A takappas segiIn of Louisiana. The second advance was precisely like the lrst h l5s ending. In five Tolleys the l,500 O. more riaeleEs kiAed and wounded 2,117 British soldhM, two thirds of them killed Gead or uIortally woundeu. l did not know whore Gen. aral Pakenham was lying, or l should have sent to him or gone in person tG offer any service in mY power to render.
 was told he lived two hours after ne was hit His wound was directly through the liver and bowels. General Keene, 1 hear, was killed. They sent flag to me. 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 6le absolutely refused to make a third charge. We have no chance with suck shooting as these Americans do." they said.
 Her e1editary Suicide.
 An extraordinary instance of heredi. tGry tendency to suicide was told by