Evening journal., 1898-01-05
JACKSON'S TRIUMPH.
How "Old Hickory" Overcame
His Great Difficulties.
RULING POWERS UNFRIEEDLY


LAWYER AND POLITICIAN, WON |
FAME BY DEEDS so BRILLIANT |
THAT NO PUBLIC DOCUMENTS |
COULD HIDE THEM.
Apropos Of the coming celebration Of
Jackson Day in this city the following,
Clipped from an exchange, is of pc
culiar interest:
So long ago that the memory of few
living men runneth to the contrary
members of a certain political party
began to celebrate the anniversary of
Jackson's triumph at New Orleans. The
custom became as partisan as the last
century practices of drinking to the
GLORIOUS and immortal memory" or
to "the king over the water"
In some towns the Sth of January
dinners became sectional, and while
jackson was family praised, the real
hero was Calhoun, whose dislOyal ten
denotes jackson loathed and hated.
Since the war for the Union the tradi-
tions of Gettysburg and AppOmattox
have pushed Jackson into the back
ground. A new generation has arisen,
and when that generation hears of "the
| battle of New Orleans" it thinks OF
Farragut's feet and Buffers stern rule
Indeed, within the last few years news
paper writer's, with an ignorance that
would be amusing were it not nauseat-
/ ing, have referred to the Sth of Janu-
AIRY as Jacksons birthday. Such
mistake, forty years ago, could not
have been made by a bOotblack CT
wharf laborer.
The real Sth of January. or rapher
I the military movements ending on thai
wonderful day, should be a matter fol
national pride rather than partisan
speechmaking. 1t would be well if
every militia organization kept alive
the memory of the grandest triumph
ever scored by our arms. The lads in
our boys brigades should be taught
that Thomas Dunn English's poem on
Jackson Is better worth their memoir
izing than Tennyson's description Of
| the charge at Balaklava. It would be
a subject for cOngratulatiOn if a mill
tary writer of the first rank should
do for Jackson what Napier did for the
Peninsular War and what Mahan has
done for New Orleans. AS it is, how
ever, the expedition against New Or
leans has added two use
ful books to the worlds Ii
brary. One is jackson and New Or
leans" by Alexander Walker, an old
resident of the Crescent City; the
other is the well-known narrative OF
"The Subaltern," British officer, who
gives a manly account of the cam
paign from the British standpoint
Anyone who leads a bright American
boy to read one, or, still better, both
Of these books, has done a patriotic
service.
Jackson's difficulties cannot easily
be exaggerated. The beginning of HE
campaign found him suffering from
wounds and disease. His temper, never
a mild one. had been tried by per.
sonal quarrels, mutinOus soldiers, In.
{ dian ambushes, dishonest contractor
and a political feud Of long standing
jefferson and Jackson hated each Other
! cordially, and JeffersOn's ill-will de,
scended as a legacy to the Madison ad.
ministratiOn. The youngest drummer
{ | boy in the camp knew that the ruling
{ powers were umfriendly to Jackson
that he had not always been respectful
to the authorities, and that, while h'
might receive a perfunctory, officia
| support, the president and secretary o
war would be glad to put some on'
else over his head. Andrew jackson
| soldier, lawyer and politician, knew
, | that if he was to win official favor a
all, he must win it by deeds so brillian
i that no public documents could hid
E them; that he must send in RETURN
5 that could not be dOctored by any can
o | vassers in Washington.
d The administration was not likely b
n hn1 Q ai.1'fu
n interfere with him. Other trouble
b were close at hand. Jackson was a
. odds with some OF The leading men o
e New Orleans and had various wrangle
# with the Legislature Of the state. II
h lacked guns to supply his troops.
% more motley army has seldom bee
y seen since the followers Of David mus
= tered in the Cave Of Adullam. To blen
the extreme of Southern aristocrac,
l. the free colored battalion, and th
y smugglers and pirates Of the coast int
\ a compact corps was no easy task. Nc
n was it easy 10 prepare raw troops fC
S combat with veterans who had 70
n lowed the banner of Wellington. Jacl
~ son. as a boy, had such service in tn
NJ revolutionary war, and knew that, as
s. rule, the discipline of the British go
e diers had given them victory in tt
open field. The war of 1912 had opeI
ed with modification for our army, an
nothing in our history is more di'
graceful than the retreat at Bladenl
IN burg. AS the average European so
s. dier viewed the invading and defendiu
rs hosts, it seemed as if an army was g
ing forth to slaughter a mob. But q
American general had en- advantal
which outweighed all the odds in fav'
J, of his enemies. He was Andrew Jacl
bs son.
" A fight between the fiotillas On Lal
2 Borgue was calamity fought on bo'
sides. The British force was decided
- stronger, and gained the upper han
5o which meant the control of the lal
w and the capture of several small vc
az sells useful as transports. FOhOwil
10 up their success the British land
we some troops without tents. Rain al
es frost caused a number Of deaths. {
is. pecially among the cOlored troops fro
Die the West Indies. Still the British we
Sc confident. The Florida Indians b.