Evening journal., 1898-01-05
JACKSON'S TRIUMPH &
lcontinued From First Page.l

lima began firing into their camp, while |
grape shot and musketry almost drove |
veteran soldiers into panic The |
British rallied, but sentry after sentry |
was picked of by the rlfiemen. As in |
most night actions, there was confu- |
sion and some hand-to-hand lighting |
Jackson ordered his men to fan back |
under cover of the fog. The battle was
not decisive, but the Americans were
greatly encouraged, and the British
almost dazed. 1t is probable that the
| British loss exceeded ours two to one,
and the boldness of the attack led them
to suppose that the American force was
| far greater than was really the case.
| Only a few hours before the British
had been chuckling over the cowardly
| retreat from Bladensburg. Now they
found that Americans could shoot with
the rifle and thrust with the bayonet
AS daylight began to oglimmer Through
the fog the invaders dreaded that the
Carolina would reopen her fire. She
did. and the Louisiana came to her aid.
both vessels being manned by skiuful
| gunners. All day the half-frozen Brit
ish were exposed to the fire of these
floating batteries. Their boast that
they would eat their Christmas dinner
in New Orleans sounded like a dismal
Jest.
Night came on and the British re-
| treated out OF short range, where il
| was possible to build a fire without
furnishing the Americans with a target.
Jackson spent Christmas Day in
strengthening his entrenchments The
British Christmas was somewhat cheer
ed by the arrival Of the commanding
general, Sir Edward Packenham an
officer of brilliant record in the West
Indies and in the Peninsula. It is due
the memory of this brave soldier and
worthy gentleman to again deny the
silly story that he gave the brutal
| watchword, Beauty and booty"
RumOr always prone to eXaggerate,
spread the report that the Duke of
| Wellington had assumed the command
Of the British army. AS we now know,
| there had been some Thought of placing
him in charge OF the New Orleans ex-
| peditiOn. Jackson went on with his
preparations, as he would have done
had Wellington and Napoleon com
{ bined against him. Packenham found
2 a general discomfort over Keane's mani
| agement, a lack of harmony between
b army and navy and a widespread belief
! that the American army was large and
r | growing. Neither the riilemen nor the
floating batteries observed Christmas.
{ | If few officers tried TO eat their din
+ | ners in a negro hut round shot would
3 | tear through the structure end probably
s kill one or two of the party. Pacl1en-
8 / ham was a good soldier, and he saw
= that something must be done prompt
s ! by. The night of the 26th was spent
= by the British in dragging - and is
| Founders from the ships to the levee
December q began with a heavy
r I cannOnade from the British works
o | John Bull was bent on destroying the
+ | vessels that had dperived him of food
= and sleep. John made blunder The
e British fire was centred on the Caro-
K lima and, while she was being knocked
y to pieces, the Louisiana, a much more
y powerful craft, secured a position
e where NO British shot could reach her
o but where she could easily reach ths
: British. Packenham's army destroy.
l. ed a mosquito and missed a hornet
(. The Americans passed the night in The
e most desperate slirmishing A Brit.
S ish outpost would be attacked so fierce.
y ly as to give the impression that a
4 general attack was to be made In
e few minutes the Americans would re.
II tire and in twenty minutes some other
r point would be assailed. shells from
" the British howitzers and the shots Of
4 the Tennessee backwoodsmen made, as
n the popular song would have it, a very
a hot time in the camp that night.
II The restless Jackson had a plan Oi
II cutting the levee and drowning the
;; British, If other measures failed; bui
II he did not find it necessary to cal
= water to his aid. On the morning o.
Y the 2Sth OF December the British ad.
q vanced, but the American land bat.
! terry, aided by the Louisiana, drOv,
them back. Keanes column wa.
broken. Gibbs retreated, the British
d artillery was crippled by the terrible
American gunners. The whole British
campaign seemed a series Of disasters
Sickness, shot, starvation, tho Ions
knife and the tomahawk had thinnec
their ranks. They had proved theil
courage and their discipline, but theii
, only trophies were a sick list and ;
death roll
o CONFIDENT in their speedy triumph
e the British had not laid in a sufficieni
= stock Of rations Their pork was bad
Il their biscuit no better. Dysentery
= spread through their camp. They
N could sympathize with the hunter who
i after seizing a wolf by the ears, de
q clared that he could not hold on anC
n was afraid to let go. General Packen
ham and Admiral Cochrane were no
q dismayed by all that had passed, ang
y made new plans Three days wer,
II spent in dragging heavy guns from
a the fleet Jackson meanwhile landeC
q some of the Louisianas guns, an,
\ made a battery manned, it is said bl
i natives Of every country except Eng
X land. Commodore Patterson ans
i Lieutenant Thompson were the yer.
u men Jackson wanted. The marine bat
n terry opened fire on the 30th and di,
a considerable damage Sharpshootin,
h continued, and at one post three Brit
. ish sentries were killed in the sam'
- night The skirmishes and surprise.
were also maintained On the 31s
= there was q day of continual artillerl
r. fighting, the Americans having the ad
10 vantage.
Ii New Years Day, 1915, began with
N tremendous fire from British glni
= manned bv callers who had seen Co