The Scranton chronicle. (Scranton, Miss.) 1897-19??, 1901-06-01
A BARRIcADE OF coTToN.
Conarmaters Information ms 10 fhs
Defense Of Cen. jackson az
New Orleans.

| New Orleans.
a recent issue ef your paper con.
taied a clipping from The New orlean,
Times Democrat. pertaining 10 the
noN-and-then questioned historic in.
eident of the seizure and employment
Of cotton hy ten Jackson. in the de.
| Tense Of New Orleans. on that portcn.
tious sth of January, 1873" says a cor
respondent of the Detroit Free Press
II have among my hooks volume
entitled. Fifty Years in Roth lIemis.
/ pheres,' by Vincent Nolte, published in
/ 1884, IN which appears ample confrma.
| tion Of lackson's use Of halcd cetter
on that memorable occasion.
"Nineont Nolte was the representa-
| tive In this country Of the great Lon
don house of naring Brothers. and nj
the time Of the battle, was in New OR
leans purchasing and shipping ceston
10 Europe, by way Of Havana. WITH
other aliens then in the city. Nolte wa,
pressed into military service, and par
tieipated in the engagement.
Tile writes: On the morning after
our retreat from the plantation oiI
/ Nillcrs, where we had attacked the
British on the preceding evening. at
tempts, rs have already stated, were
made to throw mp n breast works along
the Maearty canal. The soil In that
II sighborhood consists of soft, marshy
ground, and when you have dug 10 the
depth of three feet you find nothing
but mud aud water. Hence when the
effort was made to make an entreneh
ment around the camp. aud to erect
! the five or six redoubts which we're tc
have heen raised along the Maeart,
canal, the mireness Of the soil rer
dered all exertions utterly frnitless.
"a French engineer then suggested
to jackson the idea of filling up the
hollow redoubt with cotton bales, laid
To the depth of three or four, one
above the other, the wooden platforms
which were TO sustain the heavy can
non which had been dragged FROM the
arsenal could then be placed on the cot.
ton bales and there secured, while the
crenallated openings on both sides OF
the redoubt could be constructed with
six or eight bales fastened 20 the
main body OF the redoubt by iron rings
and covered with adhesive earth
"'After the retreat OF the British we
heard that they had thought OF sim.
liar device, but as they could find no
cotton they had used the sugar in
casks, which they had picked mp on
tho various plantations. Jackson.
who at once adopted the plan. was
anxious TO lose no time. II was inti.
mated 10 him TINT in the city he could
procure plenty Of cotton at from seven
TO eight cents per pound but ihatii
would cost whole day to bring II te
the spot. He was then told that not
far from the camp and in the rear oi
hia position there lay bark IN the
stream. laden with cotton for IIa.
yana; the name of The vessel wss the
Pallas, unless my memory after the
lapse OF 3s years deceiyes me. and she
was to have sailed before the arrival
of the British force. Her cargo con.
sisted of 245 bales. which ! had shipped
previously to the invasion, and the re-
mainder, about so bales, belonged 10
the spaniard, Fernando Alzar, resident
AT New Orleans
at was only when the cotton had
been brought TO camp, and they were
proceeding 10 lay the first bales in the
redonbf. that marks struck my atten-
tion. and I recognized my own prop
erty. Adit. Livingstone, who had been
my usual legal counsel AZ New Orleans.
that same evening inspected battery
No. 3, where the men were arranging
some bales. / was somewhat vexed at
the idea of their taking cotton of the
first sort, worth from ten to fifteen
cents, out OF ship already loaded and
on the point OF sailing instead OF pro-
curing the cheaper kind. which was to
be had in plenty throughout the su.
burbs OF the city at seven 10 eight
cents. and said as much 10 Livingstone.
lie, who was never at a loss for reply,
at once answered: sIf this is your
cotton. you at least. viii not think II
any hardship 10 defend It,"
"And in further corroboration OF
Jackson's action, Ben Lossing. the an.
thor of the Pictorial Field Book OF
the Battles Of the Revolution in an in
feryiew granted the writer at New
York city in the early seventies. in re
sponse TO an inquiry on the subject,
said: There can be no doubt of its
historical accuracy"