The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1902-01-16
On January 8, 1915, Jackson
Won His Brilliant Victory,
The British Used Tactics Which Later
Proved Just as Disastrous in South
Africa---What Mr.. Roosevelt Says
of Iaeksou's Generalship.
K. C. Star, 9th.


est lieutenants. Sir Edward Paken-
ham. The victory-perhaps the most
brilliant between Yorktown and the
rebellion-was won two weeks after
the signing OF the peace treaty. The
vessel bearing the tidings was still in
mid-ocean. An Atlantic cable would
have prevented the loss of hundreds
OF lives.
The British were overwhelmingly
defeated because they adopted tao
tics singularly like those thatproved
so disastrous nearly century later
against the Beers mt Colenso and the
Modder river. They threw their bat
talionsin closed order against a posi-
ton held by expert marksmen. Asa
result the relocated soldiers were
slaughtered in droves and the sur
vivors fled from the field.
81 never had" said Jackson, later,
$50 grand and awful an idea OF the
resurrection as so on that day. AZ
ter the smoke OF battle had cleared
off somewhat, | saw in the distance
more than 500 Britons emerging
from the heaps Of their dead COM
rades, all over the plain, rising up,
coming forward and surrendering as
prisoners OF war to our soldiers"
The record of the land fighting of
the war of 1912 is dismal one for
the United States. 1t was left for the
obscure Tennessee general to redeem
it. The British had looked longingly
toward the wealthy French city at
the mouth Of the mississippi. tutvm
1914 they sent against it a great
fleet of war vessels under Admiral
Cochrane, conveying detachment OF
troop ships with 10000 veterans
aboard, fresh from the Peninsula
wars. Theircommander, Pakenham,
had delivered the decisive blow at
Salamanca and had taken part in
the rout of the. ablest generals Of
Napoleon. The inefficient Washing
ton administration had done nothing
for the defense of Louisiana and
when Jackson arrived at New Orle.
ans three weeks before the landing Of
the British the situation was desper-
ate. He found about 500 regulars
and 900 militiamen on the ground.
But a few days later the real saviors
OF the city marched in-Tennes-
seeans, untofform and grim offace,
carrying long rifles over their shout
.ders and long hunting knives in their
belts, with coonskin caps and fringed
--leggins. -Theyaanumbered about /.
900 There were, besides, some poor.
ly armed Kentuckians, so that when
the day of battle came Jackson mus
tered $500 men against the 10000
British veterans.
Mr.. Roosevelt remarks in his ac-
count of the engagement that the
hall savage backwoodsmen under an
ordinary commander would have
been as dangerous to themselves as
to their foes. But Andrew Jack
son." he continues, was OF all men
the one best fitted to manage such
troops. Even their fierce natures
quailed before the ungovernable fury
of a spirit greater than their own
and their sullen, stubborn wills were
bent at last before his unyislding
temper and iron hand"
As soon as Jackson arrived in the
city he proclaimed martial law and
took energetic measures for its de-
tense. A delegation of timid legisla-
tors called to ask what his plans
were. 0
"By the Eternal" swore the fiery
general, "if l thought the hairs Of
my head knew l would tear them out
and burn them"
The battle OF January 8 was pre-
coded by fierce night encounter
Pakenham sent a force of 1900 men
up the river toward the city. Jack
son, with about the same number
marched to meet it. The engage
ment took place near midnight
hand-to-hand encounter in which the
hunting knives of the Tennessee vol
unteers slashed down the bayonets Of
the British regulars. With loss o.
200 to the British loss Of 300, Jack
son drew back up the river and threw
up breastworks from the banks o
the morass. Pakenham brought NJ
his men and erected Notifications
lust out OF cannon shot.
All night on January the Ameri