The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-10-09
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 would horsewhip Thomas Benton on sight.
 They met near the City hotel In Nash vile. Jackson had whip in his hand.
 As Jackson approached Benton reached
 in his breast pocket for pistol. Jack
 son was quicker, and before Benson could draw Jackson had pistol at his breast. Benton stepped back and fell
 down the cellar steps of the hotel This
 was ludicrous, but as Jackson was turn
 ing away disgusted Jesse Benton blazed
 at him from behind. His pistol had a
 charge of two bullets and large slug.
 The slug shattered Jackson's left shoul-
 der. One of the balls ripped his arm
 open. The other ball entered the left
 side and pierced the lung.
 While he was in bed suffering from
 these fearful wounds news came of the
 Fort Mimms massacre where 400 men,
 women and children were butchered by
 the Creeks. No one supposed .ckson
 would be able to rise from his bed to
 lead the Tennessee militia that were has tily called to avenge the tragedy, but he
 did.e He had to be lifted on a horse.
 His left arm was in. sling Never again. could he bear the weight of SC
 much as an epaulet on his left shoulder
 Ho not only was crippled for life, but | any unguarded movement was agoniz
 ing. Riding horseback it was necessar,
 for him to have sort of cradle rigget
 In front of hinf on which to lean. Tht
 wound In the lung never healed
 For the remainder of his life he could
 not sit In chair for five minutes with.
 out support. Usually he sat astraddle
 so he could put his arms over the back
 Never, perhaps, did a more sorely strick-
 en man go to lead campaign. He was
 more fitted for a hospital than the field
 yet so remarkable was his will that al
 times he disregarded his injuries and
 tore around as if he were in his full strength. But the reaction would be | fearful
 | If ever a man showed magnificent
 courage and ability surely Jackson did | in that campaign. His supplies went as- | tray and his men were left starving They mutinied. He cajoled and threat ened. Company after company tried to | desert. With such as remained faithful he drove the rebellious back. But the
 men became so weak at last that he could go no further. Mutiny spread un- | til 1t seemed the expedition would end in disaster. but Jackson never relaxed He held that starving horde together until at last supplies and endorsements arrived Then in series of brilliant moves, eliminating in the battle of Horseshoe Bend. he crushed the Creeks
 and ended the Indian war. Next he
 drove the British out of Mobile and came
 within an ace of penning up a British fleet in Pensacola. He figured correctly that the next move of the British would be against New Orleans That city prac- tically was without defense. A great British fleet had assembled at Jamaica preparatory to a descent upon the Mis-
 sissippi.
 New Orleans
 On December 1, 1914. accompanied only by his staff, he arrived in New Orleans from Mobile. Within a few days he had drawn plans for the defense of the city and had inspected all its approaches | His force from Mobile arrived and he had 5000 men. Nearly as many more were | en route from Tennessee, but when they were to arrive he was to find that few | of them were armed and New Orleans had little with which to equip them.
 Fifty British ships arrived at the en- | trance to Lake Borgue early in Decem- Der. Jackson had been none too soon,
 With rare skill the British managed to
 mask their operations. land a large body of troops and get within eight miles | of New Orleans before their movements were discovered. Word reached Jackson
 on the afternoon of December 23 of the discovery of the enemy. That night he
 struck. Down the Mississippi went a little gunboat, the Carolina, and over the swamps and fields went picked body of LouisiaHans and Tennesseans. The British were to be treated to a new style of warfare. something the Americ- ans had learned ffom the Indians-a
 night attack.
 It was the advance guard of the British
 that Jackson attacked. The guns of the Carolina were to give the signal. The Carolina opened fire too early to make
 the attack wholly successful. and the night was too dark for the opposing forces to distinguish friend from foe. but the suddenness of the attack, the spirit of the Americans and the Injury inflicted led the British to draw back and hesitate before making any further forward movement.
 It was little more than skirn2ish. but 1t produced delay, and time was every thing to Jackson, for he had only 5000 men to oppose that great force of the en- emy. Delay made 1t possible for him to throw up breastworks to deepen and widen the Rodriguez canal and to place a barrier between him and the British
 that was to prove their ruin