The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1912-01-20
HISTORIC URsUL|NE CONVENT

Laying OF Cornerstone for New struc-
ture Recalls Signal Victory Of Gen.
erai jackson at the Battle OF New
Orleans Through the Invocation OF
Our Lady Of Prompt succor.
The cornerstone OF the new Ursuline
Convent at New Orleans was placed
In position recently by the Most Rev.
erend Archbishop Blenk in the pres
ence OF a notable gathering The SER
mon was preached by the Right Rev.
erend Bishop Gum OF Natchez. The
new structure will replace the his.
toric building of the Ursuline Com
munity whose members assembled to
pray for the triumph OF the American
army over the English In the war Of
1912. The signal victory which Gen
eral Andrew Jackson won was due in
large measure to the intercession of
Our Lady of Prompt Succor and that
valiant American did not fail to
| attribute his great success to it.
On January s the eighty-third an.
nual commemoration of the battle of
New Orleans was observed in the
| chapel of the Ursuhne Nuns. On that
occasion the ceremony commenced at
the shrine of Our Lady of Prompt Sue
cor with the recitation of the same
Office and hymns which were said and
sung at daybreak on January s, 1915,
when the Nuns Joined their prayers
with those Of the clergy and chanted
| the hymn to Our Lady of Perpetual
Help.
The story of the battle OF New Or.
leans is not devoid of interest for
Catholics. According to a writer in
the Catholic News its true history is
not recorded on the pages that tell
the story of that memorable war be-
/ tween England and America. General
jackson in his defense of the City of
New Orleans had in the ranks of his
army less than six thousand soldiers
Against them the British troops adj
vanced to storm the American re
doubts. Whilst the English were pre-
pairing to give battle to Jackson's men
a few clergymen, nuns, officers and
soldiers were upon their knees pray
Ing to the God Of Hosts through the
intercession of Our Lady of Perpetual
Help. When the battle was over and
victory perched on the banners OF
General Jackson, Monsignor Dubourg,
s. j., in an address to the victors,
thanked God for the favor bestowed
upon the American arms.
General Andrew Jackson acknowl-
edged the supernatural assistance
which gained for him the victory in
the following words addressed to Mon
signor Dubourg: Right Rev. Sir
The kind interposition of Heaven in
giving success to our arms against the
enemy who SO lately landed upon our
shoresan enemy as powerful as in
veterate in his hatred-while it must
excite in every bosom attached to the
happy form of government under
which we live emotions of the liveliest
gratitude, requires at the same time
some external manifestation of those
/ feelings. Permit me, therefore, to en-
treat that you will cause the service
/ of public thanksgiving to be cele-
brated in your Cathedral, in token Of
the great assistance we have received
from the Ruler of All Events and our
humble sense of it,
There is not in one of the eighteen
histories of the United States, with
(which we are familiar" continues the
writer, lone word relative to the adj
dresses which we have quoted, nor a
word regarding the heroism and sweet
charity of the reverend clergy and
nuns of New Orleans, who from the
first attack of the British on the oath
of December until the 14th day Of Jan
uary were upon the battleields. The
1 reason why this interesting matter has
been carefully omitted is because the
campaign at New Orleans was fought
on the American side by 1884 Catho-
j lies and $50 Professionals, and the ma
jority OF the latter ran away from the
foe in the most dastardly manner, pro-
voking the wrath OF Generals Jackson,
: Humbert and Lallemand and SO in
furiating the brave and capable Com
modore Patterson that he ordered his
sailors and marines to shoot the cow
/ ards, but the Brave Kentuckians" so
: lauded in the false histories of our
/ country ran SO fast that our sailor
boys could not get within range of
, them. These towards lost their flag,
and three hundred of them were taken
by the British, conveyed to Europe and
compelled to drive the baggage wagons
of Wellington's army during the Wa
. terloo campaign.
All American historians omit the
truth about the men who ran away
and tell the story that Jackson's
troops fought behind ramparts OF cot
ton bales, wherefrom the brave Ken
J lucky rifiemen moved down the Brit