The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1931-12-25

l had near enough to them to get their range.
But the instant l saw them 1 said to Coffee,
whom directed to hurry to his line, which was
to be first attacked: BY -, we have got
them; they are ours! Coffee dashed forward,
and riding along his line, called out, Don't
shoot until you see their belt buckles The
British were formed in mass, well closed up,
and about two companies front.
"The British, thus formed, moved on at a quick
step, without firing shot, to within 100 yards
of the kneelng rif1emen. who were holding their
fire till they could see the belt buckles of their
enemies The British advance was executed as
though they had been on parade. They marched
shoulder to shoulder, with the step of veterans
as they were At 100 yards distance from our
line the order was given. Extend column 'front.'
Double quick. march! Charge! With bayonets
at the charge, they came on us at run.
II own it was an anxious moment; well knew
the charging column was made up of the picked
troops of the British army. They had been
trained by the duke (Wellington), himself. were
commanded by his brother-in-law. and had sue
cessfully held off the ablest of Napoleon's mar
shals in the Spanish campaign My riflemen
had never seen such an attack, nor had they
ever before fought white men, The morning,
too, was damp; their powder might not burn
we'll. God help usv muttered watching the
rapidly advancing line. Seventy, sixty, fifty,
finally forty yards were they from the silent
kneeling rifemen. All of my men could see
was their long rifles rested the logs before
them. They obeyed their orders well; not a
shot was fired until the redcoats within
forty yards. heard Coffee's voice as he roared
out; Now, men, aim for the center of the
cross-belts! Fire second after the order
cracking blazing flash rang all along our line.
The smoke hung so heavily in the misty morning
air that could not see what happened. called
Tom Overton and Abner Duncan of my staff.
and we galloped toward Coffee's line. In a
few seconds after the first fire there came an
other voley. AS came within $50 yards of
Coffee, the smoke lifted enough for me to make
out what was happening.
1.-THE British were falling back in confused,
disorderly mass, and the entire first ranks of
their column were blown away. For 200 yards
in our front the ground was covered with
of writhing wounded, dead and dying
redcoats. BY the time the rifles were wiped the
British line was reformed, and on it came again.
This time they were led by General Pakenham
in person. CALAMITY mounted, and riding as
though he was on parade. Just before he got
within range of Coffee's line heard single
rifle shot from group of country carts we had
been using, about 175 yards distant and a
moment thereafter I saw Pakenham reel and
pitch out Of his saddle have always believed
he fell from the bullet of free man of color,
who famous rifle shot and came from
the Arkansas region Of Louisiana. The second
advance precisely like the first in it's end
ing. In five voeys the 1,500 more ri1emen
killed and wounded 2117 British soldiers, two
thirds of them killed dead or MORALLY wounded.
/ did not know where General Pakenham was
lying, should have sent to him, gone in
person, to offer any service in my power to
render
II was told he lived two hours after he was
hit. General Keene. | hear, was killed dead.
They sent flag to asking leave to gather
up their wounded and bury their dead which, of
course, granted. told by wounded Off
Ger that the rank and file absolutely refused to
make a third charge 1--WE have no chance with
such shooting as these Americans do they said"
One of the factors which makes the Battle OF
New Orleans unique is the fact that it was fought
after the treaty of peace had been signed-per-
haps the only time in history when two bel
ligerents fought major military engagement
when officially they at peace. That fact
is known to most Americans, but many probably
say of the Battle of New Orleans "Oh. yes, it
was picturesque affair and an astonishing VIC
tory but since it was won after the war was
over it was really not very important"
Therein they are wrong. Quite aside from the
fact that it had something to do with sending
Andrew Jackson to the White House IA years
later its results and it's effects the later his
tory of this country were far-reaching Jackson
himself at the time of his victory could not pos
IDLY have realized what those results were to be,
any more than he could have known that he was
fighting battle with the British when we were
at peace with them. But later he realized the
full significance of his victory as his own words
show.
Those words were spoken while he was Presi-