Year: 1860

A British officer, who was at the battle o
New Orleans, mentions an incident of thrilling
strangeneSs, and very descriptive of the Wes
tern hunters. many of whom marched to tht
defense of New Orleans as volunteers in the
army under the renowned General jackson
We marched, said the officer, in solid col
umn of twelve thousand men, in direct line
upon the American defenses. | belonged tt
the staff, and as we advanced, watched through
our glass the position and arrangements of oul
enemy with that intensity an officer only feel:
when marching into the jaws of death, with
the assurance that while he thus offered him.
self as sacrifice to the cause of his country
every action, be it successful or otherwise, will
be judged with most heartless scrutiny.


1t was strange sight, that long range Of
cotton bales-a new material for breastwork
with the crowd of human beings behind
their heads only visible above the line of de
fense. We could distinctly see their long rifles
lying over the bales, and the entire battery oi
Gen. Coffee directly in front, with its great
mouth gaping towards US. and the position Of
Gen. jackson with his staff around him. But
what attracted our attention most, was the fig
ure of tall man standing on the breastworks
dressed in hnsey woolsey, with buckskin leg
gins, and broad rim felt hat that fell around
his face, almost conceaIing his features. He
was standing in one of those picturesque and
graceful attitudes peculiar to those natural
dwellers in the forest. The body rested
on the left leg, and swayed with curved line
upward the right arm was extended, the hand
ha INIT of
which rested near the toe of the right foot,
while with his left hand he raised the rim OF
his hat from his eyes. and seemed gazing from
beneath intensely upon our advancing column.
The cannon of Gen. Coffee had opened upon
us, and tore through our ranks with dreadful
slaughter but we continued to advance, ur.-
wavering and cool, as if nothing threatened
our progress.


The roar of the cannon seemed to have no
effect upon the figure standing upon the cotton
bales, bat he seemed fixed and motionless as a
statue. At last he moved, threw back the hat
rim over the crown with his left hand raised
the rife to his shoulder, and took aim at our
group. Our eyes were riveted upon him.
at whom had he leyeled his piece ? But the
distance was SO great that we looked at each
other and smiled. We-saw the rife fash, and
a companion. as nobclooking a4eow as ever
rode at the head Of regiment, fell from his
saddle. The hunter paused few moments
without moving his rifle from his shoulder,
then reloaded and resumed his former attitude.
Throwing the hat rim over his eyes and again
holding it up with the left hand, he fixed his
piercing gaze upon us us if hunting out anotl-
er victim. Once more the hat rim was thrown
back, and the gun raised to the shoulder
This time we did not smile. but cast short
glanees at each other to see which of us must
die and when the rife again flashed another
of us dropped to the earth. There was some
thing awful in marching on to certain death.


Gen. Coffee's battery and thousands Of mus
ket balls played upon our ranks. We cared
not for them there chance of escaping
unscathed. Most of us had walked upon bat
teries a hundred times more destructive with
out quaiing but to know that every time
that rife was leveled towards us, and the bull
let sprang from its barrel one of US must fall
to see the cleaning sun flash as the iron
came down, and see it rest motioness as if
poised upon a rock, and know when the ham
MIR struck and the sparks few to the full
primed pan, that the messenger of death drove
unerring to its goal-to know this, and still
march on, was awful


I could see nothing but the tall figure stand
ing on the breastwork. He seemed to grow
phantom-lille taller and taller, assuming thr0'
the smoke the supernatural appearance OF some
giant spirit. Again did he reload and dis
charg his rifle with the same unerring aim
and it was with indescribab!e pleasure that l
beheld, as we neared the American lines, the
sulphurous smoke gather around us and shut
that spectral hunter from my gaze. We lost
the battle, and to my mind the Kentucky rife
man contributed more to our defeat than any
! thing else, for while he remained to our sight
our attention was drawn from our duties and
when, at least, we became enshrouded in the
smoke, the work was complete-we were in
utter confusion, and unable, in the extremity,
to restore order sufficiently to make any sue
cessful attack.