The sun. [volume], January 03, 1915, FOURTH SECTION MAGAZINE SECTION, Page 3, Image 25

About The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916

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IH3
THE SUN, SUNDAY, JANUARY 3, 1915.
WHEN ANDREW JACKSON REPULSED LAST
HOSTILE INVASION OF UNITED STATES
SR hundred years ngo on the
Sin or Jnnuary the battle of
Now Orleans was fought nnd
wu-i by the American troops
under ndrew Jackson. Sine then the
cor- T.-n . domain of the Fulled States
hjs -.e-r been subjected to a hostile
inva. n
1 ! "f New Orleans has not
rtrufl 4 prmi ti"iit1y in many of our
h ,r i it deserved from the mug
n .r . he victory flmply brei'Jfe It
W1J f after peace was concluded
i, . n ind therefore it wax assumed
, , .. . d have had no effect in de
r..rg '!.e conditions .f that agree
ment n orator said some years
liter H i' what are treaties In the view
0f i a!, nets of Kumpe? Treaties,
ftiiow '.7ens. are Instruments of which
nnvr "nee Bt once dictates the terms
nd cnnt.tutes the obligation. The
tretri t.hent had been concluded
i nier ,e pressure of great difficulties
in ei " n e. nnd greater still In appre
hns :i The allies were much em
barrassed m attempting to arrange the
new n -e of political power."
j ,. they were fearful of Na
pole i I' niparte. nnd Knglantl, as one
of ' cm was lurtlonlar'.y anxious to
wI'M'iw her scattered forces from
Amcr. ' array her fullest strength
n&ror aie for the purpose of crush-
inc ' e
"Had
att'mp
h ave a
ri.-an.
e British succeeded In their
n .New Orleans, would they
"iited It before the battle of
would It ever have been
Wa'er
evH :i 'I wiinoui a sirunn.e. in an
fWr e have the words of n llritlsh
eff r great ability, written shortly
after ,he defeat of (!en. Pakenh.im's
rmv
Tat our failure Is to be lamented
no one w'.i; deny, since the conquest of
Sew Orleans would have been beyond
a" rimparison the most valuable no-
qulctlon hat could have been made to
'h Brt.sli dominions throughout the
wfifl Western Hemisphere. In pos-1
,.Snifin of that point, wo should have I
kept t.e entire Southern trade of the (
1'si'ed fates In check and furnished
means of commerce to our own titer-
chsn-s .if incalculable value"
On November 2. 1M4. Admiral Sir
Alexander f ochrnno sailed away from ,
Jamaica w.th his expedition of ixty '
a''J 'nvo.NlnB Sir Kdwnrd Pakenham' j
array of more -than 12.000 seasoned
troT". with New Orleans as their ot-
)j'!ve. At the battle of the Nile, six- J
teen years before. Admiral Nelon had
a. as formidable fleet nt his command
sr.d the combined equipment of ships
and army bound for the Ctulf coat
cost Kngland a matter of quite JI0.
000 000
Oreat Britain had spared no expene.
for she was bent upon laying her mailed
hand upon the richest section of the
country. Had she succeeded fhe might
effectually bave barred oif the KaMern
States from the rest of tlic c nt nent
lying wet of the Appalachians. It was
a bold strategic move and was aimed
aa!nt the section of our shores where
we were least prepared to resist with
anvthlng like commenurate force.
In those days New Orleans was well
nigh an alien city. Most of its in
habitants were French or of Kronen.
exTa tion nnd their traditions foreign,
for the city had come under our dom.-r.ar.-e
but twelve years before. There I
wer n forts and but few troops and
he 'iHt naval force the I'mted S ,ite
ii. 'd muster were n few guiilxi.its and
tend-rs nf modest armament
Happi'.v Andrew Jackson wus not far
aa. I'nr the better part of the two
oars pre.-eiling be had fought and de
Mt(.j tt,. i rfeks if l'lorida and lairr
hart dr ven tlie llritlsh away from 1'en
sa ola. the propel t "f Spain, where
they had sought to establish a base for
operation" against us. With his hand-f-il
of seasoned troops Old Hukory was
sh'e tu whip Into some -ort of shaoe
ml'ltla and re-ruits that gathered
lo'it : 'tn when the approach of Lord
' hrane's armada became known.
Tbe Itr.t.sh fleet came to at. hor off
he I'll indeleiir Nlimds on December
S and S r IMwanl I'akenliam decided
tn strike toward New Orleans bv way
' Lake Borsne, thus avoiding the 100
zr e j mrney up the M.H-I'slpjd ltiv-r
n- 'h ah sravu peril' to the sa.l jiro
Clled hlps of Admiral- Cochrane-
tauadrom. Along this route the Amer-'-ans
under l.leut. Thomas np C'atesby
Jones could oppoe but live gunboats
a-.'l two tenders against a flotilla of
I e.v iv armed launches, forty-two in
rjim. r. manned by S0 men picked
rim among the ships of the British
t i in December U the two navi.
f. m. t. and for near y two hours
' ' v" n,,,tl , .m,",t'' 7. i,.' 'painful iliness. Hut the tierce glare of Ilres. The enemy was so near that the
in- n..t only "Hd the cnem at ' . , 1)rlsht n,i hawklike gray eye be- hum of the men's voices could be heard
. -ted large losses In tl e en , , HI1( .plrlt which trlum.lied as they refreshed themselves and pre-
cur wUors were borne .town by weight; a f , ,)0(J nial)areJ ror a good night's sleep before
an flotilla, mustering but It I
c men nnu menu. .
Threading the bayous, the barges
rvacherl the li'veo be.ow .New uneans
New Orleans
it a Point about nine miles from the
ui (i iin-ie iiiu ....
troops of sin lviwarii .
! ker.l.m were landed in the early
l the early
The British
tni-n rg of December .J. 1 " """"
1 ig was nroKen loose ni iiie mp in 1
re mil the teglmental bands played
Sue the King."
Ti defeat of the American gun
1 'l's ltd cut off our reconnoitring
jart es mid Jackson was without know!
..1c .' the movement of the enemy
" "pi- landed below the city. But
' 1 vs had not been Idle, and he hnd I
, e . rv moment count In his prepa-
M' i.im his dllllcultiles were many and
'.I have daunted any one else less
-"ertre1 1 and resourceful. The national
Ho' eminent was unprepared to give
1 m tho help he needed, and of some
' ''e soldiers sent him Jnckson wrote
" S. reiary of War: "Hardly one
'' '' 1 he Kentucky troops, mi long
tu 1 ore armed, nnd the firms they
' barely lit for use."
'"hi ier was tin unusually sevei
i- Louisiana, being a n-asnn of
1 dally rainfall, add when the
1 -in nnd part of the Tennesseenn
' i' reached their destinntlnn they
" ' 1 : 0 tamp without tents or blank
i's wi I larking even strnw for bedding,
V s- 1 down on the open miry ground
- p with the temperature at times
v the freezing point. "This dostl
n iii 1! Miibsequeiit suffering at once
' - ! 1 be sympathies of the public.
I."g.slature of Loillslunn, In ses
f ' iii'niiiplly voted fi,0U0 for relief, to
. : ' ...
C iienuis citizens Billion Jiu.uuu.
I'lese funds materials were pur-
cUi.. .1 The noble women of New Or
lews, .tin, ..st without exception, devoted
ti'tns.Mve? day and tlght to making up
11
nils into suitable garments.
U s time the destitute soldiers
r Hum it ,) and made comfortable."
As . mined out, these backwoods
rr n here the brunt of tho British at-
k nnd by their marvellous marks
manship, crumpled up the British col-
One Hundred Years Ago Old Hickory With 4,000 Undis
ciplined Raw Troops Defeated Sir Edward Pakenham's
Trained Army of 1 5,000 in the Battle of New Orleans
umns as they swept on confidently to-
"am the American breastworks.
ccordlng to one historian. "New Or-j
leans nt that time contained 30.000 In
habitants. They were animated by the
best spirit, but the men capable of bear
ing arms. Including the reenforcements
of mllltla from Tennessee nnd Kentucky
a part of which arrived after the land
ing of the Itrltlsh did not exceed 4,000.
They were all, citllcers and men nllke. In
experienced In regular warfare.
"On the high road, nine miles off, with
no obstruction or defensible point be
mt-cii. nu.-- u irsmai uini). i uii-iBuiiK, nn hi. ii rvrmui ni.tun nnr """campaign. Had the HMtisli remaiiieu
with the i-enforcenients which came In trlhuled In the hour of final trial. It unmolested on the night of the landing
before the final action, of about 15,000 was this portion of the earthworks that they would have commenced their march
men veteran troops, commanded by ' the enemy sought to carry by sher the next day in good order, upon a hlgh
veternn olllcers amply provided. Hushed numbers, and Jackson had expected this roaij unprotected by the slightest defen
with Mctory nnd full of the confidence v"1 accordingly placed there the cream Mve wot k. nor would It have been possl
which Itself so often Insures success." ,,( riflemen. (or Gpn. jnrkson with the troops
Andrew Jackson'. Inspiring presence' The American defences were unfln- ' under his command to resist their
rendered that little corps of utidlscl-' Ished when news came at 1:30 ln the progress. The nttack of the 23d for the
plliied. raw. unprovided American mill- afternoon of December 23 that th time disabled them completely, com
tla an effective and Invincible body of British had landed four miles below pelled them to suspend their operations,
fighting men. It was not until Decern-' Jackson's lines, the Fnlted States forces and afforded leisure for the construction
ber 2 that Old Hickory reached New Or- themselves having their earthworks of lines ncross the levee which insured
leans, and this Is the picture of him ' five miles below New Orleans along the success in the final action."
handed down by n contemporary. At) old canal, which was utilized to fact- rive days later the Invaders, "repaired
that time Cien. Jackson was a llttl les tate the defence. Men. Jackson with . by repose and reenforcements that had
than IK years old: characteristic promptitude nnd energy ' since arrived," decided to nttnek the
"A tall, gaunt man, of very erect car- decided to attack the enemy that eve- Americans, but when a turn In the road
rlage. with a countenance full nt item nlnir. At the same time order werr i.,,.!. v,Am ,.-iOu i..iit .i
decision and fearless energy, but fur-
rowed with care and anxiety. His com-
plexlon wag mIIow and unhealthy: his
hair Has Iron gray, nnd his body th.n
and ema. lated like that nf one who had
Just recovered from a lingering ami
,,,. ftim0,t threadbare.
A '
,onf,,r ,,r,ected his head and'
. ..... t
, . ... i
."
i,, in innrnnt of nnl.
blacking which reached to the
,iee "
n.i.. ..,. i,i nieni nn
iiiuiifiii.iLi uimii 1110 ,.
I set about rearing defences with the
War as Seen
The-ce trncts from the letters
British Red Cross service contain
, A.. .
usual war correspondence. Some of
printed in THE SUNDAY SUN.
British army.
S1NCK I li
been tn
lise. A
INCH I Inst wrote you we have
transferred to n, northern
Ml of last week was spent
in travelling and loading and un
loading. I have had u long troop rain
journey and also a ride 011 one of the
huge French engines which haul these
tratns.
It wus a lino experience. The glimpses
of the French countryside were charm
ing. Indeed I don't think your Indian
summer could be more lieautlful than
some of the country has been here tins
nutumn. I have seen many of the old
.i iiisiiulo towns of northern Fiance
t . . . ..- t..l.,la nf Vnntes nnd
nnu also me i"'""" -
Itouen,
l.......,!!., f..lv ntl
our arrival neie we
tnt...i nn our hospital and this week
has been a very heavy one. for we or
1 nearer tne iroiii tiinn "'"
I We renllzo thai this win ixl.t l-r a
1 1 ...i lerrihle Mtrugcle. although 1
1 tout. ....
do not doubt as to wnat win ne me i--sult
In the end. Meanwhile the country
must make Immenso sacrifice, but we
aliall eventually return to a regenerated
Jackson declared martial law. proceeded o'clock, n voice from the schooner called j Hshed his headquarters and which he small uwns mowed down whole flies of front the British suffered their first re
1,. r..vie- and organize his troons. and out: "Hive them this for tho honor of ' was actually occupying nt the lieglnnlng the enemy nnd forced a retreat within pulse.
least possible delay. The defences con
sisted of earthworks supported by I
double rows of logs covering a distance ,
of a thou;and yaids inland from the I
river and terminating nt the inner edgt painful silence to the Iron hall among
of the levee In a forest flanked by nn j the boats and to the shrieks nnd groans
Imputable swamp. The levee was the of those that were wounded." At tile
only line of land approach for the llrlt- same time a detachment of Jackson's
lli; upon it ran the public highroad, soldiers added to the confusion among
nnd such was the narrow battlefield the llritlsh force",
available. Part of the ground to be 1 A, nos j,een said, "the attack pro-d-fended
by Jnckson's men was so miry ,iuced ln faCt tl the advantages that
that It could not support the weight of cou, po.s:by have Wen expected from
guns, and here It was that the Ten- n n,l m. .Ioum derided the fate of the
Issued that tho American schooner
arollne drop dow.n the river and nn-
chor abreast the foe.
She left the city nt 7 o'clock nnd
halted ln the dusk on the flank of the
Repulsing the
liritlsn position, wnicn Diazeo wmi camp
taking up what th'ey believed would he
n victorious march In tho morning. The
d.i.iv. i.nn.i v. rIMun. nn
iirill9h hailed the Caroline, but cot no
nanm aml , thn uncertain light for
'a time thought her one of their own
craft.
1 Becoming fearful, however, they fired
wnn tnnskelR At ber. and then. Hf S
" --
America," and a broadside of grape fol -
by a London Clerk Serving With the Red Cross
of a former London clerk now in the .
touches which are different from the
- Aift.r.t frnm th.
his observations have already been
Several of his brothers are in the
' Wlmereux, a few miles north of Bou
Kngland. The nntl -n and empire never, 0RnPi Hna Ut(1)1 u as 8 nos,lltttl f(ir t,P
showed su. h a unity of. purpose und wlnt,.r. iltitHl" sounds luxurious, but
spirit ns .11 this war. and yet wo never
went to war beroie so strictly ror prin
ciples and so little for any ultimate
gain. Were you over here no doubt you
would appreciate it better than h pos
sible at such a distance.
All my people are well. My brothers
get on very well In their regiments, al
though the i;lfe has been rough, Other
members of the family are ln the ser
vice, so you can see ,t lias ruther broken
up our home for tho present.
My cousin cleared out of Antwerp
before the bombardment, but of course
he has lost everything. A friend of
father's w-.is on the Hogue as chief
' surgeon when It was torpedoed
He
t i T Vu.s nYcketl r! , eventuaTly ilnaglne
tho reception he hsd n bis arrival
hi'liie'
Must cloac now and turn In f the
night. "Actlvo service" gives one but
very little time for writing letters, and
we are always dead tiled by the time w
lowed which threw the Invaders' camp
Into confusion. The best the foe could
do was to hide below the crest of the
levee while listening Impotetitly "in
of Jackson's batteries a fire was opened
upon the Brltlsa that threw them into
disorder and forced them to ret. re In
'haste nnd confusion. This resolution
or. the part of tho Americans decided
British invasion at the Battle of
Sir Kdward Pakenhnm to make the at
tempt to silence the defending bat
teries by means of n superior force j
of the same sort.
He set about erecting three batteries
for that purpose, one upon the high
road and two In front of Jackson's
lines at a'dlstnnce of about 600 yards,
With these thn British commander
1 opened fire on New Year's Dav.nnd the!
vigor of that assault was such that
, more than 100 balls and shell struck tho
house ln which (en. Jackson hnd estab-
.... -
1 of the artillery attack.
"i j have finished. At least I beileve the(f ttiom nre big sturdy follows Sikhs
strong nlr must maite me ttre.1, inr 1
"k the dena every night, we
sleep In big marquees with two rugs
1 over us, so you sea we mHliage to keep
warm these cold nights.
Our corps has taken n hotel nt
tho reality is anything but that. This;
Hotel is open only tnree iuoihiik hi ine
year. It stands nlone
on.iiislto lolh.itone.
lonely spot where the wind has blown
11 hurricane all the week und the seas
rush up fiercely t'. issault the wall In
front. Hut there's hope for tho besieged,
for every ten seconds Cape Qrlsnez light
flashes reassuringly In my window.
Wo men are quartered In a new build
ing about 200 yards away from the hotel
proper. This building hnd never been
used and there is lime and building ma
terial everywhere. Still we've cleaned
a room to-day In which I am writing
this to-u'ht on a newspaper in front of
1 " flickering candle with a thirsty foun-
tain pen. It Is a Saturday night and
I am very tired.
We are a cosmopolitan lot here Brit
ish, French, Belgian, Tndlans from all
parts and sometimes Turcos and Spahls.
The Indians are very interesting. Borne
Inferior as their own guns were In
some particulars, the Americans replied
with so much skill nnd effect that
In less than an hour the British Are
slackened and not Ions afterward was
complete) silenced. An KnKllsh olTlier
present at the time said: "We soon
found that It was ln vain to thlrk of
surpassing the Americans In this kind
of fighting-."
Sir I'M ward !"akenham was In a pre
dicament. Finally ho elected, us tho
only remaining course to pursue, to at
tempt to carry the American lines by
storm and superior numbers. Of the
details we are told by an orator of long
ago: "Ills plan -was to scud a detach
ment of 1,500 men across the river to
take possession of a battery which had
been erected by order of Clen. Jackson
and to turn It against the line, while nt
the same time the rest of the army were
to attack it In the front. In order to
carry Into effect the former part of the
plan It wus necessary' to bring the
barges Inlo the river, and for this pur
pose to cut n canal ncross the levee be
hlml'tbe British camp. This the llritlsh,
with Immense labor nnd indefatigable
perseverance, Anally accomplished on
the evening of4 the 6th of Jnnuary.
Meanwhile Gen. Lambert had arrived In
camp with another reenforcement of two
regiments, which Inspired all with fresb
confidence."
pn the Sth of January daylight broke
at 6 o'clock nnd then dimly tho Ameri
cans saw the oncoming British, about
12.000 strong, marching in three col
umns and covering nearly two-thirds of
the breadth of the levee between the
woods and the Mississippi Hlver. Jack
son had behind his earthworks less than
4.000 men to engage the foe, nnd many
of these lacked that training and expert-
New Orleans.
ence which promised to make the British
Veterans all tho more formidable, quite
apart from their numbers.
Despite tho battery tire of Jackson's
pun tho Itrltlsh columns preserved
pretty good order until they got within
pretty good order unttl they got within
reach of the frontiersmen's rifles. Then
the muskets of the Tennessecans and
reach of the frontiersmen's rifles. Then
the muskets of the TennessMOns and
the Kontucklnns snapped nngrlly. and
the Kontucklnns snapped nngrlly. and
most of the bullets found billets in the
bodies of the foe. The British were first
staggered and then thrown Into con-
fusion. The American artlllerv and
twenty-five mlnutet after opening the
, n,i hlllmen and then there are little,
lithe aurkhus with their deadly "kukris'
and such a medley of castes that one
often can't distinguish them nt all. nl -
though their caste 1s Indicated by the'
folds of their turbans.
I nm still on my orderly Job and go
Into Botitogne a lot nnd see many in
teresting scenes. One day last week
1 I wllnes-ed the funeral procession of
,H(, uni,,,,..
e on a headland I " "',, Kt.i, .i.i. a m eeumg . Miaven, but looking hard as nails and ,!., patriotic men never uttered a corn
It Is a bleak and for "tM ti scene. Through long solemn wonderfully lit, considering the mode of plaint or showed the least symptom
n'H of l''rHch soldlens mid marines
MI ClClllUK till lite nny null! llie million
to the quay tUe coffin passed, borne on
the shouldeis of a lew British soldiers.
It was covered by a big I'nlon Jack
with the old General's cap lying upon
It Behind followed at slow march tho
British troops with reversed arms, 10
the music of the French "Last Post.
Then came the staffs of the British
French ond Indian armies, iollowed by
' - '
1 r,l,-"
rmmein ..e.tiii.K ni.Ke uimii,. t.tuii wii
'. The coffin was lowered Into the wait-
' lnr boat, which soon steamed away and
we saw the last of Lord Roberts, He
was a grand typo of man. He warned
us or the war that has como upon us'h the same as any other day,
ten years ago, and in many quartern he Hut my two bits of candle ure f putter
was ridiculed, Now that the war has ling out, 10 I stop,
General Andrew Jackson, whose' army of 4,000 raw troops -rcptilttd
the last hostile invasion of the United States in 1815.
luttle. But two othrr failures had
already firrcdoomed the British nttack.
Sir Kdward I'akenham hd ordered
the Forty-fourth Keglment to be pro-
. vlded with fascines to All the dttuh In
front of the American works und with
ladders to mount the parapet. When
these troops reached tho tiring line It
wuh discovered that thev had fulled to
I brine along theso necesnarv facilities.
and Sir Kdward Indignantly ordered
them back for them. Before the fascines
and ladders could be, brouit tn the
- r.
This was not all.
The l.f.00 men that
co ne it is to mi honor that he never
said: "I told you so."
I never felt so proud of my own na
tlonallty as I havo since I have been In
l ITance. Our men, whatever their faults.
huve behaved like heroes, und I believe
the Influence of the British on the
morale or the Trench army may nome
nay lie told, ror iT.mre. owes a good (jen. Adair, for days endured the dan
deal to the Hellish troops here Kerjl ,lf ia,tM ami privations of camp
To-day 1 saw .1 number of men from ,,m campaign. They gave an example
the front Who have live days leave. ...f Die rarest mllltnrv vlrttlew. Thourii
Many of them were ragged nnd tin -
their living since August 1. I haw
learned to admire very much the disci
pllne, manliness und vigor of tlieee fel
lows. It Is real grit that's thn best
word for It. They will get a rousing for Its extent was more complete In
reception nt home, for they are splendid all Its parts, and morn brilliant ln Its
fellows. results than that conducted by Andrew
A moonlight night from this coast is.iacksun In lRU-lSlf. In the defence nf
a sight voll wouldn't fortret. nnd vet T v- n..!na" Tvwta rt Itfnnlu.ilv
,0 envy you away In a land of peace,
Vet this Is an hour of trial for Britain.
nd Hs an Kngllshman I would not be
away from here. I am always clad for
letters. They aro something tn think
I about on lonely days here when things
nr trying. Tou see one week runs into
, nnother with no break, where Sunday
J had been detailed to capture tlie tone
battery off on one of th Aner&xin
flanks -were away below that poadCon
and substantially mired -when the aignal
1 for the general advance was Rlren.
I ThcMt troops reached their objectlvo too
,muoh weakened to answer tho purpneo
und were quickly driven off by Jack
son'.s troops.
The enemy reformed for ft second as
sault and Zacharia Smith given thto
I grtphlc account of what then happened:
"Th defeated column -was rallied by
heroic efforts of th officers, reenforced
with fresh troops nnd led to a second
attempt at awnult. but the carnage and
destruction w as great ns ln tho flrt
attempt, while almost no impression
was made upon the defensive line of tho
American. Hut the Knglfcsh again were
compelled to retntifin disorder, leaving
great numbers f dead or wounded on
the ground or prisoners to the Ameri
cans. 1 "Hope of Uctnry had now become a
I for rn one to the British. They were
1 broi.en in numbers, broken ln order nd
, discipline and In prestige, yet the bravrt
officers, led by their commander in chief,
determined not to give up the contest
without a last desperate effort. In vain
did 'hev call upon the men to rally
and form again for another advance,
sinking some with the flat of their
swords and appealing to them by every
ini'enve
"Thev would not move from their
shelter In the ditch The ground over
wh.rh they had twice advanced and re
treated wis .strewn Thickly with their
dead nnd wounded, nnd such slaughter
wis enough to appal the bravest of
ni.int.tr.il" In this fashion the effort
. urn Jnk-on'.s rght flank was frus
trat d
N. ir v une hundred of the enemy
rra ed Ti e ditch In frajit of the Ameri
can breastwork, but half were killed
mil ttio others captured." ThU, in
effe t. was virtually tho story at every
pom' of attack. While some of the
Brit sh even pained the crest of the
parapet their advantage was but mo
mentary, for they were soon cut down,
iaptjre-t or driven back ln grent dis
order Sir Kdwnrd Pakenham lost his
Ufa leading tho Forty-fourth Regiment,
wtiith had re-timed to the fray wlth
cui as tulniiel. nnd his second in com
mand w s nlfo mortally wounded 11
slum w Inle afterward. Indeed, ro many
of the officers had fallen that the Brlt
isii di niiers failed of leaders, nnd wer
utterly d sm.ived and Incapable of con-
tinning the action.
. At hn f p;int 8, two hour and a
half from 'he beginning of tile battle,
the conflict was over nnd the victory
of the Americans amazingly decisive.
1 fier. Jackson lost but silx killed and
seven wounded, while the toll exacted
' of tho enemy amounted to 700 killed
nnd 1 100 wounded not counting 501
prisoners taken. A nrltlsh officer who
rod'- over the field tinder the temporary
, truce that followed said: "Within a
lepaco of 300 yards wide and e.xtendlrx
out 200 yards from the American
breastworks -on area of about ten
j acres -I saw before me In this email
1 compass not less than 1,000 men dead
! or disabled, all ln tho llritlsh uniform.
There iw not one American aoldler
, among them.'
This climax would not have been pos
sible but for the confidence inspired
by Andrew Jackson and the wonderful
response, mndn by the men under him.
In these days when we read so much
about the Imttle trenches In Kurope It
is interesting to recall what happened
in Louisiana when our little army halted
(ireat Britain's scheme of conquest.
''In fhe woods the ifround was so law
1 that the troops were literally encamped
In the water, walking often in mire a
foot Id depth, their few tents being
pitched on niiall mounds surrounded
by water or mud. Amid these discom
forts, in this ague breedlns miasm, the
iVnnesseeans, under Oens, coffee and
' Carroll, und tho Keutueklans, under
1 .uistiiiitiv living and sleeping In mire.
of Impatience."
Truly, the historian of 1856 may he
pardoned In saying, ''There Is no cam-
' iviltrn in modern mllltarv hlstorv which
,'i.ivs Jacksoti reared his earthworks
u. ro.s tho enemy's line of advance,
whipped his 111 armed and badly
coutred llttlo army Into shape ma r
his indomitable wll' guided his men ao
that they might deal a crushing- blow
to n redoiibtttblo and superior force of
seasoned soldiers, and this with, a tri
lling loss,
Piich, In ehoTt, H the story of the
last hostile effort to Invade our aoft
1 1 l!
! J
if
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