gotten the difference of language and the prejudices of national pride and united with a cordiality that does honor to your understanding as well as to your patriotism."

To the defense of that portion of the city approachable by the innumerable bayous and passes in the vicinity of Lake Borgne, a force of volunteers was assigned under command of General Villere, who was fully acquainted with the territory between the lake and the Mississippi river. General Jackson had especially ordered that navigation of the Bayou Bienville be prevented, but these orders Villere had not observed, a fact of which the English commander took immediate notice and advantage. Villere had placed a picket guard at the mouth of the bayou, near his own plantation, but this was not sufficient, and on December 23d, the enemy surprised and captured this guard and a company of troops on Villere's plantation. Troops to the number of three thousand were then taken up the bayou and encamped on a neighboring plantation. Notice of this movement was quickly brought to General Jackson, who decided upon an immediate attack. General Carroll, commanding the militia from Tennessee had made an unprecedented march to the scene. of action and was ready for any orders that might take him and his gallant volunteers into action. General Carroll had his command of mounted men also in readiness for active service. Coffee and Carroll were encamped near each other, four miles above New Orleans, and the general commanding notified them to be in readiness for a general attack, either offensive or defensive. An attack was expected by the way of Chef Menteure and Carroll's forces were so distributed as to properly meet it. General Jackson had an inferior force, but this did not deter him. He was not only ready for action but anxious for an opportunity to meet the enemy. On the 23d of December, the commander-in-chief approached the encampment of the British com

mand under cover of darkness. General Coffee was ordered to attack the British right, while General Jackson led the other forces and attacked them upon the left, while, at the same time, Commodore Patterson, commanding the schooner "Caroline," was to fire upon the English camp. At half past eight Commodore Patterson opened fire upon the enemy's camp, Coffee's forces rushed forward with impetuous attack, entering the enemy's camp, while General Jackson, with equal ardor, attacked their left, being supported by the fire of the "Caroline" and two field pieces. The contest was a warm one for a time, but a fog arising caused trouble among the American troops and a cessation in the battle.

General Jackson maintained his position until four o'clock on the next morning, when he withdrew his forces without the enemy's having ascertained his numerical weakness. Retreating to a point up the river where he could defy the enemy with even fewer troops than he had under his command, General Jackson calmly awaited attack confident in his capacity to defeat his enemy when a general engagement came, notwithstanding the superior force of that enemy. The British General Keane, commanding some of the men who had followed the Duke of Wellington in his successful campaigns, was disdainful of the volunteers who confronted him and imagined an easy victory as within his reach. But he had met with an unexpected reception on his first attack, which taught him a new lesson in warfare. Braddock, years before, had underestimated the military character of the American and sneeringly refusing to accept the counsel of the young American soldier, George Washington, had rashly gone to defeat, and to death. General Keane, perhaps, remembering the lesson of Braddock's defeat and Burgoyne and Cornwallis' surrenders, put a higher estimate upon the military genius of American soldiers, determined to hold his present position, if possible, until the arrival

of General Packenham and his forces, avoiding, in the meantime, further contest with the forces under the command of General Jackson. He had lost four hundred killed, two hundred and thirty wounded and seventy prisoners captured by the American forces. The loss of the forces under General Jackson were twenty-four killed, one hundred and fifteen wounded and seventy-four missing, supposed to have been captured. The large number of the British forces reported killed, as compared with those wounded, shows the superior marksmanship of the frontiersman to that of the ordinary soldier. These men had carried a rifle from their earliest boyhood; they had used it against the savage and the wild beasts of the forest and had learned what it meant to make every shot count. Not only in this minor contest, but in that which was to come soon after, did this early attained facility with the weapons of warfare, stand them in good stead and teach such a lesson to England as has made that country ever since hesitate to come in contact with the American volunteer, the finest soldier who ever marched to battle.

General Jackson was not yet ready for battle, preferring to await the arrival of the reinforcements which he knew were en route from Kentucky. But he lost nothing by this delay. Intrenchments were thrown up wherever the engineering force found them necessary; artillery was placed in the most advantageous positions, cotton bales, being used to strengthen the works. Fronting these works were wide ditches filled with water to retard the advance of the enemy. These ditches, it was afterwards developed, were unnecessary as the English forces never reached the immediate intrenchments of the American lines.

The two American vessels, the "Louisiana" and the "Carolina," on December 26, dropping down the river, shelled the English lines. and drove the enemy into the swamp. On the 27th, the enemy sent a fire of red-hot shot into these two vessels, the "Louisiana" escap

ing injury by its distance from the assailants. The schooner "Carolina" being becalmed within range of the enemy's guns, was less fortunate, and soon after being abandoned by her commander, was blown up and destroyed.

General Packenham, soon after his arrival, with large reinforcements, made an attack upon the defensive works of General Jackson on December 28, advancing his entire force and opening a cannonade with his entire artillery. The air was filled with every character of shot and shell known to the artillery service of that day. But artillery attacks are but sound and fury signifying little. Few men are ever killed by artillery fire. A tremendous noise is made; the earth trembles under the impact of the heavy gun fire and when all is over, it is usually found that a certain number of men have been frightened by the uproar and that but few have been killed or injured compared to the noise that has been made.

In this instance, that was the real result. The militia, whom it was expected to throw into a panic with the cannonade, had speedily gauged the danger and found that, in no sense, did it compare with the noise made. They, therefore, declined to be stampeded by the uproar, but held their ground like veterans, while our own artillery took the measure of the English and kept them at a respectful distance. In this encounter, the enemy lost one hundred and twenty killed, while the American loss was seven killed and eight wounded. For several days after this the English nursed their wounds in comparative quiet, nothing more serious than picket skirmishing occurring, the "Louisiana" occasionally making herself disagreeable by dropping shells into the English camp.

Admiral Cochran, of the English naval force, had boastfully sent word into the American camp that he proposed to eat his Christmas dinner in New Orleans, while General Packenham, more disposed to delay, having met the volunteers unsuccessfully, named

January 1st as the day when he would dine in the Crescent City. But man proposed and God and General Jackson disposed in each of these cases. Admiral Cochran missed his Christmas dinner and General Packenham went where New Year's dinners are probably unknown.

January 1, 1815, was Sunday, a day on which many great battles have been fought, not only on this continent, but in other parts of the world. Under cover of a heavy fog, the enemy advanced to a point six hundred yards from General Jackson's works, and erected three batteries mounting fifteen guns ranging from six to thirty-two pounders. The opposing forces were now closer to each other than they had before been. When the fog had lifted, they began a heavy fire upon the American works, attempting, at the same time, an assault in column with their infantry. These latter were speedily driven back, but the cannonade was continued throughout the day until late in the day, when the well-directed fire of the American artillery had silenced most of their guns, and, under cover of the night, they withdrew. The American loss

in this artillery duel was eleven killed and twenty-three wounded; that of the enemy must have been much greater since they abandoned their position.

General Jackson now turned his attention to fortifying the right bank of the Mississippi, the enemy, at the same time, also turning their attention in that direction. Commodore Patterson landed on that bank some of the heavy guns of the "Louisiana," as a support for the land batteries on the left bank. Should the enemy attempt to force his way up the river, these guns would take him in flank and in those days of wooden ships, would probably have burned or sunk more than one of his vessels, as he was prepared to fire hot shot into them from furnaces erected near his guns. These hot shot would also have burned the buildings on the left side of the river in which the enemy had taken refuge. Gen. D. B. Morgan, commanding the New Orleans and Louisiana volunteers, was placed near this battery as a support and to drive back any attack the enemy might make at that point. He at once began to throw up entrenchments and mounted three twelve-pounders.

January 4, 1815, the expected reinforcements from Kentucky began to arrive. The first of these, under command of General Thomas, were almost destitute of arms. They had brought but few weapons from their homes, expecting to be supplied with the necessary arms on joining the army in the field. In this they were disappointed, as the arms ordered by boat from Pittsburg had failed to arrive.

The Kentuckians were ordered into camp, one mile above the lines, to await the arrival of the expected arms or their procurement elsewhere. New Orleans was ransacked for proper arms for these new forces. By the 7th of January, from various sources, arms were secured to equip the regiment of Colonel Slaughter and a battalion under Major Harri

son.

These forces were then marched, one thousand strong, to the front under command of General Adair, an experienced Indian fighter, and were placed in support of General Carroll's Tennessee troops.

The enemy, in the meantime, were endeavoring by means of a canal connecting the Mississippi river with Bayou Bienville, to draw their boats into a position which would enable them to attack Commodore Patterson and General Morgan. On discovering the aims of the enemy, Patterson at once communicated them to General Jackson, with a request for reinforcements. General Jackson thereupon ordered four hundred unarmed Kentucky vol

unteers to proceed to the city where, it was expected, they would be supplied with arms. and ammunition, after which they were to march down the right bank of the river and join General Morgan. These men marched at night and on arriving in the city it was found that arms could be had but for two hundred, and these arms were indifferent and not such as properly equipped soldiers should carry into battle. But such as they were, the Kentuckians accepted them and two hundred of their number marched to join Morgan's command, the remaining two hundred returning to the camp whence they had come.

On the morning of January 8th, at about one o'clock, Commodore Patterson, observing unusual activity in the camp of the enemy, promptly notified General Jackson of the fact. Every one believed that the great struggle was about to begin. The first two attacks by the enemy having been repulsed, it was not doubted that he was about to make his third and greatest effort. The army, however, was in the main, ready for him. The Kentucky troops, it is true, were but poorly armed, the guns that had been given them being of a character to which they were unaccustomed, but like their comrades, they were ready and willing for the fight. They were held in the post of honor, always given to troops upon whom dependence can be placed-in support of the advance columns of General Carroll. Upon supporting forces depends the safety of an

army should the advance lines be driven back, and it was this honorable position which was held by the Kentucky volunteers.

The advance of the enemy was begun on the morning of January 8th, soon after dawn, in two strong columns, their left being under the command of General Keane, their right under that of General Gibbs; a third, or reserve column, holding the post of honor under General Lambert. At the moment when rocket gave the signal for their advance, a heavy artillery fire was begun upon the American lines, at the short distance of five hundred yards.

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The American lines received the attack with commendable courage while the artillery, admirably managed, tore the advancing English columns inflicting great damage. But it was the small arms of the Americans, which inflicted the greatest injury upon the English. The infantry withheld their attack until the enemy were at close range and then poured into them a steady, remorseless fire under which they, for a time, continued to advance with intrepid bravery, but human nature has its limitations and finally the advancing columns broke. Their officers, gallant men that they were, rallied them, throwing them once more against the American defenses, but in vain. The Americans were not to be denied; they had come to the front to meet the flower of the British army, and having met it, were determined not to yield to it but to hold their ground until that army was defeated and driven from American soil. Again and again the brave Englishmen advanced to the attack. In the center, the Kentuckians had come up to join the Tennesseans, and the brave volunteers from the sister states, six deep in line, met the fiercest of the English charges and drove them back time and again.

Twice driven back, the English forces formed for a third charge upon the American lines. It seemed that their officers had determined either to win all or lose all at this bat

tle. On they came, a third time, gallantly, it must be said to their credit, only to be again. driven back with heavy loss. They could not rally again and as their torn columns retreated to their encampment, the American artillery poured a withering fire into them still further shattering them.

The battle was ended and victory rested with the American arms. The English commander-in-chief, General Packenham, lay dead upon the field; Gen. Keane and Gen. Gibbs were each wounded, the latter dying a few days later. Within one short hour General Jackson had won the greatest battle of his career against the flower of the British army, and written a new page in the history of the young Republic. From that day to this, January 8th has been known as "Jackson's Day," and each anniversary of the Battle of New Orleans, has, in some manner, been celebrated. In Kentucky, for many years, the day was recognized by the firing of cannon from Arsenal Hill, at Frankfort, but this practice has fallen into disuse of late, the legislature, which formerly authorized the annual salute, having found its time so occupied in seeking political advantages over its adversaries as to forget that in the earlier days of the republic sterner battles than those of politics were fought and won by the citizen soldiery of the country.

Returning, however, to the battle field at New Orleans, it is not pleasant to record that while the troops on the left side of the river were winning a great victory, those on the right side were sustaining a reverse. Commodore Patterson's battery had done some good work during the battle, but later, was to fail in an emergency owing to delay in bringing it to bear upon a British force which had been thrown across the river, under command of Colonel Thornton. The latter advanced upon and drove back a force of Americans commanded by Major Arno, who had been ordered to oppose the landing of the British