Show o r and e i sr tt i k Ik w. w A r t p I dc F v ac r Andrev r ac o i C By ELM ELMO SCOTT WATSON 8 Is a date data Imperishably preserved preserved pre pre- served in the annals of America ill lii A III association with the name of Andrew Jackson For It was on January 8 1815 that he won his amazing vIct victory rr 4 over oyer the British at the tho Battle of New Orleans Few if an any victories In history were more complete more unexpected by the defeated or or more contrary to military experience In the first place the victors were outnumbered outnumbered nearl nearly two to one by the tle vanquished But what was more important was the tho fact that In contrast contrast to Jacksons Jackson's nondescript army of a 8 afew afew f few w regulars and a majority of ot undisciplined militia and volunteers the British army was composed of trained and toughened troops the divisions which had scattered the Americans at Bladensburg with a vol volley ey and anda a shout kilted I Highlanders famous regiments which had earned the praise of ot Wellington the tho Iron Duke in the Spanish Peninsula and brawny negro detachments detachments detachments detach detach- ments recruited In the West Indies It was such an an army as would have been considered fit to withstand the finest troops In Europe In command command command com com- mand was one of ot England's most brilliant soldiers soldiers soldiers sol sol- diers Gen Geo Sir Edward Po Pakenham of ot wh whom m Wellington had said My partiality for tor him does not lead lend me astra astray when I L tell you that he Is Isone Isone isone one of ot the best we have haYe He was the idol of ot othis his officers who agreed that they had never served under a man whoso whose good opinion the they were so desirous of having and to fall faU In his estimation would have been worse than death So by all an the accepted 1 rules of warfare as It was waged In those times it was the British who should have haye won at New Orleans Instead of the Americans The only trouble with that theory is s that the Americans were yere led by a great g general with the rare attribute of reading correctly the mind of ot an opponent and divining his course of ot action endowed with an unyielding ing temper and an iron hand a relentless purpose purpose purpose pur pur- pose and the fa faculty cult of Inspiring troops to toll follow ow obey and trust him In the last extremity He was one of ot them typifying their passions ant and prejudices their faults and their virtues sharing their hardships hardships' as If he were a common private never grudging them the credit In suc suc- cess Note The foregoing quotations are from Ralph D D. Paines Paine's The Fight Fight- for tor a Free Fee Sea Sen in the Yale Tale University Press Chronicles of America So when Old Hickory Jackson told his Kentucky and Tennessee riflemen his Louisiana Louisiana Louisi LouisI- I ana volunteers his Yankee sailors his Bara tarla pirates IE led by Jean Lafitte and all aU the theother theother theother other heterogeneous elements In his army that they could lick their weight In wildcats it never occurred to them but that they could also lick their weight in British regulars as well So that did It I As for a description of ot the battle Itself what could be better than one given by the victorious general general general- on that famous field So here Is the tho story of ot the Battle of New Orleans as Jackson himself reported it to James Monroe onroe then secretary secretary secretary secre secre- tary of war The battle commenced at a 0 very little before 7 a. a m. m mf January 8 1815 and as far as the Infantry Infantry infantry In In- fantry was concerned It was over by 9 a a. a m. m My force was very much mL mixed ed I had portions of the Seventh and fourth Forty-fourth regular Infantry regiments Kentucky and Tennessee riflemen Creoles United States marines and sailors Bara- Bara men men one otoe of them Capt Dominique You commanded part of my artillery and a famous gunner he was and two battalions of ot free negroes I had I In iii the action about men The British strength was almost the same as mine but vastly superior In drill and discipline Of Ot their force my riflemen killed and wounded 2117 in less than an hour hoar Including two general general general gen gen- eral officers both died on the field each a division commander se seven en full colonels with 75 line and arid staff officers I lost six killed and seven wounded I As to tactics there were very little In use on I either side We had some works of ot earth fronting the river but the Kentucky and Tennessee riflemen riflemen riflemen rifle rifle- men who sustained the main attack had protected protected pro pro- ted d themselves by a work about two and a half feet high made of ot logs placed two feet apart and the space between filled In with earth This work began at t the e Mississippi l river and arid ended in the swamp being at a right angle with the river Thinking this the weakest portion 0 of our line and seeing men behind the trifling trIlling defenses General Pakenham thought It the tho best thing to his attack b by carr carrying Ing this part of my lino with the tho ba bayonet onet There was a u very hea heavy fo fog on the river that morning and the British had formed and were moving moUng before I knew It The rhe disposition of the I riflemen was fiB fiBer er very simple They hey were yere ld off r f fh f I I Si tr f fill i ir r Yi t- t ft V J a J i r i. i J e-J n 4 1 u i r t battle of New Wew Orleans 11 M. M J Gen Sir SirE E. E in numbers one and two Number one was to fire first then step back and let number two fire while he reloaded About yards from the riflemen there was a great drainage canal running back from the Mississippi 1 river to the swamp in the rear of ot the tilled land on which we w were re operating Along this canal the British formed formed under the fire of the few artillery pieces I had near enough to them to get their range But the instant I saw them I said to Coffee whom I directed to hurry to his line which was to be first attacked By we have got gotthem gotthem gotthem them they are ours I Coffee Corree dashed forward and riding along his line Une called out Dont shoot shoat until you youcan can see their belt buckles The British were were formed In mass w well n closed up and about two companies front The British thus formed moved on at a quick quickstep quickstep step without firing a shot to within yards of the kneeling riflemen who were holding their fire Ore till they could see the belt bu buckles kles of ot their enemies The British advance was executed as though they had been on parade TI They ey marched shoulder to shoulder with the step of ot veterans as they were At yards distance from our line the order was given Extend column front Double quick mar march marchi hJ Charge With bayonets at nt the charge they came came on us at a run I own it was an anxious moment I well wen knew lenew the tho charging column was made up of ot the picked troops of the British army Seventy sixty fifty finally fort forty yards were they from the silent kneeling riflemen All of my men I could see was their long rifles rested on the logs before them They obeyed their orders well wen not a n ashot ashot shot was fired until the redcoats were within forty yards I I heard Coffees Coffee's voice olce as ns he roared out Now men aim for tor the center of the cross belts FIre A second after the order a crackling blazing flash rang all rin along our line The smoke hung so heavily in the misty morning air that I could not see what happened I called caned Tom Overton and Abner Duncan of my staff start and we galloped toward Coffees Coffee's line The British were falling back In a confused disorderly mass and th the entire first ranks of ot their column were blown away For yards In our front the ground w was s covered ered with a amass amass amass mass of writhing wounded dead and dying redcoats The second advance was precisely like the first In its ending In five vol volleys ys the tho 1 1500 OO or more riflemen killed and wounded 2117 British soldiers two-thirds two of them killed dead or mortally wounded I did not know where General Pakenham was lying or I should have sent Bent to him or gone in person to offer any service In my power to render I was told he lived two hours after he was hit General Keene I hear was killed dead They hey sent a flag to me asking leave to gather up their wounded and bury their dead which of course I granted I was told by a wounded oi officer om l- l that the rank and file absolutely refused tomake tomake to make mak a third charge We have no chance with such sh shooting as ns these Americans do they ther said One of ot the factors factors' which makes the Battle ot of New Orleans unique is th the tact fact that It was fought after the treaty of ot peace had been per signed signed per perhaps haps imps the only time in history when two belligerents belligerents bel bel- fought a 0 major military engagement when officially they were at pence peace That fact is known to most Americans but many probably say of ot the Battle of ot New Orleans Oh yes It was a picturesque affair and an astonishing victory vic vic- victory tory but since it was won after the war was over It was really not very Important Therein they are wrong Quite aside tr from m the fact that It had something to do with sending Andrew Jackson to the tho White Hou House e 14 years later Its results and its effects on the later history history his hIs- tor tory of this country were far Jackson himself at the time of f his 1115 victory could not pos- pos Ibl have haye realized what those results were to be any more than he could have known that he was fig a battle with the British when we c were at nt peace with them But later he realized the full foil of f his I victory for as his own words show Those words were spoken while he was President dent Arkansas the second of ot the 13 states to tobe tobe tobe be made In whole or In part from the Louisiana Purchase had Just been admitted to the Union One day in 1830 one of the callers at the White WhiteHouse WhiteHouse House was William Allen Anen a congressman from Ohio Jackson and Allen were discussing the admission of Arkansas Their conversation Is la reported in Allens Allen's writings as follows Do liDo you know Mr Allen AIlen that this new state which has Just become a part of our vast Republic lie lic is one of ot the first substantially large fruits of ot my victory at New Orleans asked the dent Allen Anen was surprised and said so so remarking that the Treaty of Ghent was signed 15 days before before before be be- fore the tho battle was fought and adding General I am familiar with that treaty and It provided for the restoration of all nU territory places and possessions taken by either nation during the war with certain unimportant ex ex- Technically you are arc quite correct correct replied General Jackson and his smile was more triumphant triumphant triumphant and proud than before But my dear Allen ABen said the old hero those very words would have been used to defeat the purpose of the American commissioners at Ghent because the Battle of New Orleans was fought after the war 15 days after the war technically ceased by treaty If General Pakenham with his veterans could have haye annihilated my little army and captured New Orleans and all aU the contiguous ous territory technically after the war Great Grent Britain would have haYo held that territory abrogated that treaty and utterly Ignored Thomas Jefferson's Jeffersons Jeffersons Jefferson's Jeffersons Jefferson's Jeffer Jeffer- sons son's great deal In real estate with Napoleon Moreover he continued Gr Great Bt Britain had other cards up her sleeve Here are the transcripts from the Department of ot State concerning the famous treaty of Ghent Here are the minutes of the conference which were kept by Mr Gallatin who records The British commissioners rs emphatically declared de de- Glared We do not admit Bonaparte's construction construction construction tion of ot the laws of the nations We cannot accept accept accept ac ac- ac- ac It In relation to any matter before us At that moment not one of our American commissioners commissioners com com- missioners comprehended the awfully deep significance significance sig sig- sig of those few words But every one of ot the commissioners of ot Great reat Britain knew that General Pakenham was on the way to New Orleans Orleans Orleans Or Or- leans with upward of ot veteran soldiers In their jud Judgment judgment and and ment-and and It was a wise Judgment too British soldiers should hould and would clean cleanup up and wipe out an nn army which America could muster for the Pakenham Invasion was to be a triumphant military coup and surprise Now I can tell teU you Mr Allen that I did not know and my boys bos behind those bales did not know what a prize the British were after atter nor what a service we w were re rendering our country We were simply tn typical American soldiers fighting fight fight- lag ing ng for tor our country as American soldiers solders always do read ready and willing to dare do and die dip But since I have been President I have haye ascertained ascer ascer- from diplomatic sources of ot unquestionable authority that the British ministry did not Intend to permit the tho treaty of Ghent to apply to the Louisiana Louisana Purchase at all aU The whole body Lord Liverpool the DuI Duke e of ot Portland Greenville Green Percival and Castlereagh all nU of or them utterly and emphatically denied the tile rl right ht of ot Napoleon to sell seU Louisiana Therefore their commissioners commission commission- ers declared We cannot accept Napoleons Napoleon's Interpretations interpretations In in- of ot international law In relation to any matter before us Now you see Mr rr Allen Anen said the proud old hero the British ministry In London held most vehemently that this country had no right to that Immense territory territory territory-no no right at all aU They intended Intended intended in In- tended to hold that It was entirely y extraneous to the terms of the treaty of Ghent And nd if It ItGen General General Gen Gen- eral oral Pakenham had been successful at New Orleans Or Or- leans leans leans-as as under all nU of ot the ordinary rules of war war he ought to have haYe been with his tremendously overwhelming force of ot veterans if veterans If he had defeated defeated defeated de de- deI I my little thin line of ot riflemen If he hc had killed or captured me If he had won that battle as Great Britain had ever eyer reason to expect of ot him he would have held his ground Moreover he would have fortified his hs p positions and Great Britain would have sent other veterans enough to forever hold that great prize the Louisiana Purchase But my dear sir British diplomacy and BritIsh British British Brit Brit- ish military power combined knew nothing of ot my Tennessee and Kentucky riflemen The TIle will of ot the enemy was wa strong and intelligent but the will of ot God was far above It all Pro rI Providence willed that this nation should live grow ow and bethe bo be bothe bothe the cradle of ot the liberty of the world Then General Jacl Jackson son quoted a well known hymn hymn- God moves moyes In a mysterious wa way his wonders to perform and concluded his narration The astute diplomats the tho trained commissioners commis commIs- of ot Great Britain cheerfully found it easy to throw sand Into the eyes of ot our honest commissioners commissioners com com- commissioners missioners at nt Ghent but Allen they could not ward off ort the cold lead which my ray rough and ready read riflemen sprinkled into the faces of their red red red- coated veterans at New Orleans All AU of ot the tangled tangled tan tan- web that British diplomacy and English cunning cunning cun cun- ning could weave about our Ine |