Show 4 F FORGOTTEN tr HEROES BY ammo scott watson 1111 l r ile saved new now orleans A aak hl the average american no sa baud ed new orleans in the nr or of 1812 and ho he will probably an ewer why andrew jackson of course that answer anster ta Is correct but it would be equally correct to eay say capt samuel chester held iteld and what is 13 more surprising Is the fact that held iteld saved blat historic city by fighting a bottlo on oa the sea sm several thousand miles away during the war of 1812 held field was commander of an american privateer the general armstrong on the night of september 26 1814 his ship lay at anchor in the harbor 0 of f leorta in the island of doyall in the azores despite the fact that lloita was a neutral port a large british squadron commanded by commodore lloyd came to attack the little american ship it was a bright moonlight night when lloyd sent bis his arst attacking party patty of more than men trien in to fou four large launches into the harbor the enemy opened fire aa as they approached pro ached and hold reid immediately replied driving off tho the hunches with heavy loss another attack was made at midnight alth ft ath 14 launches and COO men who succeeded in boarding the general armstrong but were brhen out at daybreak another attack was ans made by the british brig the carnation but she was beaten off oft realizing that he could not resist another attack and finding ending his ship badly damaged held reid scuttled his v vessel e s and safely y conveyed y ed all b his sensa inde fafel ios alash ils i men n e 0 ashore he e had lost t bl bis ship but he won a victory that was more important than he zed the british lost over killed and wounded while the americans lost but two killed and wounded but the important act fact was this this squadron was part of the e expedition then gathering at jamaica for the purpose of seizing new orleans and they bad had attacked he the general armstrong to capture her and use her as an auxiliary vessel but the british squadron was so crippled that it did not reach jamaica until ten days later than the expedition had expected to leave there the expedition waited for commodor lloyd and that delay was fatal to its expected results for by the time it arrived in louisiana general jackson had completed his defenses for that city and the world knows the result of the battle which he fought there on january 8 1815 forgotten by own choice on the morning of december S 4 1000 in the sleepy little town of vigan in the philippines the town Is held by 84 men of company B of the thirty third united states volunteer infantry operating against the insurgent general tino tilo alo it lj ii a supply depot where are stored CO 60 rations tor for the campaign and a hospital in 10 which lie some sick and dis abbed soldiers tino has a force of SW men he ile will steal into the town under the cover of dark darkness iless then when reveille sounds and the american soldiers turn out without arms to an awer roll call they will be met with a leaden hall from the Insurrect os rifles but the plan quite work outpost iso 5 of company B discovers the stealing into tonn toun and opens fire immediately the fight Is on capt charles van way rushes forth and takes corn com mand at one place he stations private joe epps and private smith ills orders are dont let them get across here hold them d n it it if they ever set get in they ve got us cut off privates eppa epps and smith I 1 held them the Insurrect os were repulsed but snipers lingered and from time to time poured in a galling fire upon the americans one group behind a churchyard aall all was especially annoying to private epps finally he be went to captain van way and said 11 1 I want to go and get those fellows behind that wall wail all right replied the captain take the men you need and get them out As it turned out all the force private epps wanted was one man private IV 0 trafton oo a big texan creeping along cautiously they located their quarry before the enemy knew what bad had bap bened epps was on top of the wall and shouting down at them in span ish and english both to throw down their rifles and get their hands dp up the air to private trafton he shouted orders as though that andt vidual was f r whole company and the texan let loose a typical texas whoop the oa os dropped their guns and hoisted their hands there were 40 prisoners takei more than halt half of them by one man epps epp was voted the congressional medal of honor tor for his feat but ft ben he be got back to this country be deliberately dropped out of eight finally 24 years later be he was dis covered in Blusk egee okia okla and there at a great gathering in the ball park the medal was pinned on oil his coat |