the minutes and the hours passed, and yet that | at their head, who encouraged them by stirring signal-gun remained silent.

words and bold deeds for a few minutes, when Day dawned and the mist began to disperse, his bridle-arm was made powerless by a bullet, and as the dull red line of the British host was and his horse was shot under him. He at once dimly seen in the early morning light through mounted the black Creole pony of his favorite the veil of moisture, Lieutenant Spotts, of bat-aid, the now venerable Sir Duncan Macdougall tery No. 7, opened one of his heavy guns upon of London. Other officers fell until there were it. It was the signal for battle. As the fog not enough to command, and the column began rolled away the British line was seen stretching to break up into detachments, a greater part of two-thirds across the plain of Chalmette. From them falling back to the shelter of the projecting its extreme left and right rockets shot high in swamp. There they were rallied, and throwing air, and like a dissolving view that red line al- away their knapsacks, they rushed forward to most disappeared as it was broken into columns scale and carry the works in front of Carroll and by companies. his sharp-shooters. At the same time Keane, contrary to instructions but with zealous concern for the cause, wheeled his column into

Gibbs now advanced obliquely toward the wooded swamp, with the Forty-fourth in front, followed by the Twenty-first and Fourth, terri-line and led a portion of them to the assistance bly pelted by the storm that came from batteries Nos. 6, 7, and 8, and vainly sought shelter behind a bulging projection of the swamp into the plain. These batteries poured round and grape shot incessantly into Gibbs's line, making lanes through them, and producing some confusion. This was heightened by the fact that the Fortyfourth, with whom had been intrusted fascines and scaling-ladders, had advanced without them. To wait for these to be brought up was impossible in the focus of that cannonade. So Gibbs ordered them forward, the Twenty-first and Fourth, in solid and compact column, covered in front by blazing rockets, and cheered by their own loud huzzas. Whole platoons were prostrated, when their places were instantly filled by others; and the column pressed on without pause or recoil toward the batteries on the left and the long and weaker line, covered by the Tennesseeans and Kentuckians.

of the right wing. They were terribly scourged by the enfilading fire of the American batteries as they strode across the plain. Among them was the Ninety-third Regiment, composed of nine hundred sinewy Highlanders, who had won victories on many a field in Continental Europe, and were unmoved by the storm that poured in such fury upon them. Their presence and example encouraged the broken column of the right, who, with these Highlanders, rushed into the very heart of the tempest from Carroll's rifles, having Gibbs on their right, and Packenham on their left. In a few minutes the right arm of the latter was disabled by a bullet, and as he was riding to the rear on the led pony, shouting huzzas to the troops, there came a terrible crashing through the ranks of round and grape shot that scattered dead men all around him. One of the balls passed through the General's thigh, killed his horse, and brought both to the ground. Packenham was caught in the arms of his faithful aid, Captain M'Dougall, who had performed a similar service for General Ross when he fell, mortally wounded, near Baltimore a few months before. The commander was conveyed to the rear in a dying condition, and placed under a venerable live-oak tree, which disappeared only a few years ago. There he soon expired in the arms of M'Dougall.

By this time all the American batteries, including Patterson's on the right bank of the river, were in full play. Yet steadily on marched Wellington's veterans, stepping firmly over the dead bodies of their slain comrades until they had reached a point within two hundred yards of the American line, behind which, concealed from the view of the invaders, lay the Tennesseeans and Kentuckians four columns deep. Suddenly the clear voice of General General Gibbs was also mortally wounded, Carroll rang out Fire! on the morning air. and died the next day; and Keane was so seHis Tennesseeans arose from cover, and each verely shot through the neck that he was comman taking sure aim delivered a most destruct- pelled to leave the field. The command was ive volley on the foe, their bullets cutting down then assumed by Major Wilkinson, the officer scores of the gallant British soldiery. The of highest grade left in the saddle. Under his storm ceased not for a moment; for when the leadership the broken battalions endeavored to Tennesseeans had fired they fell back and the scale the breast-works. They were repulsed, Kentuckians took their places, and so the four and Wilkinson fell on the parapet mortally columns, one after another, participated in the wounded. His discomfited men fell back, and conflict. At the same time round, grape, and all of the assailants withdrew in wild confusion. chain shot went crashing through the ranks of Of the gallant nine hundred Highlanders, with the British, making awful gaps, and appalling twenty-five officers, of the Ninety-third Regithe stoutest hearts. The line began to waver, ment who went into the fight, only one hundred and would have broken but for the cool courage and thirty men and nine officers could be musand untiring energy of their officers, and the in-tered at its close. The Twenty-first Regiment spiriting cry, "Here comes the Forty-fourth lost five hundred men, and every company came with the fascines and ladders!” out of the terrible conflict a mere skeleton in numbers.

A detachment of the Forty-fourth had indeed come with scaling implements and Packenham

While this sanguinary work was in progress

rocket of the British to the close of the contest, the New Orleans band, stationed near the centre of the line where the American standard was kept flying during the struggle, played incessantly, cheering the troops with national and military airs. The British, on the contrary, had no other musical instrument than a bugle, and as their columns advanced, no drum was heard in their lines, nor even the stirring tones of the trumpet. From their first landing at the Fisherman's Village the experience of that army had been almost unbroken dreariness.

on the British right a more successful move-of note that, from the flight of the first signal ment, for a time, was made by them on their left. Keane's whole division moved when he led the Highlanders to the right. Nearly a thousand men, under the active Colonel Rennie, composed of the Ninety-fifth Rifles, companies of the Seventh, Ninety-third, and Forty-third Infantry, and some West India troops, had pushed rapidly forward near the river in two columns, one on the road, and the other nearer the water under shelter of the Levee, and driving in the American pickets, succeeded in taking possession of the unfinished redoubt on Jackson's extreme right. They drove out the Americans, but they did not hold it long. The invaders on the road were terribly smitten by Humphrey's batteries and the Seventh Regiment, and were kept in check. At the same time Rennie led the column along the water's edge, where they were terribly annoyed by Patterson's battery, and with several other officers scaled the parapet of the American redoubt. The New Orleans rifles, under Beale, now poured upon these officers and the inmates of the redoubt such a terrible fire that nearly every man was killed or mortally wounded. Rennie had just exclaimed, "Hurrah, boys, the day is ours!" when he fell to rise

no more.

Let us now turn our attention to the movements on the right bank of the Mississippi.

We left Colonel Thornton and his men just debarked after battling with the current of the Mississippi for some time. Morgan had sent forward his advance of less than three hundred men (one-third of whom were Arnaud's Louisiana militia) under Major Tessier, and the remainder fatigued and poorly-armed Kentuckians under Colonel Davis, chosen from those sent over on the 7th by General Adair. They were directed to take position on Mahew's Canal, near which it was supposed the British would land. The line which this small force was expected to hold extended from the river to the swamp, a distance of a mile, and required at least a thousand men and several pieces of artillery to give it respectable strength. Davis's raw troops were placed on the left, resting on the Levee, and Tessier's were on his right, extending to the swamp, and both watched vigilantly for signs of the coming of the invaders. Their vigilance was vain, for Thornton landed a mile below them under cover of three gun-boats, each armed with a carronade in the bow, under the com

This attacking column also fell back in great disorder under cover of the Levee, and, like those on the British right, sought shelter from the terrible storm that came from Jackson's lines in the plantation ditches. General Lambert, with his reserves, had come forward on hearing of the disasters to Packenham, Gibbs, and Keane; but he was in time only to cover the retreat of the battered and flying columns, and not to retrieve the fortunes of the day. The fire of the musketry had ceased by half after eight in the morn-mand of Captain Roberts. ing, but the artillery kept up their fire until Pushing rapidly up the road Thornton enabout two o'clock in the afternoon. It is worthy countered Morgan's advance, when he divided

his superior force, sending a part to attack Tessier, while with the remainder, and aided by Roberts's carronades, he assailed Davis. Both commands were soon put to flight, and fell back in confusion on Morgan's line. Tessier's men could not gain the road, and many of them took refuge in the swamps, where they suffered much for several hours.

The commander, accompanied by his staff, passed slowly along his whole line, addressing words of congratulation and praise to the officers and men every where. Then the band struck up "Hail Columbia," and cheer after cheer for the herp went up from every part of the line. It was echoed from the lips of excited citizens who had been watching the battle at a distance When Thornton gained the open fields in front with the greatest anxiety. Then the soldiers, of Morgan's lines, he extended his force, and after partaking of some refreshments, turned to with the sailors in column on the road, and the the performance of the sad duty of caring for marines placed as a reserve, he advanced upon the wounded and the bodies of the dead, which the American works under cover of a flight of thickly strewed the plain of Chalmette for a rockets, and with the aid of Captain Roberts's quarter of a mile back from the front of Jackcarronades. As the sailors rushed forward they son's lines. These were the maimed and slain were met by volleys of grape-shot from Phili- of the British army. No less than twenty-six bert which made them recoil. Seeing this, hundred were lost to the enemy in that terrible Thornton dashed forward with the Eighty-fifth, battle, of whom seven hundred were killed, fourand handling the men with great skill and celer- teen hundred were wounded, and five hundred ity, soon put the Kentuckians to flight, who ran were made prisoners. The Americans lost only in wild confusion, and could not be rallied. eight killed and thirteen wounded! The hisFollowing up this advantage, Thornton soon tory of human warfare presents no parallel to drove the Louisianians from the intrenchments, this disparity in loss. The Americans were and gained possession of Morgan's line after thoroughly protected by their breast-works, while that General had spiked his cannon and cast the British fought in front of them in an open them into the river. He next made for Patter-level plain. son's battery, three hundred yards in the rear After the battle General Lambert sent a flag of Morgan's lines. Its guns, which had been of truce asking for an armistice in order to bury playing effectually on the British in front of his dead. Jackson granted it on the condition Jackson's lines, were now trailed on the near that it should not be extended to operations on foe on the river road. But Patterson, threaten- the right bank of the river. The result of this ed by a flank movement, was compelled to give exception was, as we have observed, the immeway; so he spiked his guns, and fled on board diate withdrawal of Thornton from Morgan's the Louisiana, while his sailors assisted in getting lines. On the following morning detachments her into the stream out of the reach of the enemy. from both armies were drawn up three hundred A large number of the troops were rallied and yards in front of the American lines, when the formed on the bank of the Boisgervais Canal, dead bodies between that point and the intrenchand prepared to make a stand there. But the ments were carried and delivered to the British British did not advance beyond Patterson's bat- by the Kentuckians and Tennesseeans on the tery. There Thornton was informed of the ter- very scaling-ladders left by the enemy when rible disasters on the opposite side of the river, driven back. The British then carried their and soon afterward received orders from Gen- dead to a designated spot on Bienvenu's plantaeral Lambert to rejoin the main army. Jack- tion which had been marked out as the cemetery son, in the mean time having heard of Morgan's of "The Army of Louisiana." There they were disaster, sent over General Humbert (a gallant buried; and to this day that consecrated "God's Frenchman who was acting as a volunteer) with Acre" has never been disturbed. It is distinfour hundred men to reinforce him. Their serv-guished in the landscape by a grove of small ices were not needed. Thornton had withdrawn, cypress-trees, and is a spot regarded with superand at twilight re-embarked his troops. That stitious awe by the negroes in that neighbornight the Americans repossessed their works, and before morning Patterson had restored his battery in a better position, and announced the fact to Jackson at dawn by discharges of heavy cannon at the British outposts at Bienvenu's. The loss of the enemy on this occasion, in killed and wounded, was a little more than one hundred. The Americans lost one man killed and five wounded. On that side of the Mississippi the British acquired their sole trophy during their efforts to capture New Orleans. It was a small flag. It now hangs conspicuously among other war trophies in Whitehall, London, with the inscription: "Taken at the battle of New Orleans, January 8, 1815."

hood. The wounded, who were made prisoners, were carefully conveyed to New Orleans, where they were placed in the barracks, and tenderly cared for by the citizens.

The bodies of the dead British officers were carried to Villeré's, the head-quarters, in whose garden some of them were buried by torch-light that night with solemn ceremonies. Those of Packenham, Gibbs, Rennie, and one or two other officers, were disemboweled, placed in casks of rum, and sent to their friends in England. Their viscera were buried beneath a stately pecan-tree which, with another quite as stately, yet stands in vigorous health, on the lawn a few yards from Villeré's house. It is said to be

Let us now observe what occurred at Jack-a remarkable fact that this tree, fruitful before son's lines after the conflict had ceased. its branches were made to overshadow the re

mains of the invaders, has been barren ever the theatre of a most imposing spectacle. since.

At

the request of Jackson, the Abbé du Bourg, Ap-
ostolic Prefect for Louisiana, appointed that a
day for the public offering of thanks to Almighty
God for his interposition in behalf of the Amer-
ican people and nationality. The dawn was
greeted by the booming of cannon.
It was a
bright and beautiful winter morning on the verge
of the tropics. The religious ceremonies were
to be held in the old Spanish Cathedral, which
was decorated with evergreens for the occasion.
In the centre of the public square, in front of
the Cathedral, where the equestrian statue of
Jackson now stands, was erected a temporary
triumphal arch, supported by six Corinthian

While these events after the battle were occurring on the field of strife the British were seeking to secure the free navigation of the Mississippi below New Orleans, for themselves, by capturing Fort St. Philip, at a bend of the stream, seventy or eighty miles below the city in a direct line, and which was considered by both parties as the key of Louisiana. It contained, at that time, a garrison of three hundred and sixty-six men, under Major Overton of the rifle corps, and the crew of a gun-boat which had been warped into the bayou at its side. On the morning of the 9th, at about the time when disposition was being made of the British dead in front of Jack-columns and festooned with flowers and everson's lines, a little squadron of five hostile vessels appeared near the fort. They consisted of a sloop of war, a gun-brig, and a schooner (Herald, Sophia, and Tender), and two bomb vessels. They anchored out of range of the heavy guns of the fort, the bomb vessels with their broadsides toward St. Philip. At three o'clock in the afternoon they opened fire, and finding they had the range of the fort, continued the bombardment, with little interruption, until daybreak of the 18th, casting more than a thousand shells with the expenditure of twenty thousand pounds of powder, besides many round and grape shot. For nine days the Americans were in their battery; five of them without shelter, exposed to cold rain part of the time. The proceeds of this expenditure secured by the British consisted of two Americans killed and seven wounded. They withdrew on the 18th without gaining either the fort, spoils, or glory.

On the 18th of January, in accordance with an arrangement made the previous day, a general exchange of prisoners took place; and on the 19th the British, under Lambert, were wholly withdrawn from the Mississippi, having stolen noiselessly away under cover of darkness the previous night. They reached Lake Borgne at dawn on the 19th, but they were yet sixty miles from their fleet, exposed to quite keen wintry air, and considerably annoyed by mounted men under Colonel de la Ronde, who hung upon their rear. There they remained until the 27th, when they embarked, and two days afterward reached the fleet in the deep-water between Cat and Ship Islands. The vigilant Jackson, in the mean time, had made such disposition of his forces as to guard every approach to the city; for he thought the foiled enemy, enraged by disap-| pointment, might attempt to strike a sudden blow in some other quarter.

greens. Beneath the arch stood two beautiful little girls, each upon a pedestal and holding in her hand a civic crown of laurel. Near them stood two damsels, one personifying Liberty and the other Justice. From the arch to the church, arranged in two rows, stood beautiful girls, all dressed in white, and each covered with a blue gauze veil and bearing a silver star on her brow. These personified the several States and Territories of the Union. Each carried a flag with the name of the State which she represented upon it. Each also carried a small basket trimmed with blue ribbon and filled with flowers; and behind each was a lance stuck in the ground bearing a shield on which was inscribed the name and legend of the State or Territory which she represented. These were linked by evergreen festoons that extended from the arch to the door of the cathedral.

At the appointed time General Jackson, accompanied by the officers of his staff, passed through the gate of the Grand Square fronting the river, amidst the roar of artillery, and was conducted between lines of Plauché's New Orleans battalion of Creoles to the raised floor of the arch. As he stepped upon it the two little girls leaned gently forward and placed the laurel crown upon his head. At the same moment a charming Creole girl (Miss Kerr), as the representative of Louisiana, stepped forward, and with modesty supreme in voice and manner addressed a few congratulatory words to the chief, eloquent with expressions of the most profound gratitude. To these words Jackson made a brief reply, and then passed on toward the church, his pathway strewn with flowers by the sweet representatives of the States.

At the cathedral entrance the honored hero was met by the Abbé du Bourg in his pontifical robes, and supported by a college of priests in their sacerdotal garments. The Abbé addressed the General with eloquent and patriotic discourse, after which the chief was conducted to a conspicuous seat near the great altar, in the the Cathedral, when the Te Deum Laudamus was chanted by the choir and people. When the imposing pageant was over the General retired to his quarters to resume the stern duties of a soldier; and that night the city of New Orleans Two days afterward (23d) New Orleans was blazed with a general illumination.

On the 21st of January, Jackson, with the main body of his army, entered New Orleans. They were met in the suburbs by almost the entire population of all ages and sexes, who greeted the victors as their saviours; and they entered the town in triumphal procession, with far more honest pride than ever swelled the bosoms of victorious conquerors or emperors of other centuries of time.

1