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Show 316 LIFE OF GEN. JACKSON. CHAP-this deficiency, however, was well remedied by those IX. h fi d .. ~ w o were orme m 1ts rear. 1814• From the river the greatest injury was done. Lieu-tenant Thompson, who commanded the Louisiana sloop, which lay nearly opposite the line of defence, no sooner discovered the columns approaching, than warping her around, he brought her starboard guns to bear, and forced them to retreat: but from their heavy artillery, the enemy maintained the conflict with great spirit, constantly discharging their bombs and rockets, for seven hours, when,. unable to make a breach, or silence the sloop, they abandoned a contest, where few advantages seemed to be presented. The crew of this vessel was composed of new recruits, and discordant materials,-of soldiers, citizens and seamen; who, by the activity of their commander, were so well perfected in their dnty, that they already managed their guns with the greatest precision and certainty of effect; and by three o'clock in the evening, with the aid of the land batteries, had completely silenced and drove back the enemy. Emboldened by the effect produced on the Caroline the clay before ; the furnaces of the enemy were pnt in operation, and numbers of hot shot thrown from a heavy piece, which was placed behind, and protected by the levee. An attempt was flOW made to carry it off, whe11 that protection, heretofore had, being taken away, they were fairly exposed to our fire, and suffered great· ly. In their endeavours to remove it, "I sm~," says commodore Patterson, "distinctly, with the atd of a ~lass, several balls strike in the midst of the men who LIFE OF GEN. JACKSON. 517 were employed in dragging it away." In this engage- CHAP. ment, commenced and waged for seven hours, we re- IX. ceived little or no injury. The Louisiana sloop, against~ which the most violent exertions were made, had but 1814' a single man wounded, by the fragments of a shell, which bursted over her deck. Our entire loss did not exceed nine killed, and eight or ten wounded. The enemy, being more exposed, acting in the open field, and in range of our guns, suffered, from infor~1ation afterwards procured, considerable injury; at least, one hundred and twenty were killed and wounded. Among the killed, on our side, was colonel James Henderson, of the Tennessee militia. An advanced party of the British had, during the action, taken post behind a fence, that ran obliquely to, and not very re- · mote from, our line. Henderson, with a detachment of two hundred men, was ordered to drive them from a position, whence they were effecting ,some injury, and greatly annoying our troops. Had he advanced in the manner directed, he would have been less exposed, and enabled more efl'ectually to have secured the object intended; but, misunderstanding the order, he proceeded in a different route, and fell a victim to his ertor. Instead of marching in the direction of the wood, and turning the enemy, which would have cut olf their retreat, he proceeded in front, towards the river, leaving them in rear of the fence, and himself and his detachment open and exposed. His mistake being perceived from the line, he was called by the adjutant general, and directed to.return; but the noise of the waters, through which they were wading, prevented ~ny communication. Having reached a knoll of dry |
