nels Butler and Piatt, and major Chotard, by their intrepidity, saved the artillery. Colonel Haynes was every where that duty or danger called. I was deprived of the services of one of my aids, captain Butler, whom I was obliged to station, to his great regret in town. Captain Reid, my other aid, and Messrs. Liyingston, Duplessis and Davezac, who had volunteered their services, faced danger wherever it was to be met, and carried my orders with the utmost promptitude. We made one major, two subalterns, and sixty-three privates prisoners; and the enemy's loss in killed and wounded must have been at least. My own loss I have not as yet been able to ascertain with exactness, but suppose it to amount to one hundred in killed, wounded and missing. Among the former I have to lament the loss of coloned Lauderdale of general Coffee's brigade, who fell while bravely fighting. Colonels Dyer and Gibson, of the same corps, were wounded, and major Kavenaugh taken pri soner. Colonel Delaronde, major Villeré of the Louisiana militia, major Latour of engineers, having no command, volunteered their services, as did Drs. Kerr and Flood, and were of great assist ance to me. I have the honour to be, &c. NO. XXVI-XXVII. Copy of a letter from captain Henley, commanding late United States' schooner Carolina, to commodore Patterson, dated SIR, New Orleans, December 28, 1814. I HAVE the honour to inform you, that after you left here on the 26th instant, in pursuance to your order, every possible exertion was made to move the schooner Carolina higher up the river and near general Jackson's camp, without success; the wind being at N. N. W. and blowing fresh and too scant to get under way, and the current too rapid to move her by warping, which I had endeavoured to do with my crew. At daylight, on the morning of the 27th, the enemy opened upon the Carolina a battery of five guns, from which they threw shells and hot shot; returned their fire with the long twelve-pounder, the only gun on board which could reach across the river, the remainder of her battery being light twelve-pound carronades. The air being light and at north, rendered it impossible to get under way; the second shot fired by the enemy lodged in the schooner's main-hold under her cables, and in such a situation as not to be come at, and fired her, which rapidly progressed; finding that hot shot were passing through her cabin and filling room, which contained a considerable quantity of powder; her bulwarks all knocked down by the enemy's shot, the vessel in a sinking situation, and the fire increasing, and expecting every moment that she would blow up, at a little after sunrise I reluctantly gave orders for the crew to abandon her, which was effected, with the loss of one killed and six wounded; a short time after I had succeeded in getting the crew on shore, I had the extreme mortification of seeing her blow up. It affords me great pleasure to acknowledge the able assistance I received from lieutenants Norris and Crawley, and sailingmaster Haller, and to say that my officers and crew behaved on this occasion, as well as on the 23d when under your own eye, in a most gallant manner. Almost every article of clothing belonging to the officers and crew, from the rapid progress of the fire, was involved in the destruction of the vessel. (Signed) I have the honour to be, &c. JOHN D. HENLEY. P. S. I have not made out a detailed account of the action on the night of the 23d, as you were on board during the whole action. Letter from major-general Jackson, to the secretary of war, dated Head-quarters, seventh military district, SIR, Camp below New Orleans, December 29, 1814. The enemy succeeded on the 27th in blowing up the Carolina (she being becalmed) by means of hot shot from a land battery which he had erected in the night. Emboldened by this event, he marched his whole force the next day up the levee, in the hope of driving us from our position, and with this view, opened upon us, at the distance of about half mile, his bombs and rockets. He was repulsed, however, with considerable loss; not less, it is believed, than one hundred and twenty in killed. Ours was inconsiderable; not exceeding half a dozen killed and a dozen wounded. Since then he has not ventured to repeat his attempt, though lying close together. There has been frequent skirmishing between our picquets. I lament that I have not the means of carrying on more offensive operations. The Kentucky troops have not arrived, and my effective force at this point, does not exceed three thousand. Theirs must be at least double; both prisoners and deserters agrecing in the statement that seven thousand landed from their boats. ANDREW JACKSON. Copy of a letter from commodore Patterson, commanding our naval force on the Orleans station, to the secretary of the navy, dated U. S. ship Louisiana, 4 miles below New Orleans, 29th December, 1814. SIR, I HAVE the honour to inform you, that on the morning of the 28th instant, at about half past seven, perceived our advanced-guard retreating towards our lines-the enemy pursuing; fired shot, shells, and rockets, from field artillery, with which they advanced on the road behind the levee; sprung the ship to bring the starboard guns to bear upon the enemy; at 25 minutes past 8 A. M. the enemy opened their fire upon the ship, with shells, hot shot, and rockets, which was instantly returned with great spirit and much apparent effect, and continued without intermission till one P. M. when the enemy slackened their fire, and retreated with a part of their artillery from each of their batteries, evidently with great loss. Two attempts were made to screen one heavy piece of ordnance mounted behind the levee, with which they threw hot shot at the ship, and which had been a long time abandoned be fore they succeeded in recovering it, and then it must have been with very great loss, as I distinctly saw, with the aid of my glass, several shot strike in the midst of the men (seamen) who were employed dragging it away. At 3 P. M. the enemy were silenced; at 4 P. M. ceased firing from the ship, the enemy having retired beyond the range of her guns. Many of their shot passed over the ship, and their shells burst over her decks, which were strewed with their fragments; yet, after an incessant cannonading of upwards of seven hours, during which time eight hundred shot were fired from the ship, one man only was wounded slightly, by the piece of a shell, and one shot passed between the bowsprit and heel of the jib-boom. The enemy drew up his whole force, evidently with an intention of assaulting general Jackson's lines, under cover of his heavy cannon; but his cannonading being so warmly returned from the lines and ship Louisiana, caused him, I presume, to abandon his project, as he retired without making the attempt. You will have learned by my former letters, that the crew of the Louisiana is composed of men of all nations, (English excepted) taken from the streets of New Orleans not a fortnight before the battle; yet I never knew guns better served, or a more animated fire, than was supported from her. Lieutenant C. C. B. Thompson deserves great credit for the discipline to which in so short a time he had brought such men, two-thirds of whom do not understand English. General Jackson having applied for officers and seamen to work the heavy cannon on his lines furnished by me, lieutenants Norris and Crawley, of the late schooner Carolina, instantly volunteered, and with the greater part of her crew were sent to those cannon, which they served during the action herein detailed. The enemy must have suffered a great loss in that day's action, by the heavy fire from this ship and general Jackson's lines, where the cannon was of heavy calibre, and served with great spirit. I have the honour to be, with great consideration and respect, your obedient servant, NO. XXVIII. DANIEL T. PATTERSON. Letter from commodore Patterson to the secretary of the navy. · Marine Batteries, 5 miles below N. Orleans, January 2, 1815. SIR, Finding the advantageous effect which resulted from the flanking-fire upon the enemy from the Louisiana, as detailed in my letter of the 29th ultimo, I that night had brought down from the navy yard, and mounted in silence, a twenty-four pounder on shore, in a position where it could most annoy the enemy when throwing up works on the levee or in the field. On the 30th opened upon the enemy with the twenty-four pounder, which drove them from their works, the ship firing at the same time upon their advance, which retired from the levee and sheltered itself behind houses, &c. The great effect produced by the gun on shore, induced me on the 31st to land from the Louisiana two twelve-pounders, which I mounted behind the levee in the most advantageous position, to harass the flank of the enemy in his approaches to our lines, and to aid our right. At four A. M. the enemy opened a fire upon the left of our line with artillery and musketry, which was returned most spiritly with artillery and musketry. At two P. M. the enemy having retired, the firing ceased. On the first instant, at ten A. M. after a very thick fog, the enemy commenced a heavy cannonading upon gencral Jackson's lines and my battery, from batteries they had thrown up during the preceding night on the levee; which was returned from our lines and my battery, and terminated, after a most incessant fire from both parties of nearly five hours, in the enemy being silenced and driven from their works; many of their shells went immediately over my battery, and their shot passed through my breastwork and embrazures, without injuring a man. On this, as on the 28th, I am happy to say, that my officers and men behaved to my entire satisfaction; but I beg leave particularly to name acting lieutenant Campbell, acting sailing-master John Gates, acting midshipman Philip Philibert, of the Louisiana, and sailingmaster Haller, of the late schooner Carolina. I did not drop the Louisiana down within the range of their shot, having learnt from deserters that a furnace of shot was kept in constant readiness at each of their batteries to burn her; and the guns being of much greater effect on shore, her men were drawn to man them, and I was particularly desirous to preserve her from the hot shot, as I deemed her of incalculable service to cover the army in the event of general Jackson retiring from his present line to those which he had thrown up in his rear. I have the honour to be, &c. DANIEL T. PATTERSON. |