Pictorial life of Andrew Jackson . which played upon uscast a momentary glare, not an object could be distin-guished at the distance of a yard. In this state welay for nearly an hour, unable to move from ourground, or offer any opposition to those who kept usthere; when a straggling fire of musketry called ourattention towards the pickets, and warned us to pre-pare for a closer and more desperate strife. As yet,however, it was uncertain from what cause this drop-ping fire arose. It might proceed from the sentinels,who, alarmed by the cannonade from the river, mis-took every tree for an America
Pictorial life of Andrew Jackson . which played upon uscast a momentary glare, not an object could be distin-guished at the distance of a yard. In this state welay for nearly an hour, unable to move from ourground, or offer any opposition to those who kept usthere; when a straggling fire of musketry called ourattention towards the pickets, and warned us to pre-pare for a closer and more desperate strife. As yet,however, it was uncertain from what cause this drop-ping fire arose. It might proceed from the sentinels,who, alarmed by the cannonade from the river, mis-took every tree for an American ; and till this shouldbe more fully ascertained, it would be improper to ex-pose the troops, by moving any of them from the shel-ter which the bank aflforded. But these doubts werenot permitted to continue long in existence. Thedropping fire having paused for a few moments, wassucceeded by a fearful yell, and the heavens were illu- * Called by the Louisianians levee, an embankment formedalong the river to confine it in its COBFEES ATTACK. 299 minated on all sides by a semicircular blaze of mus-ketry. It was now clear that we were surrounded,and that by a very superior force; and, therefore, noalternative remained, but either to surrender at discre-tion or to beat back the assailants. This very superior force was Coffees brigadeof about six hundred dismounted riflemen, which thefears of the enemy, at this time three thousand strong,magnified into an army of thousands. The attackhad been commenced somewhat prematurely by theCaroline; otherwise the astonishment of the Britishwould have been fatal. The levee would have affordedthem no protection. Attacked on three sides at once,they would have been compelled to retreat before aninferior force or surrender at discretion. WhenGeneral Coffee arrived at the edge of the ditch sepa-rating the plantations of Laronde and Lacoste, he or-dered his men to dismount, and leaving one hundredmen to guard the horses, pushed forward with th
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