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ELSIE AT VIAMEDE
* * * * *
A LIST OF THE ELSIE BOOKS AND OTHER POPULAR BOOKS
BY MARTHA FINLEY
_ELSIE DINSMORE._
_ELSIE'S HOLIDAYS AT ROSELANDS._
_ELSIE'S GIRLHOOD._
_ELSIE'S WOMANHOOD._
_ELSIE'S MOTHERHOOD._
_ELSIE'S CHILDREN._
_ELSIE'S WIDOWHOOD._
_GRANDMOTHER ELSIE._
_ELSIE'S NEW RELATIONS._
_ELSIE AT NANTUCKET._
_THE TWO ELSIES._
_ELSIE'S KITH AND KIN._
_ELSIE'S FRIENDS AT WOODBURN._
_CHRISTMAS WITH GRANDMA ELSIE._
_ELSIE AND THE RAYMONDS._
_ELSIE YACHTING WITH THE RAYMONDS._
_ELSIE'S VACATION._
_ELSIE AT VIAMEDE._
_ELSIE AT ION._
_ELSIE AT THE WORLD'S FAIR._
_ELSIE'S JOURNEY ON INLAND WATERS._
_ELSIE AT HOME._
_ELSIE ON THE HUDSON._
_ELSIE IN THE SOUTH._
_ELSIE'S YOUNG FOLKS._
_ELSIE'S WINTER TRIP._
_ELSIE AND HER LOVED ONES._
* * * * *
_MILDRED KEITH._
_MILDRED AT ROSELANDS._
_MILDRED'S MARRIED LIFE._
_MILDRED AND ELSIE._
_MILDRED AT HOME._
_MILDRED'S BOYS AND GIRLS._
_MILDRED'S NEW DAUGHTER._
* * * * *
_CASELLA._
_SIGNING THE CONTRACT AND WHAT IT COST._
_THE TRAGEDY OF WILD RIVER VALLEY._
_OUR FRED._
_AN OLD-FASHIONED BOY._
_WANTED, A PEDIGREE._
_THE THORN IN THE NEST._
* * * * *
ELSIE AT VIAMEDE
by
MARTHA FINLEY
Author of "Elsie Dinsmore," "The Mildred Books,"
"Thorn in the Nest," Etc., Etc., Etc.
New York
Dodd, Mead & Company
Publishers
Copyright, 1892
by Dodd, Mead & Company.
All rights reserved.
ELSIE AT VIAMEDE.
CHAPTER I.
IT was a beautiful evening at Viamede: the sun nearing its setting,
shadows sleeping here and there upon the velvety flower-bespangled lawn,
and filling the air with their delicious perfume, the waters of the
bayou beyond reflecting the roseate hues of the sunset clouds, and the
song of some negro oarsmen, in a passing boat, coming to the ear in
pleasantly mellowed tones. Tea was over, and the family had all gathered
upon the veranda overlooking the bayou. A momentary silence was broken
by Rosie's pleasant voice:
"Mamma, I wish you or grandpa, or the captain, would tell the story of
Jackson's defence of New Orleans. Now while we are in the neighborhood
we would all, I feel sure, find it very interesting. I think you have
been going over Lossing's account of it, mamma," she added laughingly,
"for I found his 'Pictorial History of the War of 1812' lying on the
table in your room, with a mark in at that part."
"Yes, I had been refreshing my memory in that way," returned her mother,
smiling pleasantly into the dark eyes gazing so fondly and entreatingly
into hers. "And," she added, "I have no objection to granting your
request, except that I do not doubt that either your grandfather or the
captain could do greater justice to the subject than I," glancing
inquiringly from one to the other.
"Captain, I move that you undertake the task," said Mr. Dinsmore. "You
are, no doubt, better prepared to do it justice than I, and I would not
have my daughter fatigued with the telling of so long a story."
"Always so kindly careful of me, my dear father," remarked Mrs. Travilla
in a softly spoken aside.
"I am doubtful of my better preparation for the telling of the story,
sir," returned the captain in his pleasant tones, "but if both you and
mother are disinclined for the exertion I am willing to undertake the
task."
"Yes, do, captain; do, papa," came in eager tones from several young
voices, and lifting baby Ned to one knee, Elsie to the other, while the
rest of the young members of the household grouped themselves about him,
he began his story after a slight pause to collect his thoughts.
"You all, I think, have more or less knowledge of the War of 1812-14,
which finished the work of separation from the mother country so nearly
accomplished by the War of the Revolution. Upon the close of that
earlier contest, England, it is true, acknowledged our independence, but
evidently retained a hope of finally recovering her control here.
"All through the intervening years, our sailors on our merchant vessels,
and even, in some instances, those belonging to our navy, were subjected
to insults and oppression when met on the high seas by the more powerful
ones of the English. The conduct of British officers--claiming the right
to search our vessels for deserters from theirs, and often seizing
American born men as such--was most gallingly insulting; the wrongs thus
inflicted upon our poor seamen were enough to rouse the anger and
indignation of the meekest of men. The clearest proofs of citizenship
availed nothing; they were seized, carried forcibly aboard the British
ships, and, if they refused to serve their captors, were brutally
flogged again and again.
"But I will not go into details with which you are all more or less
acquainted. We did not lack abundant cause for exasperation, and at
length, though ill prepared for the struggle, our government declared
war against Great Britain.
"That war had lasted two years; both parties were weary of the struggle,
and negotiations for peace were being carried on in Europe. In fact the
treaty had been signed, December 24, in the city of Ghent, Belgium, but
news did not travel in those days nearly so fast as it does now, and so
it happened that the battle of New Orleans was fought two weeks
afterward, January 8, 1815, both armies being still in ignorance of the
conclusion of peace."
"What a pity!" exclaimed Grace.
"And Andrew Jackson was the commanding general?" remarked Walter in a
tone between inquiry and assertion. "Was he an American by birth,
Brother Levis?"
"Yes; his parents were from Ireland, but he was born on the border
between North and South Carolina, in 1767; so that he was old enough to
remember some of the occurrences of the Revolutionary War; one of them
being himself carried to Camden, South Carolina, as a prisoner, and
there nearly starved to death and brutally treated by a British officer;
cut with a sword because he refused to black his boots for him."
"Was that so, sir?" queried Walter. "Well, I shouldn't wonder if the
recollection of all that made him more ready to fight them in the next
war, particularly at New Orleans, than he would have been otherwise."
"No doubt," returned the captain. "Jackson was a man of great energy,
determination, and persistence. It is said his maxim was, 'till all is
done nothing is done.' In May of 1814 he was made a major-general in the
regular army and appointed to the command of the Department of the
South, the Seventh Military District, with his headquarters at Mobile,
of which the Americans had taken possession as early as April, 1812.
"Jackson's vigilance was sleepless. The Spanish had possession of
Pensacola, and, though professing neutrality, were secretly favoring the
British. Of this Jackson promptly informed our government, but at that
time our War Department was strangely apathetic, and his communication
was not responded to in any way.
"But he had trusty spies, both white and dark-skinned, everywhere, who
kept him informed of all that was taking place in the whole region
around. He knew that British marines were allowed to land and encamp on
shore; that Edward Nichols, their commander, was a guest of the Spanish
governor, and the British flag was unfurled over one of the forts. Also,
that Indians were invited to enroll themselves in the service of the
British crown, and that Nichols had sent out a general order to his
soldiers, and a proclamation to the people of Kentucky and Louisiana,
announcing that the land and naval forces at Pensacola were only the van
of a far larger number of vessels and troops which were intended for
the subjugation of Louisiana and especially the city of New Orleans.
"Jackson arrived in that city on the 2d of December, and prepared to
defend it from the British, whom he had driven out of Florida. They had
planned to take the lower Mississippi Valley, intending to keep
possession of the western bank of the river. They had among them some of
the finest of Wellington's troops, who, but a short time before, had
been engaged in driving Napoleon out of Europe.
"In December, 12,000 men under the command of Sir Edward Packenham,
brother-in-law of Wellington, were landed below New Orleans. They had
come from Jamaica across the Gulf of Mexico. Their expedition was a
secret one, and they approached New Orleans midway between Mobile Bay
and the Mississippi River, entering Lake Borgne and anchoring there.
"A small American navy, composed of five gunboats, opposed their
progress, but was soon dispersed by their superior force of fifty
vessels, large and small. Then the British took full possession of the
lake, and landed troops upon a lonely island called the Isle des Pois
(or Pea Island).
"Some Spaniards, who had formerly lived in New Orleans, told Cochrane of
Bayou Bienvenu, at the northwestern extremity of Lake Borgne, by which
he could nearly reach the city, the bayou being navigable for large
barges to within a few miles of the Mississippi River.
"A party was sent to explore it, and found that by following it and a
canal they would reach a spot but half a mile from the river and nine
miles below the city.
"They hurried back to Cochrane with a report to that effect, and by the
23d of December half of the army had reached the spot.
"A few months before--September 1st--the British sloop of war _Sophia_,
commanded by Captain Lockyer, had sailed from Pensacola with despatches
for Jean Lafitte, inviting him and his band to enter the British
service."
"Lafitte! Who was he, Brother Levis?" queried Walter.
"A Frenchman," replied the captain, "who, with his elder brother,
Pierre, had come to New Orleans some six years before. They were
blacksmiths, and for a time worked at their trade; but afterward they
engaged in smuggling, and were leaders of a band of corsairs, seizing,
it was said, merchantmen of different nations, even some belonging to
the people of the United States, and for that they were outlawed, though
there was some doubt that they were really guilty. But they carried on a
contraband trade with some of the citizens of Louisiana, smuggling their
wares into New Orleans through Bayou Teche, or Bayou Lafourche and
Barataria Lake. That had brought them into trouble with the United
States authorities, and the British thought to get the help of the
buccaneers in their intended attack upon the city, where Pierre Lafitte
was at that time a prisoner.
"Captain Lockyer carried to Jean a letter from Colonel Nichols offering
him a captain's commission in the British Navy and $30,000, and to his
followers exemption from punishment for past deeds, indemnification for
any losses, and rewards in money and lands, if they would go into the
service of England's king.
"Lockyer also brought another paper, in which they were threatened with
extermination if they refused the offers in the first."
"Were they frightened and bribed into doing what the British wished,
sir?" asked Walter.
"No," replied the captain; "they seized Captain Lockyer and his
officers, and threatened to carry them to New Orleans as prisoners of
war; but Lafitte persuaded them to give that up, and they released the
officers. Lafitte pretended to treat with them, asking them to come back
for his reply in ten days, and they were permitted to depart.
"After they had gone, he wrote to a member of the legislature telling of
the visit of the British officers, what they had said to him and his
men, and sending with his letter the papers Captain Lockyer had left
with him. He also offered his own and his men's services in defence of
the city, on condition that past offences should never be brought up
against them.
"Troops were badly needed in the American army, and Governor Claiborne
was inclined to accept Lafitte's offer; but the majority of his officers
were opposed to so doing, thinking the papers sent were forgeries, and
the story made up to prevent the destruction of the colony of outlaws,
against whom an expedition was then fitting out. Lafitte knew of the
preparations, but supposed they were for an attack upon the British.
They, the members of the expedition, made a sudden descent upon
Barataria, captured a large number of Lafitte's men, and carried them
and a rich booty to New Orleans.
"Some of the Baratarians escaped, Jean and Pierre Lafitte among them.
They soon collected their men again near the mouth of Bayou Lafourche,
and after General Jackson took command in New Orleans, again offered
their services, which Jackson accepted, sending a part to man the
redoubts on the river, and forming of the rest a corps which served the
batteries with great skill.
"In his letter at the time of sending information with regard to the
attempt of the British to bribe him to enter their service, Jean Lafitte
said: 'Though proscribed in my adopted country, I will never miss an
occasion of serving her, or of proving that she has never ceased to be
dear to me.'"
"There!" exclaimed Lulu with enthusiasm, "I don't believe he was such a
very bad man, after all."
"Nor do I," her father said with a slight smile; then went on with his
story.
"Early on the 15th of December, Jackson, hearing of the capture of the
gunboats, immediately set to work to fortify the city and make every
possible preparation to repulse the expected attack of the enemy. He
sent word to General Winchester, in command at Mobile, to be on the
alert, and messengers to Generals Thomas and Coffee urging them to
hasten with their commands to assist in the defence of the city.
"Then he appointed, for the 18th, a grand review of all the troops in
front of the Cathedral of St. Louis, in what is now Jackson Square, but
at that time was called Place d'Armes.
"All the people turned out to see the review. The danger was great, the
military force with which to meet the foe small and weak, but Jackson
made a stirring address, and his aide, Edward Livingston, read a
thrilling and eloquent one.
"They were successful in rousing both troops and populace to an intense
enthusiasm, taking advantage of which, Jackson declared martial law and
a suspension of the writ of _habeas corpus_."
"What is that, papa?" asked Grace.
"It is a writ which in ordinary times may be given by a judge to have a
prisoner brought before him that he may inquire into the cause of his
detention and have him released if unlawfully detained. It is a most
important safeguard to liberty, inherited by us from our English
ancestors."
"Then what right had Jackson to suspend it, sir?" queried Walter.
"A right given by the constitution of the United States, in which there
is an express provision that it may be suspended in cases of rebellion
or invasion, should the public safety demand it," replied the captain:
then resumed his narrative.
"After the review, Jean Lafitte again offered his own services and those
of his men, urging their acceptance, and they were mustered into the
ranks and appointed to important duty.
"Jackson showed himself sleeplessly vigilant and wonderfully active,
making every possible preparation to meet and repulse every coming foe.
"On the evening of the 23d, the schooner _Carolina_, one of the two
armed American vessels in the river, moved down and anchored within
musket shot of the centre of the British camp. Half an hour later she
opened a tremendous fire upon them from her batteries, and in ten
minutes had killed or wounded a hundred or more men. The British
answered with a shower of Congreve rockets and bullets, but with little
or no effect, and in less than half an hour were driven in confusion
from their camp.
"They had scarcely recovered from that when they were startled by the
sound of musketry in the direction of their outposts. Some prisoners
whom General Keane had taken told him there were more than 12,000 troops
in New Orleans, and he now felt convinced that such was the fact. He
gave Thornton full liberty to do as he would.
"Thornton moved forward and was presently met by a column under Jackson.
There was some fierce fighting, and at length the British fell sullenly
back. About half past nine the fighting was over; but two hours later,
when all was becoming quiet in the camp, musket firing was heard in the
distance. Some drafted militia, under General David Morgan, had heard
the firing upon the _Carolina_ early in the evening, insisted upon being
led against the enemy, and on their way had met some British pickets at
Jumonsville and exchanged shots with them. By that advance against the
foe, Jackson had saved New Orleans for the time, and now he set
vigorously to work to prepare for another attack, for he knew there
would be another. Also, that the men who were to make it were fresh from
the battlefields of Europe--veteran troops not likely to be easily
conquered or driven away. He omitted nothing which it was in his power
to do for the defence of the city, setting his soldiers to casting up
intrenchments along the line of the canal from the river to Cypress
Swamp. They were in excellent spirits, and plied their spades with such
energy and zeal that by sunset a breastwork three feet high might be
seen along the whole line of his army.
"The American troops were quite hilarious on that Christmas eve, the
British soldiers gloomy and disheartened, having lost confidence in
their commander, Keane, and finding themselves on wet ground, under a
clouded sky, and in a chilly atmosphere; but the sudden arrival of their
new commander, Sir Edward Packenham, in whose skill and bravery they had
great confidence, filled them with joy.
"But while the Americans were at work preparing for the coming conflict,
the foe were not idle; day and night they were busy getting ready a
heavy battery with which to attack the _Carolina_. On the morning of the
27th, they had it finished, began firing hot shot upon her from a
howitzer and several twelve and eighteen pounders, and soon succeeded in
setting her on fire, so that she blew up.
"It was a tremendous explosion, but fortunately her crew had abandoned
her in time to escape it. The _Louisiana_, who had come down to her aid,
was near sharing her fate, but, by great exertion on the part of her
crew, she was towed out of reach of the enemy's shot, anchored nearly
abreast of the American camp, on the other side of the river, and so
saved to take a gallant part in the next day's fight. Packenham next
ordered his men to move forward and carry the intrenchments of the
Americans by storm. They numbered 8000, and toward evening the two
columns, commanded respectively by Generals Gibbs and Keane, obeyed that
order, moving forward, driving in the American pickets and outposts, and
at twilight they encamped, some of them seeking repose while others
began raising batteries near the river.
"The Americans, however, kept them awake by quick, sharp attacks, which
the British called 'barbarian warfare.'"
"Barbarian warfare, indeed!" sniffed Walter. "I wonder if it was half so
barbarous as what they employed the Indians to do to our people."
"Ah, but you must remember that it makes a vast difference who does
what, Walter," laughed Rosie.
"Oh, yes, of course," returned the lad; and Captain Raymond went on with
his story.
"Jackson was busy getting ready to receive the enemy: watching their
movements through a telescope, planting heavy guns, blowing up some
buildings that would have interfered with the sweep of his artillery,
and calling some Louisiana militia from the rear. By the time the
British were ready to attack, he had 4000 men and twenty pieces of
artillery ready to receive them. Also the _Louisiana_ was in a position
to use her cannon with effect in giving them a warm reception.
"As soon as the fog of early morning had passed away, they could be seen
approaching in two columns, while a party of skirmishers, sent out by
Gibbs, were ordered to turn the left flank of the Americans and attack
their rear.
"Just then a band of rough looking men came down the road from the
direction of the city. They were Baratarians, who had run all the way
from Fort St. John to take part in the fight, and Jackson was delighted
to see them. He put them in charge of the twenty-four pounders and they
did excellent service.
"Next came the crew of the _Carolina_, under Lieutenants Norris and
Crawley, and they were given charge of the howitzer on the right. A
galling fire of musketry fell upon the British as they advanced in solid
column, then the batteries of the _Louisiana_ and some of Jackson's
heavy guns swept their lines with deadly effect, one of the shots from
the _Louisiana_ killing and wounding fifteen men. The British rocketeers
were busy on their side, too, but succeeded in inflicting very little
damage upon the Americans.
"But I must leave the rest of the story for another time, for I see we
are about to have company," concluded the captain, as a carriage was
seen coming swiftly up the driveway. It brought callers who remained
until the hour for the retiring of the younger ones among his hearers.