His faithful old body-servant remained at the Hermitage and kept his grave green through all the years, and to all visitors who came he talked about “de Gin’ral” as though he were still in the flesh. The story is told that soon after the death of Old Hickory a visitor asked old Alfred if he thought General Jackson went to heaven. “I don’t know, boss,” promptly replied the old man, “whether de Gin’ral went to heben or not, but dar’s one thing I does know—he did if he wanted to!” [2] Life and Times of Andrew Jackson. By A. S. Colyar, Nashville: Marshall and Bruce. DALE’S HIGHLANDERS By Captain H. W. Carpenter United States Marine Corps One of the finest examples of what discipline can do in affecting the conduct of soldiers and others whose lives are passed amid dangerous surroundings, is furnished by the charge of Dale’s Highlanders at the battle of New Orleans, January 8, 1815, just ninety-two years ago. In order to understand just what this charge meant to the brave Scots, it is necessary to summarize briefly the events which preceded the memorable battle, a fight which, as one of General Andrew Jackson’s cannoneers expressed it, “was lost before the fighting began,” for a peace was signed while the preliminary movements were going on. A powerful British fleet with a large military force under Sir Edward Pakenham, brother-in-law of the Duke of Wellington, sailed from the West Indies to attack New Orleans and arrived in Lake Borgne about December twentieth, 1814. The small American flotilla which opposed their landing was destroyed, and the troops disembarked on Pine Island. Finding themselves in a swamp, the British floundered through the mud until about nightfall of the first day of the advance, ground suitable for a bivouac was discovered near the Mississippi River, and not far from the position along the Rodriguez Canal, which had been selected by General Jackson for the defense of the city. Here, behind hastily constructed works of mud and cotton bales, were drawn up the defenders, composed of a few United States regular artillery, volunteers from New Orleans and Kentucky, many of the latter unarmed; a force of pirates and smugglers from Baratara Bay, under their captains, Dominique and Beluche; and last, but not least, about twenty-five hundred backwoods riflemen from the Cumberland Valley, in all not above thirty-two hundred men. Hardly were the invaders established in their bivouac before they were rudely disturbed by a night attack from the Americans, during which they, for the first time, discovered the prowess of the backwoodsman and his long rifle, and during the short fight which followed lost two hundred and thirteen killed and wounded, and seventy captured.