dy to the American army, and pledged to do all in their power, by sea
and land, to defeat and repel the invading enemy, on condition that the
Government would accept their enlistment, pardon them of all offenses,
and remove from over them the ban of outlawry. This was all finally
done, and no recruits of Jackson's army rendered more gallant and
effective service, for their numbers, in the stirring campaign that
followed. They outclassed the English gunners in artillery practice, and
showed themselves to be veterans as marines or soldiers.

On receipt of this information of Lafitte, confirmed from other secret
and reliable sources, the citizens were aroused. A mass-meeting was held
in New Orleans and a Committee of Safety appointed, composed of Edward
Livingston, Pierre Fouchet, De la Croix, Benjamin Morgan, Dominique
Bouligny, J.A. Destrahan, John Blanque, and Augustine Macarte, who acted
in concert with Governor Claiborne, and with the Legislature called into
session.

JACKSON ARRIVES IN NEW ORLEANS.

General Jackson left Mobile on the twenty-first of November and arrived
with his little army at New Orleans on the second of December, and
established headquarters at 984 (now 406) Royal Street. He found the
city well-nigh defenseless, while petty factions divided the councils of
leaders and people, especially rife among the members of the
Legislature. There was, incident to recent changes of sovereignties and
conditions of nationalities, serious disaffection on the part of a most
respectable element of the population of Louisiana and Florida toward
the American Government. The French and Spaniards, who mainly composed
the population, intensely loved their native countries with a patriotic
pride. They knew allegiance to no other, until a few years before, by
the arbitrary edicts of Napoleon, all of Louisiana was sold and
transferred to the United States. Other causes of irritation added to
the bitterness of resentment felt by the old Spanish element. Spain
tenaciously insisted on enforcing her claims of sovereignty to all
territory from the east bank of the Mississippi to the Perdido River, on
the east line of Alabama. But the American settlers within the same
became turbulent, and in October, 1810, these bold bordermen organized a
filibustering force of some strength, captured and took possession of
Baton Rouge, killing Commandant Grandpre, who yet asserted there the
authority of Spain. When Congress met, in December