owingly done his country a memorable service. The three vessels
that attacked him were bound to the Gulf of Mexico, to assist in the
attack upon New Orleans. The havoc Reid wrought among their crews, and
the damage he inflicted upon the "Carnation," so delayed the New
Orleans expedition, that Gen. Jackson was able to gather those motley
troops that fought so well on the plains of Chalmette. Had it not been
for the plucky fight of the lads of the "Gen. Armstrong," the British
forces would have reached New Orleans ten days earlier, and
Packenham's expedition might have ended very differently.

The "Plantagenet" and her consorts were not the only British
men-of-war bound for New Orleans that fell in with warlike Yankee
privateers. Some of the vessels from the Chesapeake squadron met a
privateer, and a contest ensued, from which the American emerged with
less glory than did the lads of the "Gen. Armstrong." A young British
officer in his journal thus tells the story:--

"It was my practice to sit for hours, after nightfall, upon the
taffrail, and strain my eyes in the attempt to distinguish objects on
shore, or strange sails in the distance. It so happened that on the
30th I was tempted to indulge in this idle but bewitching employment
even beyond my usual hour for retiring, and did not quit the deck till
towards two o'clock in the morning of the 31st [of October]. I had
just entered my cabin, and was beginning to undress, when a cry from
above of an enemy in chase drew me instantly to the quarter-deck. On
looking astern I perceived a vessel making directly after us, and was
soon convinced of the justice of the alarm, by a shot which whistled
over our heads. All hands were now called to quarters, the small sails
taken in; and having spoken to our companion, and made an agreement as
to position, both ships cleared for action. But the stranger, seeing
his signal obeyed with so much alacrity, likewise slackened sail, and,
continuing to keep us in view, followed our wake without approaching
nearer. In this state things continued till daybreak,--we still
holding our course, and he hanging back; but, as soon as it was light,
he set more sail and ran to windward, moving just out of gun-shot in a
parallel direction with us. It was now necessary to fall upon some
plan of deceiving him; otherwise, there was little probability that he
would attack. In the bomb, indeed, the height of the bulwarks served
to conceal some of the men; but