ad used
them in building their batteries, but they were not as good as the
cotton bales at resisting fire, as it turned out.

Eph Clark had Eric as a sergeant in the battery of which he was
lieutenant, on the night of the 7th of January, 1814, by which time all
was ready.

They lay in a rough hut, back of the battery, and the men were talking
and smoking, all around them, as they speculated on the chances of next
day's battle, for everybody knew it would occur then, probably at
daylight.

At last they dropped off into an uneasy doze, and were roused from that
by the order passed to turn out and man the battery.

They were hardly at their guns when General Jackson came along with a
large staff, carefully inspecting the preparations by the light of the
camp fires in the rear of the intrenchments.

General Villere, of the New Orleans militia, who had seen Eph Clark
before, and who was accompanying General Jackson, said:

"Here are Lafitte's men, general. And here is the youth I spoke to you
about, an American boy."

General Jackson had too many weighty matters on his mind that morning to
do more than glance at Eph, in answer to the officer's remark. But he
did say:

"All right! Glad to see such pluck and determination."

Then he passed on to the left of the lines--and all stood firm--peering
into a dense mist, which had arisen as the day was near and obscured the
field in front.

It was known that the flower of the British army was in front, and eager
eyes and ears kept open to detect the first movement. The invaders had
boasted that they would walk straight over the half-drilled riflemen
from Kentucky and Tennessee and the militia of Louisiana. They had not
quite heard of the artillery of Commodore Patterson and of Lafitte's
batteries, and were not prepared for them, while they had little idea of
what the riflemen could do, although they wore no such gorgeous uniform.

Suddenly, before the sun had risen and while the haze still hung upon
the ground like a curtain, a gun was heard from the left of the
batteries--the one in which Eph Clark had charge of the guns.

His sharp sailor-eyes and ears had detected the advance of the enemy
before any others, and, according to orders given beforehand, he fired a
round of grape-shot slap into the advancing foe.

Just then the mist lifted a little, and, by the early light, could be
seen the serried lines of the British force, advancing to the attack in
magnificent ord