The Battle of New Orleans 233 



on the opposite bank of the river, placing them in 

 a small redoubt. To match these the British also 

 threw up some works and placed in them heavy 

 guns, and all through New Year's day a brisk can 

 nonade was kept up across the river between the 

 two water batteries, but with very little damage to 

 either side. 



For a week after this failure the army of the 

 invaders lay motionless facing the Americans. In 

 the morning and evening the defiant, rolling chal 

 lenge of the English drums came throbbing up 

 through the gloomy cypress swamps to where the 

 grim riflemen of Tennessee were lying behind their 

 log breastworks, and both day and night the stillness 

 was at short intervals broken by the sullen boom of 

 the great guns which, under Jackson's orders, kept 

 up a never-ending fire on the leaguering camp of 

 his foes. 29 Nor could the wearied British even sleep 

 undisturbed; all through the hours of darkness the 

 outposts were engaged in a most harassing bush 

 warfare by the backwoodsmen, who shot the sen 

 tries, drove in the pickets, and allowed none of those 

 who were on guard a moment's safety or freedom 

 from alarm. 30 



But Pakenham was all the while steadily pre 

 paring for his last and greatest stroke. He had 

 determined to make an assault in force as soon as 



99 Gleig, 322. * Ibid, 323. 



