Of New Orleans Rifles, thirty men strong.

just arrived, under command of Colonel Davis, was ordered to move
forward to the
support of the command of Major Arnaud. Though wearied with the
toilsome all-night march, the
Kentucky troops went forward about one mile below Morgan's line

and took position
on Mayhew's Canal, their left resting on the bank of the river. Major
Arnaud halted his Louisiana militia on the right of these in line. The
enemy, over one thousand strong, came up in force under Colonel
Thornton, who commanded the British in the night battle of the
twenty-third. A heavy fire of musketry from the front was supported by
a flanking fire of artillery and rockets from the boats. The command
of Major Arnaud gave way and hastily retreated to the wood, appearing
no more during the day on the field of action. The Kentuckians
returned the fire of the enemy with several effective volleys, when
they were ordered by an aid-de-camp of General Morgan's, just arrived,
to fall back and take a position on his line of defense. The falling
back of the

Kentuckians before the enemy
was under orders which they could not but obey. They were holding him
in check and inflicting heavier losses than they were receiving,
against four or five times their own
numbers. They fell back one mil