USA > Louisiana > Louisiana; comprising sketches of counties, towns, events, institutions, and persons, Volume II > Part 71
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Waggaman, George A., U. S. senator from Louisiana, was born in Somerset county, Md., in 1782. He received a liberal education ; studied law and began practice at New Orleans. After settling in the South he became interested in the sugar industry ; entered political life, and was elected secretary of state of Louisiana. When Edward Livingston resigned from the U. S. senate he was elected as a Whig in his place, and served in the 22nd and 23d Congresses. He died on March 22. 1843, at New Orleans.
Wakefield, a money order post-town in the central part of West Feliciana parish, is a station on the Yazoo & Mississippi Valley R. R., about 7 miles north of St. Francisville, the parish seat. It has a telegraph station and express office and is the shipping point for a cotton district.
Walker, a postoffice of Livingston parish, is located about 9 miles northwest of Springville, the parish seat, and 2 miles south- west of Corbin, which is the nearest railroad station.
Walker, Joseph Marshall, 11th governor of Louisiana after its admission into the Union as a state, was a native of New Orleans, where he was born in 1780. On the paternal side he was of Eng- lish lineage and his mother's ancestors came from France. He was educated in the New Orleans schools and upon reaching his majority became a cotton planter in Rapides parish. As a briga- dier-general of the state militia he participated in the War of 1812, and after the war he served in both branches of the state legisla- ture. In 1845 he was chosen president of the constitutional con- vention, and the following year was elected treasurer of state on the Democratic ticket. with which party he always affiliated. He was elected governor in 1846. When the constitution of 1852 went into effect he retired from the office of governor, and also from public life. His death occurred on Jan. 26, 1856.
Walker's Administration .- On Jan. 28. 1850, Gov. Walker took the oath of office, being the first governor ever inaugurated at Baton Rouge. At the same time Gen. Jean B. Plauche was sworn in as lieutenant-governor. In his inaugural address the governor congratulated the people on the character of the officers chosen in the various parishes at the recent election : emphasized the neces- sity for good public schools, and deprecated the constant agitation of the abolitionists, on which subject he said: "Situated as we are, I think we owe it to ourselves, to our sister states of the South, and to our Northern brethren, to declare that if. unhappily, the anti-slavery agitation which has so long been allowed to insult our feelings should be carried to the point of aggression upon our rights; if the equality between all the members of the Confederacy. established and guaranteed by the constitution, should be destroyed or trenched on by the action of the general government, then we are prepared to make common cause with our neighbors of the slaveholding states, and pronounce the Union at an end. For my-
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self, I do not hesitate to say that I should look upon a dissolution of the Union as the greatest calamity that could befall us; but that, great as this calamity would be, I am certain there is not one of our citizens who would be willing, for a moment, to weigh it in the balance against the dishonor of submission."
Lieut .- Gov. Plauché was the presiding officer in the senate, and the house elected E. W. Moise for speaker. One of the first acts of the legislature at this session was to appropriate $300 for a daily mail route between New Orleans and Baton Rouge during the session, and Congress was asked to establish a permanent daily mail service between those two points. During the session liberal appropriations were made for the support of the state institutions and the militia. By the act of Congress, approved March 2, 1849, the state was granted all the swamp lands and lands subject to overflow within her limits, on the condition that she would re- claim and protect them by the construction of such levees and drains as would render them fit for cultivation. Gov. Johnson, before he retired from office, recommended the acceptance of this grant-a recommendation in which Gov. Walker concurred-and the legislature accepted it under the condition imposed.
The constitution of 1845 was not satisfactory to the people, and when the legislature met in Jan., 1852, there was a general demand for a convention to alter it. Gov. Walker opposed such a proceed- ing, stating in his message that he did not see "any good ground in what had passed, or was passing in state affairs, for another change in our organic law." He called attention to the principle laid down by Jefferson, "that forms of government should not be changed for light and transient causes," and observed that "noth- ing contributes more to a sound state of things than stable laws, faithfully executed, and a conviction in the public mind that they will not be changed until such change is demanded by reasons of an irresistible character." He further expressed it as his opinion that a new convention would not meet the expectations of the people any more satisfactorily than the one of 1845. Notwithstanding the opposition of the executive, an act was passed "to take the sense of the people on the expediency of calling a convention to change the constitution, to provide for the election of delegates, and the holding of the convention." The people expressed themselves in favor of such a convention, and it met at Baton Rouge on July 5, 1852. (See Constitutional Conventions.) At this session of the general assembly Congress was asked to donate to the state the military reservation at Fort Jesup for seminary purposes ; prohib- ited persons from making cut-offs on the Mississippi river ; passed an act to encourage ship building at New Orleans, and appropri- ated $10.000 toward a statue of Gen. Andrew Jackson.
The political campaign of 1852 was one of the most animated in the history of the state. Three candidates for president were presented. viz : Gen. Winfield Scott, Whig; Franklin Pierce, Demo- crat, and John P. Hale, the Free Soil candidate. One of the cam- paign documents used was "Uncle Tom's Cabin," which had just
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then made its appearance, and it cut an important figure in show- ing the attitude of many Northern people on the slavery question. The election occurred on Nov. 2. and on the 4th the Daily Delta said: "The election excitement is passing, if it has not already passed away. The result has astonished both parties. The Demo- crats, it is true, went to the polls with a firm and abiding confi- dence of success, but the most sanguine of them never dreamed of so signal a victory. The Whigs felt-there is no doubt but they did-that the general result would be against them ; still they were
* certain of carrying the state and resolved to do it. * Their opponents in overpowering numbers rushed on them, broke their ranks, threw them into disorder, and obtained a victory such as is seldom achieved." The vote for president was as follows: Pierce 18,647, Scott 17,255, while Hale did not receive a single vote in the state. The candidates for governor this year were Louis Bor- delon, Whig, and Paul O. Hebert, Democrat. Hebert's majority was 2,000, and both branches of the legislature were Democratic. This legislature was convened on Jan. 17, 1853, at which time Gov. Walker delivered his farewell message. In it he uttered some good advice with regard to the power conferred on the legislature by the new constitution in the matter of creating banking institu- tions; agreed with the recommendations of Charles Gayarre, then secretary of state, that the French and Spanish historical documents belonging to state should be published; and on the subject of education said: "Mexico, a neighboring republic, possesses a con- stitution and form of government almost identically the same as ours, and yet she is subject to an almost constant reign of anarchy and despotism, while we enjoy all the blessings of peace and good government. Why is this? Why this difference? It is mainly, without doubt, to be attributed to the superior education and in- telligence of our people. The best form of government is but of little avail to a people unless the right views and right feeling pre- vail among the masses, and this can never be the case unless the youth are blessed with a good education." The day after this message was read the general assembly counted the votes for gov- ernor and lieutenant-governor. with the result that Hebert and William W. Farmer were declared elected. Immediately upon the announcement of the vote the new officials were sworn in and Gov. Walker retired.
Wallace, a money order post-town near the western boundary of St. John the Baptist parish. is situated on the east bank of the Mississippi river. 7 miles west of Edgard, the parish seat. It is a shipping point on the river for the rich agricultural country by which it is surrounded and in 1900 had a population of 125.
Wallace, Nathaniel Dick, financier and member of Congress, was born at Columbia, Tenn., Oct. 27. 1845. After receiving a prelimi- nary education in his native state he was sent to Dublin, Ireland. where he completed the four years' course in Trinity college and graduated in 1865, standing fourth in his class. He remained abroad until the conclusion of the war between the states, but
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in 1867 he returned to America and located at New Orleans, where he became interested in the commission business in 1878. He was twice elected president of the New Orleans produce exchange; was interested in several manufacturing enterprises, and was otherwise identified with the commercial and industrial life of the city. In 1886 he was elected to the 49th Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Michael Hahn, qualifying on June 3 of that year, and serving until the close of the term.
Walls, a village of. West Baton Rouge parish, is a station on the Texas & Pacific R. R., 9 miles northwest of Port Allen, the parish seat. It has a money order postoffice, an express office, and is a trading center for the neighborhood.
Walnut Hill, a post-hamlet in the northern part of Vernon parish, is situated on a branch of Quelqueshoe bayou. 11 miles northeast of Leesville, the parish seat and nearest railroad town, and in 1900 had a population of 75.
Walnutlane, a post-hamlet of Union parish, is situated on Bayou Choudrant, near the southern boundary of the parish, about 6 miles north of Calhoun, the nearest railroad station, and 12 miles south of Farmerville, the parish seat. The population was 100 in 1900.
War of 1812 .- For several years after the recognition of the United States by the civilized nations of the world, Great Britain showed in various ways an unfriendly spirit toward the new repub- lic. As far back as the French and Indian war, George II of Eng- land had issued an edict forbidding neutral trade with any country with whom Great Britain might be at war. During Washington's administration this "Rule of 1756." as it was called, was applied by the English government, much to the dissatisfaction of the American merchant. In June, 1801, a treaty was made between England and Russia, by which the rule was modified and the com- merce of the United States began to increase immediately, while that of England declined. Always jealous of her commercial supremacy, Great Britain revived the rule in 1805 and declared it a part of the law of nations, virtually driving American trade from the high seas. Following this came the English claim to the "right of search," through the operation of which American vessels were boarded, and every one suspected of being a British subject was impressed into the service of that nation.
On June 22. 1807, the American frigate Chesapeake was over- hauled by the British man-of-war Leopard near Fortress Monroe. British officers came on board to "search for deserters," but their demand was refused and the ship cleared for action. Before the Chesapeake's guns could be loaded the Leopard poured in a broad- side which compelled the American vessel to surrender, and 4 men were impressed, 3 of whom were afterward proved to be American citizens. As a retaliation for this outrage, President Jefferson is- sued a proclamation forbidding English vessels to enter any of the harbors of the United States, and on Dec. 21 Congress passed the famous Embargo act, which detained all American ships in home
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ports. The purpose of the act was to cut off commercial relations with Great Britain, but the act fell so heavily on American com- merce that after fourteen months it was repealed and American ships were permitted to go abroad, but were forbidden to trade with England.
In Nov., 1808, the British government published an "Order in Council," forbidding all trade with France and her allies. Napoleon responded with his celebrated "Milan Decree," prohibiting all trade with England and her colonies. Thus, while England and France played the part of battledores, American commerce was the shut- tlecock -- a condition highly unsatisfactory to the people of this country. They adopted the motto of "Free Trade and Sailors' Rights," and the elections showed that they had made up their minds to fight, rather than to endure longer the wrongs that had been inflicted upon their trade for the last ten years or more. Bet- ter feeling was restored, however, in March, 1809, shortly after President Madison's inauguration, when Mr. Erskine, the British minister at Washington, entered into an agreement with the presi- dent that the orders in council, on one side, and the non-intercourse act, on the other, should be annulled. The joy that resulted was of short duration, for England refused to sanction the act of the minister, and the situation grew worse than ever.
Thus matters stood until May 16, 1811, when the affair between the American frigate President and the British sloop of war Little Belt, off the coast of Virginia, caused a new awakening of the war- like spirit in all parts of the country. With much reluctance Presi- dent Madison yielded to the demand for redress, and recommended to Congress a declaration of war with Great Britain, which Con- gress adopted on June 18, 1812. Subsequently news was received that the British government had actually revoked the opprobrions orders in council one day before the declaration of war was signed by the president, but had made no concessions in the matter of searching American ships and impressing seamen. The War of 1812 was therefore a conflict for the vindication of "sailors' rights."
The early movements of the war were confined to the North and East, where the Americans were generally successful, but in the summer of 1814 the theater of operations was transferred to the South. It was generally known that Spain was inclined to favor England-especially the Spanish authorities in Florida-and when on Aug. 9, 1814, a treaty was made with the Creek Indians, one of the stipulations was that they should not give aid to nor hold any intercourse with any Spanish or English post or military force. A few days after this treaty was concluded, a small detach- ment of British troops, with several pieces of artillery, landed at Apalachicola bay, and, notwithstanding the agreement above men- tioned, they succeeded in inducing a number of the Creeks to join them in an expedition against Fort Bowyer, which stood at the entrance to Mobile bay. Soon after this Col. Nicholls arrived at Pensacola and the Spanish commandant there allowed him to use that port while completing the arrangements for the expedition to
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Fort Bowyer. Gen. Andrew Jackson, commanding the American forces in the South, protested against this breach of neutrality, but received no satisfaction. Fort Bowyer was attacked on Sept. 15, but the British and their Indian allies were repulsed with heavy loss by a small American force under Maj. Lawrence. The de- feated Britons returned to Pensacola, where they were permitted to garrison the forts. In addition to this violation of neutrality the Spanish officials there ordered the arrest and imprisonment of several American citizens suspected of being inimical to the Eng- lish government. Under these circumstances Jackson felt that he was authorized to proceed against Pensacola, and on Nov. 6, he encamped with an army of 4,000 men within 3 miles of the place. Maj. Peire was sent to the commandant with a demand that an American garrison should be permitted to occupy Forts St. Michael and Barrancas until the Spanish government could send a sufficient force to the post to enable it to maintain its neutrality. This prop- osition was rejected and the next day Jackson made his attack. Pensacola was taken without much difficulty and with slight loss. Fort Michael surrendered, Fort Barrancas was partially blown up and evacuated, the Spaniards embarked on board the English ves- sels in the harbor, which then left the bay, and Jackson returned to Mobile.
In the meantime steps had been taken for the defense of Louisi- ana. About Sept. 1 Jackson had written to Gov. Claiborne to hold the militia in readiness to repel an invasion, and on the 5th Clai- borne issued a proclamation directing Gen. Villere to organize the militia of New Orleans, and Gen. Philemon Thomas that of Baton Rouge. On Oct. 14 President Madison wrote to Jackson, advising him that he might expect reinforcements, and that "not less than 12,500 men from Kentucky, Tennessee and Georgia are already subject to your orders." Jackson arrived at New Orleans on Dec. 2, and immediately began active preparations for defense. On the 4th he visited Fort St. Philip at the Plaquemines. Believing that the enemy would approach by the Mississippi river, he ordered Maj. Latour to prepare plans for two batteries-one opposite Fort St. Philip and the other above the fort on the same side of the river-and at the same time directed the governor to have obstruc- tions placed in all the bayous leading from the gulf.
When the British were driven from Pensacola they at once began concentrating for an invasion of Louisiana. Sir Alexander Coch- rane's fleet left the Chesapeake bay with the troops under com- mand of Col. Brooks, and at Negril bay, Jamaica, met Adm. Mal- colm's squadron, bearing reinforcements under Gen. Keane from England. The combined fleets, consisting of some 50 vessels and carrying an army of about 7,500 men, left Negril bay on Nov. 26, and on Dec. 10 dropped anchor between Cat and Ship islands. Four days later the American fleet on Lake Borgne (q. v.) was captured and the British began their advance upon New Orleans via Bayou Bienvenu, in which the militia under Gen. Villere had not yet planted obstructions.
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At the time the fleet on Lake Borgne was captured, Jackson was at Chef Menteur pass and forthwith set about fortifying every point where an assault was likely to be made. Maj. Lacoste's bat- talion and the Feliciana dragoons were ordered to Chef Menteur ; Maj. Planche was ordered to take command of a small fort at the mouth of Bayou St. John on Lake Pontchartrain, and to reinforce the garrison there with his battalion ; the Baratarians (See Smug- glers) were sent to Forts St. Philip, Petites Coquilles, and on the Bayou St. John ; Gen. David Morgan was stationed at the English Turn with 350 militia, and the other forces at Jackson's command were placed so as to guard against a surprise, or to reinforce any point the enemy might attack. On making this disposition of his men, Jackson issued the following instructions to the officers in command of the several detachments: "On the approach of the enemy, remove out of his reach every kind of stock, horses, pro- visions, etc .; oppose the invaders at every point; harass them by all possible means."
On the 19th Gen. Carroll arrived with a brigade of 2,500 Tennes- seans, and the next day Gen. Coffee reported with 1,200 riflemen from the same state. The timely arrival of these intrepid fron- tiersmen inspired general confidence and under the influence of Jackson's energy and zeal the inhabitants took on fresh courage. Concerning the situation at this time, Martin says: "The forces at New Orleans amounted to between six and seven thousand men. Every individual exempted from militia duty, on account of age, had joined one of the companies of veterans, which had been formed for the preservation of order. Every class of society was animated with the most ardent zeal; the young, the old, women, children, all breathed defiance to the enemy, firmly disposed to oppose to the utmost the threatened invasion. There were in the city a very great number of French subjects, who, from their national character, could not have been compelled to perform mili- tary duty ; these men, however, with hardly any exception, volun- teered their services. The Chevalier de Tousac, consul of France, who had distinguished himself and had lost an arm in the service of the United States during the Revolutionary war, lamenting that the neutrality of his nation did not allow him to lead his country- men in New Orleans to the field, encouraged them to flock to Jackson's standard."
On Bayou Bienvenn, about a mile and a half from the mouth. was a village of Spanish fishermen. After the battle of Lake Borgne, Gen. Keane learned that it was possible to reach the Mis- sissippi by way of the bayou and ordered it to be reconnoitered. The inhabitants of the village were employed as guides, and on the night of Dec. 20 two officers, disguised as fishermen, passed up the bayou and Villere's canal and finally reached the Mississippi only 8 miles from New Orleans. Two days later some 1.600 men, commanded by Keane in person, left Pea island, at the mouth of Pearl river, in barges and reached the fishermen's village, where they surprised and captured an American picket, only one man
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escaping. The prisoners were questioned as to the strength of Jackson's army, and led by a planter named Ducros, they all re- ported that there were from 12.000 to 15,000 men in the city and from 3,000 to 4.000 more at the English Turn. This did not cor- respond to the report of the Spanish fishermen, who had told the British officers that the American force did not exceed 5,000, but it served to render Keane more cautions and in the end redounded to Jackson's advantage. About 11:30 a. m. on the 23d a detach- ment of the British under Col. Thornton surrounded the residence 'of Gen. Villere and captured a company of militia, with Maj. Vil- lere and another of the general's sons, but the major leaped through a window and escaped to the adjacent woods, though a number of shots were fired at him as he fled. He then made his way to De La Ronde's plantation and a little while after noon reached Jackson's headquarters. Col. Thornton urged Keane to attack New Orleans at once, but the latter, reflecting no doubt on the state- ments of Ducros and his fellow-prisoners, decided to wait for rein- forcements.
As soon as Jackson learned that the British were in possession of Villere's plantation, he determined to attack before reinforce- ments could arrive. Maj. Peire, with the 7th regiment and 2 pieces of field artillery, was thrown forward to Montreuil's plantation ; Gen. Coffee, who was encamped + miles above the city, was ordered forward with his mounted riflemen, and with Hinds' Mississippi dragoons took position on the Rodriguez canal; Carroll's brigade and Gov. Claiborne, with the 1st, 2nd and 4th regiments of militia and a company of volunteer cavalry, took position on the plain of Gentilly to guard against an attack from Chef Menteur ; Plauche's battalion came up from Bayon St. John on the double-quick, and with Baker's +4th regiment, Daquin's battalion of free colored men, Beale's Orleans rifle company and some Choctaw Indians com- pleted the arrangements for the assault. The schooner Carolina, Capt. Henley, with Commodore Patterson on board, was ordered to drop down from Bayou St. John and take position opposite the enemy, ready to open fire at the moment Jackson made his attack on the land. As the army advanced a negro was arrested while engaged in the distribution of the following proclamation, printed in the French and Spanish languages: "Louisianians, remain quiet in your homes; your slaves shall be preserved to you, and your property respected. We make war only against Americans." This proclamation was signed by Keane and Cochrane and copies of it were found posted on the fences along the road.
It had been agreed that the land forces should attack as soon as the Carolina opened fire. By 7 o'clock Jackson's main body was close to the British camp and soon after the guns of the Carolina were heard. Coffee, with 600 men, was sent to turn the enemy's right, while Jackson, with the remainder of the army, attacked in front and on the left near the river. In the darkness Planche's men mistook the 44th regiment for the enemy and fired into it. but the confusion was soon righted and the whole line advanced, the Brit-
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