Page:Lives of the presidents in words of one syllable (1903).djvu/48

 *ti-more, but had to leave with great loss. While the fight was on there, Fran-cis Scott Key wrote, on board one of the Brit-ish ships to which he had gone for some of our men, that great song, "The Star Span-gled Ban-ner."

"Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming? Oh, say, does the star spangled banner yet wave O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave?"

The Brit-ish then went down to New Or-leans, but they met one there who was more than a match for them. It was Gen. Jackson. He had charge of the town. He had built up miles of breast-works so that they could not get near. His men from Ten-nes-see and Ken-tucky shot ten times as true as the Brit-ish.

Jack-son, with his stout heart, quick eye, and cool head, and with just half the troops of the foe, drove all off in half an hour's time, with the loss of but eight of his own men, while two score and five hundred of the foe lay dead on the ground. It is said that but few vic-to-ries in all time have been so great. This made up for all loss-es.

If our land had known what had been done at Ghent, Bel-gi-um, on Dec. 24, 1814, this fight might not have come. The treat-y of peace was then signed. News came slow in those days, and we had to wait to hear what, at last, gave great joy to all.

Eight years Mad-i-son was at the head of our land, and it was hard to let him go for he was of great help to us; though there were some who found fault with him, and said it was "Mr. Mad-i-son's War," and that it should not have come. But when the end came Pres-i-dent Mad-i-son's good work to heal the wounds was seen and thought well