Forgo titell HEROES by bj ELMO SCOTT WATSON VATSON he saved new orleans aseved ASK SIC the average american who saved new orleans in the war of 1812 and lie will probably answer why andrew jackson of course that answer Is correct but it would bo be equally correct to say eay capt samuel chester reid held and what Is more surprising Is the fact that reid held saved that historic city by fighting a battle on the sea several thousand miles away during the war of 1812 reid held was commander of an american privateer the general armstrong on the night of september 20 1814 hla his ship lay at anchor in the harbor of horta dorta in the island of fayal in the azores despite the fact that lloita was a neutral port a large british squadron commanded by com commodore tiodore lloyd came to attack the little american ship it was a bright moonlight night might when lloyd sent his first attacking party of more than men in tour four large launches into the harbor the enemy opened ore fire as they approached and reid held immediately replied driving 0 off if the launches with heavy loss another attack was made at midnight with 14 launches and COO men who succeeded in boarding the general armstrong but were driven out by the desperate resistance of the americans suffering a loss of killed and wounded at daybreak another attack was made by the british brig the carnation but she was beaten off realizing that he could not resist another attack and finding his ship badly damaged reid held scuttled his yes ves eel and safely conveyed all of his men ashore lie he bad lost his bis ship but he be nor a victory that was more important than he realized the british los over WO killed and wounded while tho americans lost but two killed and seen i wounded wound ed but tile the important fart fact was this this squadron was part of the expedition then gathering at jamaica tor for the purpose of seizing new orleans and they had attacked the general armstrong to capture her and use her as an auxiliary vessel but the british squadron was so no crippled that it did not reach jamaica until ten days later than tile the expedition had expected to leave there the expedition waited for commodore lloyd and that delay was fatal to its expected results per for by the tha time it tir arrived rived in louisiana general jackson had completed his defenses tor for that city and the world knows the result of the battle which he fought there on january 8 1815 a a forgotten by his own choice on the morning of december S 4 1000 in the sleepy little town ot of vigan in the philippines the town la Is held by 84 men ot of company B D of the thirty third united states volunteer infantry operating against the insurgent general tine also it Is a supply depot where are stored rations tor for the campaign and a hospital in which lie some IM sick and disabled soldiers alno has a force of men he will steal into the town under the cover of darkness then when reveille sounds and the american soldiers turn out without arms to answer roll call they will be met with a leaden hall from the Insurrect os rifles but the plan quits quite work outpost no ti 6 of company B discovers the fil spinos stealing into the town and opens fire immediately the tight fight Is on capt charles van way rushes forth and takes command at one place lie he stations private joe epps and private smith ills orders are dont let them get across here egold them d n it it if they ever get in got me cut off ou and private epps and smith held them the Insurrect os were repulsed but snipers lingered and from time to time poured in a galling tire fire upon the americans one group behind a churchyard wall was especially annoying to private epps eppa finally lie went to captain van way and said 1 I want to go and get those fellows behind that wall all right replied the captain take the men you need and get them out As it turned out all the force private epps wanted woe war one man vate W 0 trafton a big texan creeping along cautiously they located their quarry before the enemy knew what had happened epps was on top of the wall and shouting down at them in spanish and english both to throw down their rifles and get their hands up in the air to private trafton he shouted orders as though that individual was waa a whole company and the texan let loose a typical texas whoop the dropped their guns and hoisted their hands there were 17 riflemen and four others armed with bolos all of whom epps herded into camp as prisoners eight americans ard and over IDO Insurrect os were killed at the battle of vigan ther were 40 prisoners tak tab en more than half of them by one man epps eppa was voted the he congressional medal of honor for his feat but aher he got back to this country he deliberately abely dropped out of sight night finally 24 years later he was discovered in muskogee okla and there at a great gathering in a ball park the medal pinned on his coat 0 1131 1331 w western t a r