The acts of 16th July, 1846, 3d March, 1847, and 2d June, 1848, provide for the payment of individuals and States for expenses incurred by them in furnishing troops, &c., for the Mexican war; but they do not relate to the war of 1812, and there is consequently no provision for this case. It is obvious that Hudry did not originally intend to make any demand upon the government for these expenditures, being, at the time they were made, in affluence; but 19 years afterwards he throws himself in his poverty upon the gratitude of his adopted country, and it is for Congress to determine whether they will recognize and compensate him for his acts of patriotism. In 1850 and 1854, this petition was presented to Congress by his administrator, but it did not receive favorable consideration, and it is now presented by his legal heir, accompanied by satisfactory proof of her genealogy. The committee, after a careful examination of this case, report a bill for petitioner's relief and ask its passage. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, April 14, 1834. Petition of John Hudry, of Louisiana, praying remuneration for services and advances made for the defence of New Orleans, in 1814-'15. Your petitioner, John Hudry, exposes to you, respectfully, that in November, 1814, he organized sixty French veterans and brave Louisianees, under the denomination of the company of the Franks. But few among them could provide their uniform, accoutrement, arms, and ammunition, the executive power of Louisiana having refused us every part of those indispensable articles; although daily advices assured us that the enemy, who was then plundering and laying waste the cities on the Chesapeake bay, had in contemplation an immediate attack upon New Orleans. I therefore contracted for the uniforms, the cartridge-boxes, and 6,000 cartridges. As no arms could be procured in town, I got from Barataria 80 blades of sword, which I caused to be completely mounted in New Orleans, with their furnitures. I gathered with much difficulty, in New Orleans and neighborhood, old muskets, some without rods, bayonets, or locks, all of which I had refitted at any price, and I supported, cheerfully, my comrades from the beginning of November to the end of February. We were ready in one month to receive our general, Jackson. He led us to that memorable affair of the 23d of December, when he routed five thousand British veterans with fourteen hundred men, on the left bank of the Mississippi. The general took afterwards his position, and, in the evening of the 27th, he ordered the twenty-four pounder to be brought to the right of his line, which arrived after 8 o'clock amidst rain, frost, and a perfect obscurity; cannon and materials were unloaded in the mud, but no gunner could be found to put it in battery. The aid-de-camp, A. Davezac, came to me late in the night; he told me that the general was certain to be attacked next morning. Then I roused seventeen of my companions, the most of them professed gunners, and before daylight the battery was ready. Next morning, the 28th, eight thousand red coats appeared before us; they opened a brisk fire from a strong battery which they had established during the same night, with a shower of rockets, but our twenty-four pounder destroyed their redoubt, and they retreated. Our general ordered a twelve pounder to be placed at the left of his line, but all the gunners were with Commodore Patterson on board the ship Louisiana. Therefore, I sent to the piece my lieutenant, with nine able artillerists; they established the battery, and, on the morning of the 1st of January, nine thousand British came again to storm our poor mud line, but the Franks levelled their second battery, and they withdrew. On the 8th of January the enemy attacked everywhere; eleven hundred red coats advanced along the woods in close columns, but the Franks discovered the general staff on horseback; they pointed a canister, and the whole bunch came to the ground. That army remained without a general, and after some sharp struggles without command, they retreated, leaving the field covered with dead and wounded. Had not that extraordinary event happened, New Orleans would have been a Moscow before noon. Gentlemen, I declare that I did no more than my duty as a professed champion of man's rights, and of liberty, from my early youth. Eighteen or nineteen years have elapsed since those events; but I have taken good care never to mention my services nor my sacrifices for the defence of the country. I was a patriot, but not a mercenary. However, at last, misfortune, bad health, and age, have overtaken me. Therefore, I present myself with confidence before the honorable senators of the United States of America to ask them relief. I am, gentlemen, the devoted patriot, and your faithful servant, JOHN HUDRY. Account of John Hudry, presented to the Committee of the honorable Senate of the United States on Military Affairs. 60 uniforms, comprising guêtres, pataloons, waistcoats, coats, and hats, with ornaments and trimmings, at $40 60 cartridge boxes, with furnitures, at $10..... $2,400 600 900 60 muskets, bought anywhere they could be found, some without bayonet, rod, or lock, and refitted at any price, at $20. 1,200 3 hats for the officers, with decorations.... 150 3 swords for the officers, with furnitures in silver. 2 drums, (1 in copper,) uniforms, and pay of the drummers.. My own uniform...... 6,000 cartridges... For supporting my companions from the beginning of November to the end of February, about $30 per day 3 epaulettes and 3 dragonnes 1 cart and 1 man to convey provisions and straw, &c. . The rent of a house for our rendezvous.... $75 150 60 230 3,600 100 120 120 9,705 And a great many other expenses. Gentlemen, this money was a large portion of the proceeds of my patrimony. I hope that your patriotism and love for your country will put me in possession of the same, to be able to renew a little business. I am your devoted servant, and friend of this republic, WASHINGTON, April 1, 1834. I know the petitioner, John Hudry, and have known him since 1812. I know that in the fall of 1814, when the country was threatened with invasion, he raised and equipped a volunteer company for its defence; that he applied to the governor of the State for the necessary arms and equipments; that he was refused, as there were none to give him; that he did cloth, arm, and equip them at his own expense; that, on the arrival of the commander-in-chief, they were received into the service of the United States, and did, during the campaign of 1814-'15, render the most important and signal service in defence of the country. The petitioner was then a man of fortune, but has since become poor and in ill health. I know that all articles of equipment were at that period extremely scarce, and bore a most extravagant price. JNO. R. GRYMES. NEW ORLEANS, March 21, 1815. I hereby certify that Captain John Hudry, born in Savoy, did, at the eve of invasion, raise in New Orleans a company of volunteers, called the Compagnie Franche, and has been with his company in all the engagements fought with the English near this place previous to their flight, and is entitled to the esteem of all the good citizens of the United States. ANDREW JACKSON, Major General commanding 7th military district. NEW ORLEANS, October 3, 1821. DEAR SIR: The company of Franks whom you have commanded since their first organization, in a manner so highly honorable to you and so satisfactory to them, have seen with the deepest regret that you had determined to become a citizen of another State, and that, in consequence of this your determination, you could no longer retain among them a situation to which their free will and suffrages had called you. No other alternative was left to them but to accept of the resignation which you tendered, and your resignation was accepted; but a solemn obligation is imposed upon them by everything that is sacred between man and man. They owe it to you, they owe it to themselves, they owe it to the State of Louisiana, to offer you an unequivocal testimony of their respect; and it is with a view to pay this debt of gratitude that we, the undersigned, have been appointed a committee, with instructions to draft and forward to you a letter expressive of the sentiments of the corps. This duty we now come prepared to discharge, and we are happy to have it in our power to declare that you possess, in the most eminent degree, the patriotism and virtues of the republican, the amiable qualities and accomplishments of the gentleman, and the firmness and courage of the soldier; that to you alone is the corps indebted for that subordination and discipline which distinguishes it; and that you were the man who, at the hour of danger, when our independence and the integrity of our territory were threatened by an invading foe, pointed out to us the post of honor and led us to victory. Need we add that the recollection of your examples and lessons will always be cherished by the company, and will hereafter, we hope, contribute in a great measure to the preservation of that spirit of emulation and good order with which you first inspired them. Accept, dear sir, in behalf of our comrades, and in our own individual names, of the assurances of an unbounded affection. We have the honor to be, with the highest consideration, your obedient servants and devoted friends, JEAN HUDRY, Esq., B. C. DUNCAN.. Late Captain of the company of Franks. NOUVELLE ORLEANS, Mai 22, 1821. MONSIEUR J'ai l'honneur de vous accuser reception de votre lettre, par la quelle vous m'imformez qu'ayant fixé votre résidence dans l'Etat du Mississippi, vous me preiz de reconier votre démission de capitaine de la Compagnie des Francs. C'est avec regret, monsieur, que j'accepte la résignation d'un citoyen aussi estimable que vous, je me rappelle avec un sentiment d'estimé et de respect, tous les services que vous avez rendus à notre pays pendant la campagne de 1814 et 1815; je suis moralement persuadé, connaissant votre patriotism et votre denouement pour le bien public, que si l'etat était encore menacé d'un danger éminent, l'on vous serait accourir à sa défence et vous joindre à vos anciens frères d'armes. Je suis avec estime votre amé, JEAN HUDRY, J. B. PLANCHE, Capitaine de la Compagnie des Francs. Brigadier Général. STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, Wilkinson County. } To all who may see these presents : JANUARY 22, 1833. I do certify that I have known Captain Jean Hurdy for more than eleven years, and been intimately acquainted with him during the principal part of that period; that, ever since my knowledge of him, he has supported the character of an honest, upright, temperate, enterprising, benevolent, patriotic, and high-minded gentleman, and that I do believe him such in every respect; that he located himself on Percy's creek, in this county, about the year 1820, as a merchant, with a large stock of goods; but, from the want of a knowledge of the people amongst whom he settled, and the laws of the country, and confiding too much in unworthy persons, he has been unjustly deprived of his property. Given under my hand the day and year above written. GERARD C. BRANDON. Personally appeared before the Committee on Propositions and Grievances of the house of representatives of the State of Louisiana, Jacob Tourné, of the city of New Orleans, who on oath says, that in the years 1814 and 1815, during the invasion of Louisiana by the British troops and for two or three months previous thereto, he was a sergeant in the company of Franks, of which John Hudry was captain; that nearly all the members of that company were poor men who were unable to uniform, arm, and equip themselves; that they received neither arms nor accoutrements from the State; that it is |