The Battle of New Orleans
The battle of New Orleans was fought in 1815 as part of the war between the British and the newly formed United States. The battle formed the climax of the war. It did not take place in New Orleans despite the name. Instead, it was fought five miles south of the city in Chalmette. Notable figures at the helm of it all include Major General Edward Pakenham and General Andrew Jackson (Civil War Trust, 2017). Unlike modern times, news traveled slower then. Thus even though the treaty of Ghent had been signed on December 24th the previous year, the war ironically too place. (Libraries of War, 2017).
The war started soon after Britain had won her conflict with Napoleon. It was instigated partly by American detest over the dominance of the British at sea. The British navy disrupted American trade routes making transatlantic voyages difficult (Know Lousiana, 2017). Sailors from American vessels were reported being imprisoned fueling the irritation. On the other hand, some Americans were in the war for the land in Canada and Florida. These territories were under Spain, an ally of the British Crown. Immediately after Napoleon, attention shifted to America with twenty thousand troops sailing to the states from Britain led by Admiral Alexander Cochrane. They invaded the country using Lake Chaplain, the Chesapeake Bay, New Orleans and Niagara peninsula (Know Lousiana, 2017). Therefore the US people entered the war motivated by different reasons while the defeat of France propelled Britain.
The British could mount an attack on several areas. U. S. generals were as a result challenged with predicting where to position the most reliable defense. New Orleans did not seem like the most likely attacking point for most of the American Generals (Know Lousiana, 2017). However, General Jackson predicted a possible attack on the Alabama area and gathered a small battalion from the Seventh Military District. As events played out, he was somewhat correct. A section of the British fiercely attacked Mobile, Alabama. They were under the command of Willian Percy, a naval captain, and Major Edward Nichols from the Royal Marine. Jackson and his men relocated to New Orleans to come up with a defense plan. From Mobile, Jackson knew that the British only had two viable options. That is, they were either going to make their way to Lake Pontchartrain or sail up the Mississippi to New Orleans (Know Lousiana, 2017). The second route seemed unlikely due to several impediments. Accordingly, Jackson strategically prepared for the battle.
Although General Jackson at this point had the tactical advantage, he was still outnumbered. He only had about a thousand regular soldiers reinforced by two thousand militia while the British doubled Jackson’s forces. The General utilized everyone he could find including a nearby American naval unit, pirates, Native Americans and African Americas (Civil War Trust, 2017). The unorthodox alliance attracted a lot of doubts. Many questioned the loyalty of the African Americans, Pirates and the French-speaking Louisiana community.
The war started soon after the British landed in the port of Mexico (Libraries of War, 2017). A series of battles soon followed as they made their way into the interior. Soon they had taken control of the waterways leading into the country. They started building a garrison in Pea Island located about thirty miles from New Orleans. News of the battles and dominance reached New Orleans. Panic and fear soon followed forcing Jackson to declare martial law in the city. The British officers found their way to Jacque Villere’s plantation guided by a Spanish fisherman. They ambushed and took over the plantation house. Major Gabriel Villire, Jacque’s son, tried to defend the farm but was overpowered (Know Lousiana, 2017). While the British waited for reinforcements at the farm, Jackson was planning a surprise attack. He then attacked the farm using armed boats from the naval force. Edward Pakenham, arrived at the plantation the next morning. It was on charismas day. At daybreak, he ordered a series of artillery attack of the Americas which lasted till December 28th (Know Lousiana, 2017). The U.S forces managed to drive back the Pakenham and his troops. The British suffered heavy artillery which forced them to spend the next three days regrouping and preparing for a large-scale attack. On January 1st the fighting resumed. However, the attacking British gunners were driven from their guns. Finally, on January 8th the Pakenham divided his forces into two. One, the small diversion team, was to attack the west while the other came in at the center under cover of a dense fog. The fog lifted exposing the second side to massive fire from Jackson’s men (Know Lousiana, 2017). The British force did not stand a chance. As the smoke from muskets cleared, the battle ended.
In conclusion, the battle of New Orleans was a month-long scuffle between the U. S and Britain. The battle took part not in the city but a few miles away. For the most part, the fight was pointless as a peace treaty had already been signed. It was caused by various factors on both ends. The British, led by Major General Edward Pakenham had a formidable force, but Jackson and his troops eventually won.
References
Civil War Trust. (2017). Civil War Facts. Retrieved from https://www.civilwar.org/learn/articles/civil-war-facts
Docs Teach. (2017). The civil war. Retrieved from https://www.docsteach.org/topics/civil-war
Know Lousiana. (2017). Battle of New Orleans. Retrieved from http://www.knowlouisiana.org/entry/battle-of-new-orleans-2
Libraries of War. (2017). New Orleans 1815: Battle of New Orleans. Retrieved from http://collections.libraries.indiana.edu/warof1812/exhibits/show/warof1812/the-war-1815
