New Orleans, Battle of , was the last major battle of the War of 1812 (1812-1815). The battle took place in southeastern Louisiana on Jan. 8, 1815. American troops led by Major General Andrew Jackson prevented British troops led by Lieutenant General Sir Edward Pakenham from capturing the city of New Orleans. The battle has been called the “needless battle” because it was fought after the United States and the United Kingdom had signed a treaty of peace.
Background.
In 1814, the British developed plans to capture New Orleans. New Orleans was one of the largest cities in the United States, and its port had millions of dollars in goods. In August 1814, the British established a military base at Pensacola, then in Spanish Florida, for the upcoming attack on New Orleans.
Major General Andrew Jackson, who commanded American forces along the southern coast, wanted to drive the British from Pensacola. The U.S. government, however, did not want to risk war with Spain. In late October 1814, the government sent Jackson orders not to attack Pensacola. However, Jackson attacked before these orders arrived. On November 7, he captured the town in a quick campaign. The British blew up their forts and left the Pensacola area. The victory left Jackson free to supervise the defense of New Orleans.
Preparation.
On Dec. 1, 1814, Jackson arrived at New Orleans and began preparing the city for a British attack. About two weeks later, the British navy defeated a fleet of American gunboats on Lake Borgne, just outside of New Orleans.
On December 23, about 1,600 British troops, led by Colonel William Thornton, captured about 30 American militia (citizen army) members at a plantation owned by Jacques Villeré, a Louisiana statesman. The plantation was about 8 miles (13 kilometers) south of New Orleans. Villeré’s son escaped and warned Jackson that British troops were coming. That night, Jackson and about 2,000 troops attacked the British at the Villeré plantation. The British checked the American attack, and Jackson withdrew his troops to the north.
Jackson’s soldiers halted behind the Rodriguez Canal, about 4 miles (6.5 kilometers) south of New Orleans. There, they built a defensive position between the Mississippi River on the west and a swamp on the east. An assortment of regular soldiers, militia, free African Americans, and Choctaw Indians defended the line. A group of pirates led by the New Orleans smuggler Jean Laffite also joined the defensive force. On the west side of the Mississippi, Jackson placed cannons that could fire across the river at any British advance. Brigadier General David B. Morgan commanded the troops manning those cannons.
On December 24, the United States and the United Kingdom signed the Treaty of Ghent in Belgium. The treaty ended the war. However, because of the slowness in carrying messages across the Atlantic Ocean, neither army knew of the peace treaty until February 1815.
The battle.
On Dec. 25, 1814, Lieutenant General Sir Edward Pakenham arrived at the Villeré plantation and took command of the British troops. After several minor encounters, the British advanced on the American position on Jan. 8, 1815.
Pakenham’s plan was to send a small British force of about 600 soldiers, led by Thornton, across the Mississippi River to capture Morgan’s cannons. Morgan had about 700 troops with the cannons. Thornton’s group would then fire the captured cannons on Jackson’s main line. At the same time, the main British force of about 5,300 soldiers was to make a frontal assault against Jackson’s 4,700 troops behind the Rodriguez Canal.
The British attack, however, did not go as planned. Thornton’s troops fell behind schedule, and the British captured Morgan’s cannons too late to assist the main assault. The main British force marched forward in close columns on open ground, and this made them easy targets for the Americans.
Pakenham was killed while trying to rally his troops. Major General John Lambert replaced Pakenham and called off the assault. The attack, which lasted only about 30 minutes, ended in a terrible defeat for the British. The next day, Lambert ordered Thornton’s force to retreat back to the east side of the Mississippi.
Aftermath.
During the battle, the British suffered about 300 soldiers killed, 1,250 wounded, and 500 captured. The American losses totaled only 13 killed, 39 wounded, and 19 captured.
Lambert held the British position for 10 more days and withdrew his troops on January 18. During those 10 days, the British navy tried to capture Fort St. Philip—about 65 miles (105 kilometers) south of New Orleans—but failed. The British next began an assault on Mobile, Alabama, but they learned of the peace treaty before they could capture the city.
Because the Battle of New Orleans took place after a peace treaty had been signed, it had no effect on the outcome of the war. However, the battle helped make Jackson a national hero. In 1828, Jackson was elected as the seventh president of the United States.
See also Jackson, Andrew ; Laffite, Jean ; War of 1812 (“The needless battle”) .
