The Battle of New Orleans: A
Bicentennial Tribute Edited by Gary D. Joiner
Pelican, 2015, ISBN 9781455620890, $26.95
Fifty years ago, the Battle of
New Orleans Sesquicentennial Commission published nine
pamphlets providing historical information related to
the battle and the people who participated in it. The
authors selected to write these papers were experts on
the topics they wrote about, but the pamphlets were
limited editions and are rare finds these days. To
celebrate the two-hundredth anniversary of this event,
The Battle of New Orleans Bicentennial Commission
decided to republished these papers in a single book so
the important and invaluable information they contain
remain available to researchers and readers interested
in this final battle of the War of 1812. The Battle of New
Orleans: A Bicentennial Tribute is the result.
The nine essays in this
hardbound volume depict “a particular point of interest
surrounding New Orleans and the battle fought to save
it.” (11) Since these were originally separate
publications, there is no uniform style as to how they
are written and whether or not the authors listed their
resources. The introduction to this book includes
information about each of the authors. What follows are
the titles, authors, and summaries of these research
papers.
New Orleans as It Was in
1814-1815 by Leonard V. Huber
A fascinating look back
at the city as it appeared when General Andrew
Jackson arrived. The focus is on the layout of the
city and its architecture, and includes some
period descriptions from primary sources.
Sea Power and the Battle of
New Orleans by Admiral Ernest McNeill Eller, Dr.
William J. Morgan, and Lieutenant R. M. Basoco
Although the majority of
action took place on land, the U.S. Navy played
pivotal roles on the Mississippi and Lake Borgne.
The authors provide details about the officers who
commanded both the New Orleans station and the
vessels that protected the city and river. They
also discuss Jean Laffite, the privateers, and the
British attempt to elicit their assistance in the
invasion.
Major-General Sir Edward M.
Pakenham by Valerie McNair Scott, Lady Pakenham
Aside from his tragic
demise in the final battle, most Americans know
little of the commander of the British Army. Lady
Pakenham rectifies this oversight, providing a
unique and insightful introduction to him. Some
information comes from family correspondence, a
rare and valuable treat.
Louisiana at the Battle of
New Orleans by Powell A. Casey
Many people view the
battle as a single event, but it was actually a
series of skirmishes that began on 14 December
1814 and culminated with the unsuccessful
bombardment of Fort St. Philip on 18 January 1815.
After a brief introduction, Casey discusses 1815
psychological warfare, the invasion, the events
between 27 December and 8 January, the main battle
on the eighth, and the aftermath and withdrawal of
British forces. He also devotes several pages to
the role of cotton bales and pirates in the
battle. His appendix lists the Louisiana Military
Units that served, with brief biographical
paragraphs on their commanding generals.
Tennessee at the Battle of
New Orleans by Elbert L. Watson
While Andrew Jackson is
the best-known participant from Tennessee, he
isn’t the only one from that state. This essay
introduces readers to these men and their efforts
in keeping the young United States a free and
independent nation. There is also a brief mention
of Laffite’s pirates and the appendix includes two
of Jackson’s reports to the Secretary of War
following the main battle. Additional information
is found in the notes at the end of the paper.
Plantation Houses on the
Battlefield of New Orleans by Samuel Wilson, Jr.
The ground on which the
battle was fought belonged to a number of
plantation owners. While the house currently seen
on the battlefield wasn’t one of these, Wilson
provides intriguingand contemporary information
about the homes of François Balthazar Languille,
Edmond Macarty (Jackson’s headquarters), Jean
Rodriguez, Ignace de Lino de Chalmet, Antoine
Bienvenu, Colonel Pierre Denis de La Ronde, Pierre
Robin Lacoste, Jacques Philippe Villeré (British
headquarters), and Charles Coulon Jumonville de
Villiers that were present, but no longer exist.
The Battle on the West Bank
by Richard Henry Dixon
While the main battle was
fought on the same side of the river as the city,
the British also launched an attack on the
opposite bank, where they were far more
successful. Had they not received orders to
withdraw, the tide of battle might have been far
different, for the enemy could have used American
guns to pummel Jackson’s main force. Dixon also
includes an excerpt from Lieutenant George Robert
Glieg’s account of what happened from the British
perspective, and Charles L. Dufour’s chronological
“Campaign for New Orleans.”
Negro Soldiers in the Battle
of New Orleans by Marcus Christian
Jackson’s army was a
ragtag collection of men from many walks of life
and many regions of the world. This essay examines
the roles that black men (free and slave) played
in the battle, comparing and contrasting how
General Jackson and Governor Claiborne treated
these people.
The Weapons of the Battle of
New Orleans by William A. Meuse
The disparity of losses
between the British and the Americans is just one
aspect of what Meuse explores as he describes
muskets, rifles, pistols, swords, tomahawks,
knives, artillery, and ammunition.
One drawback to this collection
involves copyediting, such as “View Carré” instead of
“Vieux Carré” for the original part of the city, what we
call the French Quarter. Two other errors involve the
given name of Major General Ross, the officer who would
have commanded the British Army had he not been killed
by a sniper at the Battle of North Point in September
1814. His first name is repeatedly given as Alexander,
when it was actually Robert. Another factual error was
the statement that the Duke of Wellington was married to
Kitty Pakenham’s sister. In actuality, he married
Edward’s sister, Kitty.
Even so, The Battle of New
Orleans is a valuable resource that belongs in
any War of 1812 collection. I’ve read numerous accounts
of the war, and of this event in particular, but much of
the information included here is rarely found in other
volumes. Although no index or pictures accompany the
text – both of which would have enhanced this collection
– each essay is easily read in one or two sittings and
the topics are specific enough that a researcher need
consult only the specific pertinent essay to find what
is required.
Pirates
and Privateers
