Battle of New Orleans

This article is about the battle fought in 1815. For other uses, see Battle of New Orleans (disambiguation).

Battle of New Orleans
Part of the War of 1812

The battle as painted by Jean Hyacinthe de Laclotte, a member of the Louisiana Militia, based on his sketches made at the scene
DateJanuary 8, 1815 (1815-01-08)[1]
Location
Near New Orleans, Louisiana
29°56′33″N 89°59′27″W / 29.94250°N 89.99083°W / 29.94250; -89.99083
Result American victory
Belligerents
 United States  United Kingdom
Commanders and leaders
Strength
c. 5,700[3] c. 8,000[3][a]
Casualties and losses
  • 13 dead
  • 39 wounded
  • 19 missing or captured[4][5]
  • Total: 71
  • 291 dead
  • 1,262 wounded
  • 484 missing or captured[6]
  • Total: 2,037[6]
Chalmette Battlefield is located in Louisiana
Chalmette Battlefield
Chalmette Battlefield
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Location in Louisiana

The Battle of New Orleans was fought on January 8, 1815, between the British Army under Major General Sir Edward Pakenham and the United States Army under Brevet Major General Andrew Jackson,[3] roughly 5 miles (8 km) southeast of the French Quarter of New Orleans,[7] in the current suburb of Chalmette, Louisiana.[1][3]

The battle was the climax of the five-month Gulf Campaign (September 1814 to February 1815) by Britain to try to take New Orleans, West Florida, and possibly Louisiana Territory which began at the First Battle of Fort Bowyer. Britain started the New Orleans campaign on December 14, 1814, at the Battle of Lake Borgne and numerous skirmishes and artillery duels happened in the weeks leading up to the final battle.

The battle took place 15 days after the signing of the Treaty of Ghent, which formally ended the War of 1812, on December 24, 1814, though it would not be ratified by the United States (and therefore did not take effect) until February 16, 1815, as news of the agreement had not yet reached the United States from Europe.[8] Despite a British advantage in numbers, training, and experience, the American forces defeated a poorly executed assault in slightly more than 30 minutes. The Americans suffered 71 casualties, while the British suffered over 2,000, including the deaths of the commanding general, Major General Sir Edward Pakenham, and his second-in-command, Major General Samuel Gibbs.

  1. ^ a b Remini (1999), p. 136.
  2. ^ Anthony Eley. "Pushmataha, Brigadier General". National Museum of the United States Army. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d "Battle of New Orleans Facts & Summary". American Battlefield Trust. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
  4. ^ Remini (1977), p. 285, quoting Jackson's report dated January 14, 1815
  5. ^ James, p. 563, reproducing Adjutant General Robert Butler's casualty report to Brigadier General Parker dated January 16, 1815.
  6. ^ a b Remini (1999), p. 195.
  7. ^ "The Battle of New Orleans". National Geographic Society. Archived from the original on February 24, 2021. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
  8. ^ Mclemore, Laura, ed. (2016). The Battle of New Orleans in History and Memory. Louisiana State University Press. p. 3. ISBN 978-0-80-716466-2.


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