At New Orleans, the British Veterans of the Napoleonic Wars had every expectation of success as they had taken much, MUCH stronger defenses than those the Americans hastily threw up. Though not always successful, “Forlorn Hopes” had been a hallmark of British Victory in the Peninsular Campaign of 1800 – 1814.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forlorn_hopeTo this day, even many of the few Americans who know of this battle, often think of it as a victory of American Riflemen over British Infantry and perhaps as a more modern extension and more successful conclusion of the Battle of Breed’s (Bunker) Hill of the previous Revolutionary War (with Musket Armed Soldiers). American Propaganda of the time still gives us the wrong impression of the battle.
1. Use of Riflemen. Out of Jackson’s 2,000 Kentuckians, TWO THIRDS of them showed up in New Orleans without ANY firearms and were issued old guns from the City’s resources that were not in good order (NOT Rifles). One unit of American Riflemen were actually from Orleans, a company of Beale’s Rifles, and did participate in throwing the British Back on the American Right along with REGULAR American Artillery, some Companies of the 7th US Regulars, about 58 U.S. Marines, a Sloop of War (usually mistakenly called a Frigate) on the river providing more artillery fire and other American forces. However, the British had a Battalion of the 95th Rifles with them and thus may/probably had close to or as many Riflemen as had the Americans.
2. Out of Jackson’s 5,000 to 6,000 man Army, about a thousand were U.S. Army (Infantry and Artillery) around 986, 106 Navy and 58 Marine REGULARS. They did yeoman service in the battle as a foundation of disciplined forces, so the battle was not just “citizen soldiers” against British Regulars.
3. Original accounts from both American and British sources have clearly stated most casualties on both sides came from Artillery Fire. In skirmishes prior to the final battle of 8 January, British Artillery had “silenced” American Artillery and the British had captured some American Guns (Artillery). During the final battle, American Artillery in entrenched positions silenced the few British Guns brought up and did far more damage than American Musketry or Rifle fire.
4. The British Commander, General Packenham (a Veteran of the Peninsular Wars) made a huge mistake by not landing more British Troops for the Battle from those still aboard ships. “Pack” had about 8,000 British altogether and thus outnumbered the American Army of 5-6,000, but did not want to wait for more forces to land. The mistake there was if one wants to ensure they are going to be able to take an entrenched enemy defensive position, one has to have at least two to three times as many forces as the Defenders.
5. The British did NOT advance or charge “High Diddle Diddle, straight up the Middle” as is often related in historic propaganda and myth during the final battle. They attacked in two columns, one each on the American’s “Right and Left” in an attempt to “turn the American Line.” This was normal battle strategy for the time and often, if not usually worked However, the American position was “anchored” by a river on the right with a Sloop on river firing Artillery into the British and a swamp on the American Left.
6. The leading British Regiment that was supposed to bring scaling ladders to get into the American Defenses on the American right, forgot or left the scaling ladders behind. BAD move there.
7. The British attack on the American Left was somewhat more successful, BUT was stopped in the ditches. When the 93rd Highlanders were sent across the Battlefield in support, their senior Officers were killed when they halted to reform prior to a charge. With no further orders, they stood their ground and got tore up by American Artillery fire.
8. The British Commanding General Pakenham and his second in Command, General Gibbs, were killed by American Artillery Grapeshot. Many if not most of the Senior British Officers had been killed. Finally the British General Lambert assumed command and though some success had been made by Royal Navy and Marine Forces breaking a part of the American Line, Lambert did not have the 2,000 troops necessary to follow up and with the defeat of the main Army, was forced to withdraw.
9. At the end of the Battle, the British had lost over 2,000 men while the Americans had lost only 71 of dead, wounded or missing (captured). Thus the British no longer had sufficient forces to overwhelm the Americans and eventually sailed off after General Lambert and his surviving Commanders concluded further action would be too costly.
10. It has often been suggested the Battle of New Orleans was unnecessary as the Treaty of Ghent had been signed and the war was already “over.” The British Parliament had agreed to the Treaty, but the American Senate had not, so we were still “officially” at War for several months more until the Senate ratified the Treaty. Had the British won the Battle of New Orleans and especially if that had encouraged the Spanish to re-stake their claims in the area as the British intended, it could have severely limited westward expansion of the U.S. for some time. Instead, the Battle stopped that from happening and led to many years of Foreign Powers “staying out of our business” for the most part and certainly to that great of a degree.
Now of course the British could have made all these mistakes and more and still won the Battle and taken New Orleans, if they had gone up against a lesser Commander than Andrew Jackson and probably had Jackson not had the Regulars and other forces he did. Jackson’s will was so fierce that he turned around the near state of panic the Citizens of New Orleans were in shortly after he arrived. Jackson’s choice of the Battlefield and defensive works was a huge key to their success. The U.S. Army’s Regular Artillery supplied the nerve and ability to use the Artillery so effectively. The discipline of other Regular Army, Navy and Marine forces bolstered the line and protected the Artillery so they could do their job, as well as serve as inspiration to hold the position. Jackson’s Kentuckians had come down to make a fight and they certainly did. The other Militia forces seem to have fought well, also, including those from New Orleans who were protecting their homes. Still, the Battle was not won by American Riflemen fighting off British Infantry as the Myth and propaganda suggested. There is no doubt that American Riflemen did well that day, but Jackson and the U.S. Artillery did more to win the battle than anything else.
Gus
