27 Nov 00

The Battle for New Orleans, January 1815

Spontaneous, popular revolutions have always made European aristocrats nervous. The nearly simultaneous French and American Revolutions in the 18th Century are good examples, much as would be the Bolshevik Revolution in the 20th Century. British philosopher, John Locke, had coined the term, "life, liberty, and property." Thomas Jefferson, wanted to quote him, but fearing the reference to "property" would be interpreted as legitimizing European-style, genetic aristocracy, changed the phrase to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." In French, it translated to "fraternity, liberty, equality." French revolutionaries were inspired by the American Revolution, and the two clashes took place in rapid succession.

At the dawn of the 19th Century, after their humiliating defeat at Fallen Timers at the hands of General Anthony Wayne, the British immediately had their hands full with their new war with France, but the French people, taking their example from the Americans, overthrew their king and his aristocracy in 1789. Worried about the trend spreading, the British then made war on the French again, in an effort to restore the king!

No such luck, but the French revolution did get out of hand, and suddenly American and French ships were trading shots on the high sea. In fact, for two years (1799-1801), the Americans and British were, in effect, allies against the French. Then, in an event that would be repeated in Nazi Germany a century and a half later, Napoleon Bonaparte unexpectedly usurped power in France as the French Revolution burnt itself out. Among Napoleon's first official acts was the sale of the ill-defined "Louisiana Territory" to the Untied States. Included was the key port city of New Orleans.

Fighting quickly broke out anew between Napoleon and the British in 1803. Sea battles in particular became ruthless, with the British foolishly refusing to acknowledge American citizenship as they forcibly "recruited" sailors. Mostly as a matter of national pride, the Americans declared war on the British and simultaneously plotted an invasion of Canada.

The American invasion of Canada backfired. With two months British and Canadian troops ejected the American expeditionary force and invaded American territory, seizing both Detroit and Ft Dearborn (Chicago). As it turned out, Canadians didn't want to be "liberated." Napoleon surrendered to the British in 1814, but the Americans still refused to call off the war! Angered, seaborne British troops brushed aside American defenders, entered Washington DC, and burned many government buildings before leaving. President Madison steadfastly refused to negotiate, and, after an astounding mauling at the hands of American soldiers in Baltimore, British troops got back on their ships and withdrew.

Smarting, the British then eyed the isolated City of New Orleans. It had only been in American hands for a few years, and, if they seized it, Madison would be forced to negotiate. For this job, Arthur Wellesley, the famous Duke of Wellington, selected his brother in law, Edward Pakenham.

Pakenham knew this battle would not only bring the impudent Americans in line, but, because of its temporal proximity with his brother in law's defeat of Napoleon, it historical importance would be vastly disproportionate to its actual military significance. He and his stunning triumph would be remembered for generations. He was only thirty-six years old, and the pressure to produce an unambiguous victory was crushing!

His opponent was hawk-jawed Andrew Jackson. Jackson was a frontier politician from Tennessee, not a general. His military experience was confined to fighting Indians. His troops were as green as he was. Wellington's favorite tactic had been to tempt, even goad, the enemy into attacking, then mow down their attack formations with musket fire delivered in volleys by well-disciplined cords of infantry. Pakenham was confident that Jackson would likewise be easily deceived, outmaneuvered, and defeated. The thought that the same tactic could be used against him never crossed Pakenham's mind!

Unhappily, southern Louisiana in winter was not anything like a typical European battlefield. The terrain was swampy, and each day was invariably damp, cold, and foggy. Pakenham and his subordinates had great difficulty moving, unloading supplies, and reconnoitering. The offensive quickly bogged down. Weeks passed without decisive engagement. To add to their problems, American cannoneers and riflemen were astoundingly accurate. Every lit campfire and every troop movement immediately attracted deadly accurate American rifle and cannon fire.

When Pakenham began his final move, he was unable to persuade Jackson to attack him. Jackson was sitting tight, behind rows of cotton bales, somewhere out there in the morning fog. After pounding American positions with cannon fire, Pakenham concluded that most of Jackson's troops had deserted. So, on the early morning of 8 January 1815, after a month of indecisive occupation of American territory, Pakenham decided he had to attack. He would charge Jackson's lines, stop only long enough deliver a musket volley, then rush forward in a bayonet charge, reaching the line before the Americans could reload.

Into the fog plunged Pakenham's confident infantry. As they moved forward, tripwire parties of Indians fired flaming arrows into the air, informing Jackson's men of their range. Then, as British troops were still fully exposed, came withering rifle fire from the cotton bales. British return fire was ineffective as the Americans were well protected. British troops, floundering in the fog, became disoriented as their numbers were decimated. Formations became disheveled. Pakenham himself was shot off his horse and died almost immediately. Most of his officers suffered a similar fate. A few British troops reached American lines, but all were quickly killed. The line held.

British troops soon found themselves trying to retreat but not knowing which direction to go! So, they aimlessly milled about in the fog. Most were ultimately shot. When the fog lifted, a horrible scene greeted both British and Americans alike: over two thousand British troops, all in their red uniforms, lay dead and dying! On the American side, there were only six dead. A truce was called so that the wounded could be treated and the dead carried off. Most of the dead were buried in hasty graves. Officers' bodies were pickled in barrels for shipment back to, and burial in, England. What few British officers survived quickly came to the conclusion that their only option was to evacuate the area and disembark on ships, which they did without delay.

As it turned out, the Battle of New Orleans, albeit a great moral victory for Americans, had been pointless, as the War had actually ended weeks before on Christmas Eve. Afterward, the British never renounced their right to board American ships and continued to aid Indians who were fighting in the face of American expansion. Added to the failed attempt to annex Canada, most Americans concluded that the War itself had been senseless.

Jackson ended up in Spanish Florida, again fighting Indians. In 1818 he hanged two Englishmen who were advising local Seminoles. As it turns out, these two, unnamed British nationals were the last two casualties of the protracted, Anglo-American series of conflicts which had begun forth-three years earlier at Lexington Common. Jackson was subsequently elected president. British and Americans would never fight each other again.

Lesson: Allowing oneself to be pressured into rash actions is usually a formula for failure. Single-minded people who are unrealistically expectant of continuous, positive outcomes are always candidates for calamity. Pakenham was overwhelmed by romantic prospects and inflexibility in his thinking. The current presidential conflict provides another perfect example. Well rounded people who live a full life and are thus intimately acquainted with both victory and failure make superior commanders.

/John

27 Nov 00

The Battle for New Orleans, January 1815

Spontaneous, popular revolutions have always made European aristocrats nervous. The nearly simultaneous French and American Revolutions in the 18th Century are good examples, much as would be the Bolshevik Revolution in the 20th Century. British philosopher, John Locke, had coined the term, "life, liberty, and property." Thomas Jefferson, wanted to quote him, but fearing the reference to "property" would be interpreted as legitimizing European-style, genetic aristocracy, changed the phrase to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." In French, it translated to "fraternity, liberty, equality." French revolutionaries were inspired by the American Revolution, and the two clashes took place in rapid succession.

At the dawn of the 19th Century, after their humiliating defeat at Fallen Timers at the hands of General Anthony Wayne, the British immediately had their hands full with their new war with France, but the French people, taking their example from the Americans, overthrew their king and his aristocracy in 1789. Worried about the trend spreading, the British then made war on the French again, in an effort to restore the king!

No such luck, but the French revolution did get out of hand, and suddenly American and French ships were trading shots on the high sea. In fact, for two years (1799-1801), the Americans and British were, in effect, allies against the French. Then, in an event that would be repeated in Nazi Germany a century and a half later, Napoleon Bonaparte unexpectedly usurped power in France as the French Revolution burnt itself out. Among Napoleon's first official acts was the sale of the ill-defined "Louisiana Territory" to the Untied States. Included was the key port city of New Orleans.

Fighting quickly broke out anew between Napoleon and the British in 1803. Sea battles in particular became ruthless, with the British foolishly refusing to acknowledge American citizenship as they forcibly "recruited" sailors. Mostly as a matter of national pride, the Americans declared war on the British and simultaneously plotted an invasion of Canada.

The American invasion of Canada backfired. With two months British and Canadian troops ejected the American expeditionary force and invaded American territory, seizing both Detroit and Ft Dearborn (Chicago). As it turned out, Canadians didn't want to be "liberated." Napoleon surrendered to the British in 1814, but the Americans still refused to call off the war! Angered, seaborne British troops brushed aside American defenders, entered Washington DC, and burned many government buildings before leaving. President Madison steadfastly refused to negotiate, and, after an astounding mauling at the hands of American soldiers in Baltimore, British troops got back on their ships and withdrew.

Smarting, the British then eyed the isolated City of New Orleans. It had only been in American hands for a few years, and, if they seized it, Madison would be forced to negotiate. For this job, Arthur Wellesley, the famous Duke of Wellington, selected his brother in law, Edward Pakenham.

Pakenham knew this battle would not only bring the impudent Americans in line, but, because of its temporal proximity with his brother in law's defeat of Napoleon, it historical importance would be vastly disproportionate to its actual military significance. He and his stunning triumph would be remembered for generations. He was only thirty-six years old, and the pressure to produce an unambiguous victory was crushing!

His opponent was hawk-jawed Andrew Jackson. Jackson was a frontier politician from Tennessee, not a general. His military experience was confined to fighting Indians. His troops were as green as he was. Wellington's favorite tactic had been to tempt, even goad, the enemy into attacking, then mow down their attack formations with musket fire delivered in volleys by well-disciplined cords of infantry. Pakenham was confident that Jackson would likewise be easily deceived, outmaneuvered, and defeated. The thought that the same tactic could be used against him never crossed Pakenham's mind!

Unhappily, southern Louisiana in winter was not anything like a typical European battlefield. The terrain was swampy, and each day was invariably damp, cold, and foggy. Pakenham and his subordinates had great difficulty moving, unloading supplies, and reconnoitering. The offensive quickly bogged down. Weeks passed without decisive engagement. To add to their problems, American cannoneers and riflemen were astoundingly accurate. Every lit campfire and every troop movement immediately attracted deadly accurate American rifle and cannon fire.

When Pakenham began his final move, he was unable to persuade Jackson to attack him. Jackson was sitting tight, behind rows of cotton bales, somewhere out there in the morning fog. After pounding American positions with cannon fire, Pakenham concluded that most of Jackson's troops had deserted. So, on the early morning of 8 January 1815, after a month of indecisive occupation of American territory, Pakenham decided he had to attack. He would charge Jackson's lines, stop only long enough deliver a musket volley, then rush forward in a bayonet charge, reaching the line before the Americans could reload.

Into the fog plunged Pakenham's confident infantry. As they moved forward, tripwire parties of Indians fired flaming arrows into the air, informing Jackson's men of their range. Then, as British troops were still fully exposed, came withering rifle fire from the cotton bales. British return fire was ineffective as the Americans were well protected. British troops, floundering in the fog, became disoriented as their numbers were decimated. Formations became disheveled. Pakenham himself was shot off his horse and died almost immediately. Most of his officers suffered a similar fate. A few British troops reached American lines, but all were quickly killed. The line held.

British troops soon found themselves trying to retreat but not knowing which direction to go! So, they aimlessly milled about in the fog. Most were ultimately shot. When the fog lifted, a horrible scene greeted both British and Americans alike: over two thousand British troops, all in their red uniforms, lay dead and dying! On the American side, there were only six dead. A truce was called so that the wounded could be treated and the dead carried off. Most of the dead were buried in hasty graves. Officers' bodies were pickled in barrels for shipment back to, and burial in, England. What few British officers survived quickly came to the conclusion that their only option was to evacuate the area and disembark on ships, which they did without delay.

As it turned out, the Battle of New Orleans, albeit a great moral victory for Americans, had been pointless, as the War had actually ended weeks before on Christmas Eve. Afterward, the British never renounced their right to board American ships and continued to aid Indians who were fighting in the face of American expansion. Added to the failed attempt to annex Canada, most Americans concluded that the War itself had been senseless.

Jackson ended up in Spanish Florida, again fighting Indians. In 1818 he hanged two Englishmen who were advising local Seminoles. As it turns out, these two, unnamed British nationals were the last two casualties of the protracted, Anglo-American series of conflicts which had begun forth-three years earlier at Lexington Common. Jackson was subsequently elected president. British and Americans would never fight each other again.

Lesson: Allowing oneself to be pressured into rash actions is usually a formula for failure. Single-minded people who are unrealistically expectant of continuous, positive outcomes are always candidates for calamity. Pakenham was overwhelmed by romantic prospects and inflexibility in his thinking. The current presidential conflict provides another perfect example. Well rounded people who live a full life and are thus intimately acquainted with both victory and failure make superior commanders.

/John