Osprey Trade Editions : New Orleans 1815

The war which broke out in 1812 was supposedly caused by British impressment of American seamen from American ships but it is probably truer to say that there was almost a sub-conscious desire for a war to complete the separation of America from England begun by the War of Independence. The war when it came was bloody and hard fought. Several campaigns were fought with the Americans attempting to invade and hold Canada and the British invading the United States on a number of occasions. By the end of 1814 all that had been achieved was a bloody stalemate and a series of outrages (including the burning of the White House) which would continue the bitterness for years to come. In one last attempt to break the deadlock the British sent the Duke of Wellington's brother-in-law, Major-General Sir Edward Pakenham to capture New Orleans and remove Louisiana from the United States. The troops which he commanded were elite, veteran regiments from the campaigns in Europe. Andrew Jackson, commanding the defenders had withdrawn to a line of fortifications with his flanks resting in swamps. To defend this line he had a mixture of regiments including militia, free Negro battalions, Indians and a group of local pirates. In the battle which followed, this mixed force decisively defeated the British veterans in a battle that has become part of the American legend. Tim Pickles explains the action.