The Battle of New Orleans – January 8th, 1815
“In 1814 we took a little trip
Along with Colonel Jackson down the mighty Mississip
We took a little bacon and we took a little beans
And we caught the bloody British in a town in New Orleans”
The Battle of New Orleans was the final major battle of the War of 1812.
It was fought between January 8 and January 18, 1815.
Americans commanded by Major General Andrew Jackson (the future President of the United States) fought the British commanded by Admiral Alexander Cochrane and General Edward Pakenham. Pakenham and his second-in-command, Major General Samuel Gibbs, were both fatally wounded by artillery fire during the battle while on horseback.
The Americans had constructed three lines of defense to protect New Orleans, the first about 4 miles from the city along the Rodriguez Canal (from the Mississippi River to the cypress swamp). The British advanced early in the morning under the cover of fog. The fog lifted, leaving them exposed in the open and easy targets for the American artillery.
“We fired our guns and the British kept a-comin’
There wasn’t nigh as many as there was a while ago
We fired once more and they began to runnin’
On down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico!”
In just twenty-five minutes, the British casualties totaled 700 killed, 1400 wounded and 500 were taken prisoner (after the battle ~500 British soldiers who pretended to be dead surrendered). American losses were only seven (7) killed and six (6) wounded.
“Yeah they ran through the briers and they ran through the brambles
And they ran through the bushes where a rabbit couldn’t go
They ran so fast that the hounds couldn’t catch ’em
On down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico!”
The Treaty of Ghent was signed in Ghent, Belgium on December 24, 1814. The Treaty was approved by British Parliament and signed by the Prince Regent (the future King George IV) on December 30, 1814. It took a month for the news to reach the United States during which time the Battle of New Orleans was fought. The treaty was ratified by the US Senate on February 17, 1815.
ANDREW JACKSON (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845)
United States House of Representatives (Tennessee 1796-1797)
Military Governor of Florida (1821)
United States Senator (Tennessee 1823-1825)
7th President of the United States (1829-1837)
Country singer Johnny Horton had a Number 1 hit in 1959 with “The Battle of New Orleans” written by Jimmy Driftwood. It won the 1960 Grammy Award for Best Country & Western Recording and was also awarded the Grammy Hall of Fame Award.
Here’s Johnny Horton on the “Ed Sullivan Show” with the original sound:
And a little music from the “Alabama Wildman” Jerry Reed and Glen Campbell:
(RIGHT CLICK and “Open In New Window” to view on YouTube)
and Jerry Reed sings “City of New Orleans”:
“Good morning America how are ya
Say, don’t you know me, I’m your native son
I’m a train they call the City of New Orleans
I’ll be gone five hundred miles when the day is done…”
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