200th Anniversary of the Battle of New Orleans

January 5, 2015 by Charlie London

courtesy COUNTRY ROADS MAGAZINE

Tuesday, January 06, 2015 – Sunday, January 11, 2015

Details

Battle-of-NO-mapIt’s a bicentennial in St. Bernard! Each year on January 8, over 150 re-enactors gather to commemorate the Battle of New Orleans, in which American troops landed a victory over the British opposition in the final major conflict of the War of 1812. 2015 marks two hundred years since the battle took place, and Chalmette Battlefield National Park and the Louisiana Living History Foundation (LLHF) aren’t skimping on living-history exhibits, cannon-fire demonstrations, children’s activities, lectures, and the largest re-enactment ever put on for the War of 1812. Activities include:

January 6: General Pakenham’s Final Supper, presented by LLHF and the Bourbon Orleans Hotel, adopts the finery and fashion of a British Mess as the enemy troops dined in high style before the big skirmish. Raise a glass to King George! Cocktails start at 6:30 pm; the five-course dinner at 7:30 pm. 717 Orleans Street. $149; tax and gratuity included. Reservations at (504) 571-4672. Costumes welcome.

January 7: Memorial Service at the grave of Jordon Noble in St. Louis Cemetery #1 presented by LLHF. Jordon Noble was an African-American enlisted soldier and drummer of the 7th U.S. Infantry. After the Battle of New Orleans, Noble stayed in New Orleans and is a legend in the Treme neighborhood in which he lived. Visit lalivinghistory.org for more information.

January 8: Commemoration Day, presented by the park, will be marked with a morning ceremony reflecting the importance of the bicentennial as well as the many people and groups involved in the battle. 8606 West Saint Bernard Highway.

January 9: LLHF kicks off the re-enactments this evening with a staging of the December 23, 1814 night battle at their reenactment site, 8207 Patricia Street. Earlier in the day, a second line parade of Jackson’s troops will wind through the French Quarter. Both events are free. More details at lalivinghistory.org.

January 10: The LLHF battlefield at 8207 Patricia Street is the setting for re-enactments of the second, third, and fourth skirmishes in the overall conflict. It starts with The Reconnaissance in Force (December 28, 1914), followed by The Artillery Duel (January 1, 1815) and The British Victory on the West Bank (January 8, 1815). $10; free for children under 12. Out of the elements, the Friends of Cabildo hosts a symposium at the Old U.S. Mint with presentations and panel discussions. 10 am–4 pm at 400 Esplanade Avenue.

January 11: Andrew Jackson’s great victory comes to life as the Battle of New Orleans is re-enacted on the LLHF battlefield. $10; free for children under 12. Following the battle, Antoine’s Restaurant in the French Quarter (itself a historic setting) will host a Victory Dinner and Ball to celebrate the big win. 713 Saint Louis Street. Details and ticketing information to follow.

For up-to-date information on all the events, visit lalivinghistory.org or nps.gov/jela.


Battle of New Orleans written and produced by Jeffery Pipes Guice

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Article below courtesy COUNTRY ROADS MAGAZINE

January 8, 2015, marks the two-hundredth anniversary of the big Battle of New Orleans. (There was a little Battle of New Orleans during the Civil War, but it’s less interesting.) As with any battle, there were a lot of crucial “ifs.” If General Andrew Jackson hadn’t made a bilingual speech to New Orleans’ assembled (and significantly polyglot and international) residents in Jackson Square, addressing each racial and ethnic group separately to explain why each should want to defend New Orleans against the British; if Jackson hadn’t also broken the law, declaring martial law in New Orleans before the battle; and if a surprise attack hadn’t delayed the British so that only four thousand American troops could defend New Orleans against twice as many British troops on January 8, 1814, then New Orleans—and more importantly, control of the Mississippi River and the entire Louisiana Purchase, which were then in U.S. hands—might have been lost.

Historians long considered the Battle of New Orleans an afterthought to the War of 1812, fought after the United States and Great Britain had already negotiated terms to end the war. The war itself was also frequently swept under the historical rug, dismissed as a “spot of bother” between the still-young United States and a Britain distracted by Napoleon. Sure, Washington burned, and sure, we got The Star-Spangled Banner out of it; but by and large, the war was muscled out of the lineup of memorable American wars.

This view has recently been reevaluated, especially with respect to the significance of the Battle of New Orleans. Historians now point out that while the treaty ending the war, signed in Ghent in what eventually became Belgium, was signed and ratified by Britain before the battle, Congress had yet to see it due to the several weeks’ travel time across the Atlantic. The battle is now placed in its larger context, as part of a longer British campaign against the relatively short American Gulf Coast (the portion that was part of the United States before Florida and Texas came into the Union) and which could conceivably have resulted in New Orleans, with the rest of Louisiana, being torn off the United States and thrown back to Spain, in order to strengthen Spain against a bellicose France. Seen in this light, the War of 1812, and the Battle of New Orleans, deserve a much bigger place in history than they’ve been given so far; and St. Bernard Parish, site of the battlefield, is ready to celebrate the bicentennial with thrilling reenactments, cutting-edge research, and all the flash and excitement this anniversary deserves.

For years after the Battle of New Orleans, January 8 was celebrated as a day of national celebration, much like the Fourth of July. Do your part to revive this tradition by going out and sampling some of the wonderful living history that will play out all across St. Bernard Parish the week of the anniversary, having some fun, and remembering the good luck, great generalship, and even greater fighting Americans of all creeds, tongues, and colors that made this huge victory possible for our young country.

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200th Anniversary of the Battle of New Orleans

By Mary Ann Wegmann, Louisiana State Museum, and the University of New Orleans History Department; Associate Editor & Media Editor: Jessica Anne Dauterive; military history research assistance: Rhett Breerwood

A tour of French Quarter sites and buildings connected to the Battle of New Orleans through fact as well as legend.

Locations for Tour

1. Battle of New Orleans: Introduction

Almost 200 years ago, on January 8, 1815, Major General Andrew Jackson and his outnumbered American defenders overwhelmed veteran British troops at the Battle of New Orleans. The battle took place five miles downriver from New Orleans in Chalmette,…

2. Battle of New Orleans: Jackson Square

Formerly the Place d’Armes around which New Orleans was built, Jackson Square, a National Historical Landmark, is now the most prominent location in the “Vieux Carre” or Old Quarter. On December 18, 1814, Jackson reviewed his troops on…

3. Battle of New Orleans: St. Louis Cathedral

Facing Jackson Square and the Mississippi River, the Cathedral-Basilica of St. Louis, King of France, is the oldest Catholic cathedral in continual use in the United States. With its three steeples, St. Louis Cathedral, as it is commonly known, is…

4. Battle of New Orleans: Cabildo and Presbytere

Viewed from Jackson Square, the Cabildo appears to the left of St. Louis Cathedral. The Cabildo, built under Spanish rule in 1795-1799, is the site of the Louisiana Purchase Transfer ceremonies in 1803 and Louisiana’s most important historical…

5. Battle of New Orleans: Pirate’s Alley, The Arsenal, Creole House & Jackson House

Walking out of Jackson Square toward St. Louis Cathedral, Pirate’s Alley appears on the left, between the Cathedral and the Cabildo. Formerly known as “Orleans Alley,” the passage is one block long, extending from Chartres Street at Jackson…

6. Battle of New Orleans: Maspero’s Coffee House

Maspero’s Exchange, also known as Maspero’s Coffee House and now called the “Original Pierre Maspero’s,” is located at 440 Chartres Street, on the corner of St. Louis and Chartres Streets, nearest the river and Canal Street. The original…

7. Battle of New Orleans: Old Absinthe House

The Old Absinthe House bar is located at 240 Bourbon Street. This stucco building at the corner of Bourbon and Bienville Streets, one of the oldest in New Orleans, dates to approximately 1806. In the nineteenth century, the Old Absinthe House…

8. The Old Federal Courthouse, Now the Andrew Jackson Hotel

The Andrew Jackson French Quarter Hotel, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is located at 919 Royal Street, the former site of the old United States courthouse where Major General Andrew Jackson was indicted for contempt of court and…

9. Former Home of Presiding Judge Francois-Xavier Martin

Judge Francois-Xavier Martin, a Louisiana Supreme Court judge for thirty-one years, from 1815 until his death in 1846, first acquired 915 Royal Street in 1818 for $7,500. At that time, a two-story brick house with a tile roof was situated on the…

10. Battle of New Orleans: Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop

For many years, a bar called “Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop” has occupied this building at the corner of Bourbon Street and St. Philip Street. Designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1970, Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop was built between 1772…

11. Battle of New Orleans: Old Ursuline Convent

Almost 300 years ago, in 1727, the Ursuline nuns arrived in New Orleans at the invitation of Governor Bienville. While awaiting the completion of their convent in 1734, the Ursuline nuns established a school and an orphanage. The Ursuline Order…

12. Battle of New Orleans: Fort St. Charles/U.S. Mint

The United States Mint was once the site of Fort St. Charles, one of the defenses built in 1792 during the Spanish period. Fort St. Charles was the largest of five fortifications surrounding the city. Spanish Governor Baron Hector de Carondelet noted…

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