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Description
The Battle of New Orleans was the climactic battle of America's "forgotten war" of 1812. Andrew Jackson led his ragtag corps of soldiers against 8,000 disciplined invading British regulars in a battle that delivered the British a humiliating military defeat. The victory solidified America's... read more
Memorable Quotes
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“The British plan of attack was indeed as Jackson now understood it. After the failure of the New Year’s Day artillery duel, British General Pakenham called a meeting of his officers and proposed a two-pronged assault from both banks of the Mississippi River. It would commence with an attack on the west bank. Jackson’s guns would be seized and turned against his lines. Caught in a crossfire, the Americans would be driven from their positions by the advancing British troops on the east side of the river. With a larger force—he expected reinforcements momentarily—Pakenham had the advantage of being able to divide his army between the two sides of the river, something Jackson could not do without seriously weakening his line at the Rodriguez Canal, the east battle line. Pakenham expected to ferry fourteen hundred men, along with some artillery, to the west bank, where they would move forward under darkness and attack American General Morgan’s line at daybreak.”
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“The new arrivals jokingly asked the veterans of the past 14 days, “How is it that you have not provided us with good quarters in New Orleans, as we expected. What have you been about?” The answer came with a snarl: “Say no more about it!” The veterans complained about the ‘hesitation’ shown for the past two weeks. “But why the hesitation?” the new arrivals asked. “What stopped you?” “Bullets””
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“The plan of attack required that when the battle began, the 44th Irish regiment would rush forward on the right side and hurl heavy fascines or bundles of sugarcane into the canal to fill up the ditch, after which scaling ladders would be thrown against the parapet so it could be mounted. When the commanding officer of the 44th heard his assignment, he reportedly said, “My regiment has been ordered to execution. Their dead bodies are to be used as a bridge for the rest of the army to march over.””
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“The attack should have been aborted, right then and there. But Pakenham had no intention of calling a halt. “I will wait my plans no longer,” he said, and he meant it. Impatient, if not reckless, he would not wait for proof that the Irish were in position. Their being in position was critical, but Pakenham simply dismissed the seriousness of the problem. Arrogant and overconfident, he assumed that he was facing an inferior force who would turn and run as soon as charging infantrymen with fixed bayonets came barreling at them. Despite the previous incidents of American ability and courage, he could not conceive of a rabble, a ragtag collection of misfits, defeating the greatest army on the continent, if not the world. Pakenham’s impetuosity in the Peninsular War had brought victory. Here outside New Orleans, it would bring devastating defeat.”
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Authors & Contributors
- Robert V. Remini (Author)
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