War of 1812, Part 41: Fight for the Crescent City Begins

The New Nation
Written By Tom Hand

The British advance guard of 1,800 men led by General John Keane arrived undetected onto the Villere plantation the morning of December 23, 1814, a mere twelve miles from New Orleans. General Andrew Jackson, the American commander, was notified later that morning and his fighting blood was instantly up; two hours later, Jackson was on the road at the head of 2,000 men and an artillery battery of six-pounders. Jackson attacked the unsuspecting British encampment that night, with the fight descending into brutal hand-to-hand combat. Five days later, General Keane’s Redcoats attacked the American center, while General Samuel Gibbs led a detachment against the American left. 

Tom Hand, creator and publisher of Americana Corner, explores the start of the fight for New Orleans and the events that shaped our nation’s history. 

 

Images courtesy of Brown University Library, National Portrait Gallery - Smithsonian Institution, Library of Congress, Tennessee Virtual Archive, World History Encyclopedia, Naval History and Heritage Command, Wikimedia. 

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Tom Hand
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War of 1812, Part 40: British Descend on the Gulf