New Orleans, Battle of

In the Anglo-American War of 1812, battle between British and American forces December 1814-January 1815, at New Orleans; the war was already over by the time the battle was fought - peace had been signed 24 December 1814 - but neither of the two forces in the area had received the news.

In late 1814, the city was held by a garrison of about 6,000 troops under General Andrew Jackson. A British fleet overpowered the American warships in the Mississippi River 13 December and landed a force of about 6,000 British troops under General Keane. General Sir Edward Pakenham later arrived to take command, and launched a determined attack on the city's defences 1 January 1815. The assault failed, largely due to mismanagement and argument between the various commanders; since they were short of supplies and awaiting ships, the British retired. Having restocked with ammunition, they made another attack 8 January which also failed, this time because of dispersing their forces across the front rather then concentrating them; the British lost 1,500 troops, among them General Pakenham. The expedition, seeing no further possibility of taking the city, re-embarked and withdrew.