The Battle of New Orleans: including the Previous Engagements between the Americans; and the British, the Indians and the Spanish which led to; the Final Conflict on the 8th of January, 1815Smith, Z. F. (Zachariah Frederick)
History
The Battle of New Orleans: including the Previous Engagements between the Americans; and the British, the Indians and the Spanish which led to; the Final Conflict on the 8th of January, 1815
Smith, Z. F. (Zachariah Frederick)
New Orleans, Battle of, New Orleans, La., 1815
Adjutant-general Robert Butler, in his official report to General
Jackson a few days after the battle of the eighth, placed the losses of
the British at seven hundred killed, fourteen hundred wounded, and five
hundred prisoners; twenty-six hundred men, or almost one third the
entire number the enemy admitted to have taken part in the contest of
the day. The loss of the Americans was six killed and seven wounded,
thirteen in all. Instead of comment upon this remarkable disparity of
losses, and the causes that led to such a signal victory for the
Americans and such a humiliating defeat for our enemies, it will be more
interesting to our readers to quote from English writers who were
participants in the battle, and eye-witnesses of the scenes they
describe with graphic pen. We are ever curious to know what others see
and say of us, especially if they honestly criticize us with a spice of
prejudice.
AN ENGLISH OFFICER'S ACCOUNT OF THE BATTLE.
Gleig, in his "History of British Campaigns," says:
Dividing his troops into three columns, Sir Edward Pakenham directed
that General Keene, at the head of the Ninety-fifth, the light
companies of the Twenty-first, Fourth, and Forty-fourth Regiments,
and the two black corps, should make a demonstration on the right;
that General Gibbs, with the Fourth, Twenty-first, Forty-fourth, and
Ninety-third, should force the enemy's left; while General Lambert,
with the Seventh and Forty-third, remained in reserve. Our numbers
now amounted to a little short of eight thousand, a force which, in
any other part of America, would have been irresistible. The forces
of the enemy were reported at twenty-three to thirty thousand. I
suppose their whole force to have been twenty-five thousand. All
things were arranged on the night of the 7th, for the 8th was fixed
upon as the day decisive of the fate of New Orleans.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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