The Battle of New Orleans had an important West Bank component.
New Orleans marks the “Glorious Eighth of January” of 1815 with ceremonies at the Chalmette National Battlefield, but the story of what happened on the West Bank is often ignored.
Some background: In March of this year, I had the privilege of presenting a lecture on the battle to the Friends of the Cabildo Walking Tour Guide training class. Prospective guides take a four-week course that includes an immersion in local history. I re-created that talk as Podcast 62. When I finished, Robi Robichaux, the coordinator of the class, suggested I expand my remarks on the events of the campaign in Algiers. Coincidentally, Don Costello of the Algiers Historical Society emailed me a few days later, asking if I would speak to the group. He had a cancellation, and knew I always have a subject or two in my back pocket to talk about. Little did he know I had one that hit this close to home!
Buy my books! Edward Branley is the author of six books on New Orleans history. They’re available from local booksellers and all the usual online suspects.
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Become a patron. Yes, we’re on Patreon. A lot of creators use the platform for direct monetization, and that’s great for them. We don’t have “exclusive content” for patrons. Still, if you think our history stuff is worth a dollar a month, go join!
This is the podcast version of the lecture I presented on the Battle to the Friends of the Cabildo WTG 2026.
Podcast 62 – Battle of New Orleans (for Walking Tour Guides)
I had the pleasure of presenting to the Friends of the Cabildo’s Walking Tour Guide class of 2026 last month, on the Battle of New Orleans. The talk lasted about 50 minutes, plus questions. As a pod, it’s a bit longer, since we’re not on the tight schedule.
Condensed presentation
The audience for this talk was very specific: streetwalkers! As such, there’s not a lot related to the battle that relates directly to a French Quarter Walking Tour. Still, it’s one of the most significant events in the American period of the history of the city. So, while we didn’t want to go too deep into the military tactics and such, some basics should be in the back of the guide’s head.
The Combat Studies Institute is pleased to publish The Staff Ride Handbook for the Battles of New Orleans, 23 December 1814-8 January 1815, covering the final battles of the War of 1812. Interest in the details of this often-overlooked conflict has increased as a result of recent bicentennial observances, exposing a new generation of students to a unique period in our Army’s history. Most survey course references to the War of 1812 concern the demonstrably different performances of the US Army and US Navy, the latter getting the better coverage. That comparison however, lies at the heart of why this war and this series of battles are crucial to understanding the development of both the Army as an institution and civil-military relations more generally from 1815 to 1941. This handbook will help new and returning students to look at the battles of New Orleans in the proper context, aided by a wealth of new scholarship produced over the last 30 years.
Cutting out Lake Borgne – American defense delayed the British.
Editor’s note: this article, originally posted in 2022, has been updated, as we develop a resource packet on the Battle of New Orleans.
Cutting out Lake Borgne
“British and American Gunboats in Action on Lake Borgne, 14 December 1814.” This painting by Thomas L. Hornbrook depicts the “cutting out expedition” of the Royal Navy on five gunboats of the United States Navy. The Americans defended New Orleans by patrolling Lake Borgne. The Royal Navy cleared the lake of opposition in order to land troops. This action cleared the way for the epic Battle of New Orleans, January 8, 1815.
Landing the troops
“93rd Highlanders with 7th and 43rd Regiments at the Battle of New Orleans” by Don Troiani
Before the British Army could approach New Orleans from downriver in January, 1815, the troops needed to depart the ships that transported them from Europe. Vice Admiral Sir Alexander Cochrane commanded the Royal Navy squadron in the Gulf. He operated from HMS Tonnant, 74. Large warships such as Tonnant could not enter Lake Borgne. They required deeper water. So, Cochrane sent small craft in. He gave command of all the small boats in his squadron to Nicholas Lockyer, Master and Commander of HMS Sophie, 18, a brig-of-war. Lockyer assembled the boats and moved into Lake Borgne.
Boarding operations
Gunboat similar to the five American vessels guarding Lake Borgne.
Boarding naval ships and vessels is an ancient tactic of war. By the Napoleonic period, “cutting out” a ship or ships developed into complex movement. One of the most well-known cutting-out maneuvers was the recovery of HMS Hermione, on 25-October-1799, at Puerto Cabello, Venezuela. Additionally, author C.S. Forester used the story of the Hermione for much of the tale of Horatio Hornblower’s time on the fictional HMS Renown in his novel Lieutenant Hornblower.
The cutting out of the Hermione is typical of this type of operation. The British rowed into Puerto Cabello at night, boarded the Hermione (re-named Santa Cecilia by the Spanish), and sailed her out of the harbor after a bloody fight.
Daylight Action
Map of the Battle of Lake Borgne, from The Pictorial Field Book of the War of 1812, Benson Lossing.
The capture of the American “mosquito squadron” in Lake Borgne did not follow the typical pattern for a cutting-out. Lockyer moved on the American vessels with forty launches and barges, each armed with a gun. Those guns ranged in size from twelve to twenty-four pounders. He also sent in two launches with “long guns” capable of more accurate fire from a distance. These boats, along with three unarmed gigs carried a force of 980 sailors and marines into Lake Borgne.
Lockyer’s boats rowed for 36 hours to approach the American positions. Once there, he ordered them to line up across the lake, then advance in the daylight.
Imagine being Lieutenant David ap Catsby Jones, USN, seeing a line of over forty armed boats approaching! Jones ordered his five gunboats, along with the USS Alligator and USS Sea Horse, to engage. The British engaged the two larger ships separately. The bulk of Lockyer’s boats swarmed the gunboats. A boat from HMS Tonnant captured one of the gunboats. The British turned the guns of that vessel on the other American gunboats, who in turned surrendered.
Aftermath
Fort St. John
Lockyer’s success in Lake Borgne enabled Cochrane’s squadron to enter Lake Pontchartrain. The easiest way for the British to attack New Orleans would have been to land their troops at Bayou St. John. When Lockyer’s boats scouted the lake, they saw a huge problem with this plan. Smoke from a furnace at Fort St. John, the Spanish Fort guarding the entrance to the bayou, told Lockyer the Americans were capable of firing “heated shot” at his boats. A land fort could heat the cannon balls aimed at ships and boats approaching. So, not only was a nine-pound iron ball hurtling at the craft, that ball was on fire! Heated shot hitting wooden vessels was a deadly combination. Based on the reports from his scouts, Lockyer reported back that approaching the bayou was impossible. So, instead of an easy trip down the bayou, then the Carondelet Canal, right up to the city, the army would have to approach from the east, through the plantation fields.
Still a Success
While the Battle of Lake Borgne wasn’t the Hornblower-style action, it still was a cutting out. None of the main British navel force engaged the enemy. The British captured the American gunboats and the USS Alligator. The crew of the USS Sea Horse beached their vessel and burned it.
The Battle of Lake Borgne was an unqualified British victory. Lockyer accomplished his objective. So, the British cleared the lake. Thefore, the army found a landing site, and move on New Orleans.
While this furthered the British objective, the action did buy time for the Americans. By delaying the troop landings, the Americans strengthened their positions below New Orleans. The British opted to wait for the arrival of their new commander, Major General Sir Edward Pakenham.
We begin our discussion of the Battle of New Orleans with this map. While this map reflects a post-battle survey, the city remained essentially the same. This is the New Orleans Andrew Jackson experienced when he arrived on 1-December-1814. He progressed from Tennessee to Mobile, then along the Gulf Coast to New Orleans. In just over a month, Jackson would lead an American force in defense of New Orleans against a force of British Army regulars, just south of the city proper.
The map displays the extend to which New Orleans had grown in almost a century. It presents what would become the three “municipalities,” later “districts.” The center is the French Quarter, the original 1721 city plan. To the left, on the west side of Canal Street, is the “Second Municipality,” also known as Faubourg Ste. Marie, the American Sector. To the right of the Quarter is the “Third Municipality,” originally the Marigny Plantation. Just above the Quarter is Faubourg Treme.
Place d’Armes
The main municipal buildings stood behind the Place d’Armes. St. Louis Cathedral, the Cabildo, and the Presbytere are visible at the top of this map. Jackson initially operated from the Cabildo. The Spanish government completed the building in 1799, and the Americans continued to use it as city hall. While the Presbytere’s original purpose was to be a rectory for the priests staffing the cathedral, it was used for retail and city offices by 1814.
The three main buildings were quite different than what we see now, from the square named for Jackson. Both Cabildo and Presbytere were two-story buildings in 1814. They would not expand to three stories until 1847.
The church visible on this map is the 1794 cathedral. The original parish church of St. Louis burned in 1788 and 1794. This church took its place, only to be demolished in front of the present church in 1850.
The Ursuline Convent survived the fires of 1788 and 1794. It served as a school for young women and a residence for the nuns staffing the hospital.
The Carondelet Canal flows through Treme, to the end of Bayou St. John. The canal replaced the “old portage” between the end of the bayou and the city proper. Fort St. John, the “Spanish Fort” at the mouth of the bayou at Lake Pontchartrain, blocked access to the city by boat from the north.
The Port
The riverfront and port accommodated flatboats coming down the river with cotton and sugar. The first steamboat arrived in New Orleans only two years earlier, in 1812. So, the city did not experience the full economic impact of steamboat travel until after the battle. Ocean-going ships came up the river from the Gulf of Mexico, passing Fort St. Phillip before reaching the port. This fort, as well as Fort St. Leon at English Turn, stood as primary defense points below the city.
Daily life
The public market ran along the riverfront from the Place d’Armes to Fort St. Charles, now the Old US Mint. The French Market served as primary marketplace for New Orleans until the 1830s. This map shows the “Boucherie” at St. Ann Street and the river. The “Butcher’s Market” later expands, extending to Dumaine Street.
Given the urgency of Jackson’s mission, he did not partake in much social activity in New Orleans. After issuing orders to bolster the city’s defenses, he left the city proper for the main house at the McCarthy Plantation. The Battle of Lake Borgne made it clear the British would attack the city from the east, cutting through the swamps of St. Bernard Parish. Jackson and his officers worked tirelessly to marshal regular army and militia units in Chalmette.
As we close out November, it’s time for a Battle of New Orleans re-org.
Battle of Pensacola, 7-November-1814. (Revolutionary War Trust image)
Battle of New Orleans re-org
Your humble NOLA History Guy received an invitation to speak to a group on the history of the Battle of New Orleans next March. While an undergraduate at University of New Orleans, I focused more on European history from the French Revolution to the mid-19th Century. I wasn’t all that interested in the American Southern Rebellion. Naturally, the War of 1812 comes under the Napoleonic umbrella, and a NOLA student knew the importance of the last battle of that conflict. So, I’ve been proud to speak on the subject of the 1814 Gulf Coast campaigns of the British and Americans that culminated in the “Glorious 8th of January, 1815.”
The organization of blog posts and podcasts on the battle here is quite haphazard. I want to re-organize this material so that, when I give this talk, I can point folks at a proper set of resources. Come along for the ride!
Movements prior to 1-December-1814
Andrew Jackson received a commission as Major General in the US Army on !4-June-1814. He assumed command of the 7th Military District. While the district operated from New Orleans, Jackson and his troops marched from Tennessee to Mobile. He attacked the Creek nation, forcing the indigenous to support the United States. He arrived in Mobile on 22-August. The US Army controlled Mobile, but not Florida. Then-Lt. Colonel Edward Nicholls of the British Army occupied Pensacola on 14-August. Nicholls and his troops attempted to take Mobile on 16-September. The attack failed. Jackson counter-attacked and captured Pensacola on 7-November. He established an American presence there and returned to Mobile. Satisfied that Mobile and Pensacola were secure, Jackson left Mobile for New Orleans on 22-November.
Naval Operations
Jackson focused on acquiring territory along the Gulf Coast. His operations concentrated on pushing the indigenous, Spanish, and British off the coast. The Americans ignored developments in Europe, most notably, the defeat and abdication of Bonaparte. The cessation of hostilities with France gave Britain more resources to turn on the Americans. So, Jackson didn’t consider his movements a defense, but rather an advancement of American goals.
Additionally, United States Navy ignored the movements of the Royal Navy in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. Despite receiving warnings of the RN movements, Commodore Daniel Patterson attacked a potential ally–the Lafitte Brothers. Patterson attacked the Lafitte base at Grand Terre Island, on the Gulf in Jefferson Parish. Patterson’s attack was successful, and the Lafittes abandoned Grand Terre. The USN established a base there. Eventually, Fort Livingston became a permanent coastal defense position. So, in the long term, taking over Grand Terre made sense. In the short term, however, Patterson alienated the Lafittes. This threatened to cut off a significant source of intelligence and assistance for Jackson.
Royal Navy movements
As mentoned, the Royal Navy, under the command of Vice Admiral Alexander Cochrane, re-grouped at the Jamaica Station after the British Army burned Washington, DC. On 26-November, Cochrane led a 60-vessel force from Jamaica into the Gulf of Mexico.
Prelude to Battle
Jackson had his hands full when he reached New Orleans. December, 1814, determined the course of American history. This NOLA History Guide continues with movements leading up to the Battle of Lake Borgne on 14-December-1814.
The Maspero Exchange is Still There More, as a restaurant on St. Louis and Chartres.
The Maspero Exchange
Photograph of the Maspero Exchange, from a 1919 publication, The Romance of New Orleans. It was published by Lybcus Publishing Company, with a New Orleans postal box address. The book lists no author. The seal of the city is prominent on the cover, but that doesn’t necessarily imply an endorsement from City Hall. The first building on the corner Uptown/river corner of St. Louis and Chartres Streets burned down in the 1794 fire. This building, like the Girod (Napoleon) House across the street, dates from 1795-96.
Coffee and Human Trafficking
The building originally held a coffee shop on the first floor. Since such an establishment made for a good place to do business, the location rapidly became an “exchange,” a place where goods were regularly bought and sold. “Goods” included enslaved people. Even though the United States signed onto a ban on the international slave trade in 1808, domestic human trafficking was legal until the passage of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution. So, New Orleans served as a nexus for that trade. Maspero’s Exchange
As the volume of goods coming through New Orleans increased, so did the need for larger exchanges. Pierre Maspero passed in 1822. John Hewlett took over the exchange in 1826. Hewlett moved the exchange across the street. That exchange was demolished and replaced by the St. Louis Hotel Exchange in 1838. The St. Louis Exchange operated at a pace too swift for buyers to properly examine the enslaved on the block. So, the coffee shop displayed the enslaved prior to sale.
Battle of New Orleans
The “romantic” aspect of the Maspero Exchange stems from 1814. Maspero’s claims to be the location of a meeting between Major General Andrew Jackson and Jean Lafitte. While the Old Absinthe House also claims the meeting happened there, there is no firm documentation indicating exactly where the two met.
Four Ways to Support NOLA History Guy
Buy my books! Edward Branley is the author of six books on New Orleans history. They’re available from local booksellers and all the usual online suspects.
Buy me a coffee on Ko-fi dot com. I just love this concept as a way to say thank you/tip creators you enjoy. Our idea of monetization is buying books and having us come to speak. If you see me at a coffee shop, stop and say hi. Otherwise, I’ll raise coffee cup to you if you treat me.
Become a patron. Yes, we’re on Patreon. A lot of creators use the platform for direct monetization, and that’s great for them. We don’t have “exclusive content” for patrons. Still, if you think our history stuff is worth a dollar a month, go join!
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