Content area
Full Text
THE treaty of peace concluded with England at Ghent on December 24, 1814, was announced in America in 1815, too late to prevent the Battle of New Orleans and the Naval victories of the Constitution and the Hornet.
EVENTS PRECEDING THE BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS
The four outstanding features of the defense of New Orleans during the latter part of 1814 and early 1815 were: The operations of the five gunboats (on which Marines served) under Lieutenant Thomas Ap Catesby Jones on Lake Borgne; the night attack of the forces (including a company of Marines) of General Jackson on the British army, December 23rd; the successful repelling by Jackson's soldiers, sailors and Marines of the British attack on December 28th; and the remarkable victory of the Americans on January 8, 1815, in which battle Marines shared the glory with the Soldiers and Bluejackets.
The Mairines participating in these operations consisted of Major Daniel Carmick, who served with Plauche's Battalion of Volunteers but who supervised all Marines at the New Orleans station; those on all the gunboats; those on the Carolina, Louisiana, Aetna, etc.; those at the Tchifonte Navy Yard; and the splendid company under First Lieutenant Francis Barbin De Bellevue that formed a part of Jackson's victorious army.
THE NAVAL BATTLE NEAR THE MALHEUREUSES ISLANDS
Early in December, Commodore Daniel T. Patterson, commanding the Naval force at New Orleans, received information that a British expedition was on its way to attack New Orleans. Acting on this information the Commodore sent five gunboats (Numbers 5, 23, 156, 162 and 163), the schooner Sea-horse and the tender Alligator, under Lieutenant Thomas Ap Catesby Jones, toward the Passes Marianna and Christian to watch the enemy's movements on Lake Borgne.
Between December 9th and 13th, the American gunboats kept watch on the British force. At ten o'clock on the morning of the 13th a large flotilla of barges left the British fleet and shaped their course towards the Pass Christian, which was gained at about two o'clock. The intention of the enemy to attack the five American gunboats at anchor near the Malheureuse Islands, was evident.
The schooner Sea-horse that had been sent into the St. Louis Bay that morning to assist in the removal of the public...