The Battle of New Orleans: Andrew Jackson and America's First Military Victory by Remini Robert

Author:Remini, Robert [Remini, Robert]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Penguin Group
Published: 2001-04-30T16:00:00+00:00

As the city waited each day of the new year to discover the enemy’s next move, Jackson took his usual position at the topmost window of the wrecked but still standing Macarty house and watched hour after hour for any signs of activity from the British camp. On Friday, January 6, as an afterthought proposed by his engineers, he ordered the construction of a redoubt or separate fortification in advance of his forward line by a few feet on his extreme right, constructed so as to allow the enemy’s front to be enfiladed if it reached the edge of the rampart. It stood alone. Between it and the parapet a single plank was laid over the Rodriguez Canal to provide quick and easy passage between the two positions. A ditch completely surrounded the redoubt, but it did not go deep enough and was unfortunately dry because of the falling of the Mississippi. Jackson had his doubts about the usefulness of the construction, but he yielded to what he considered the better judgment of his engineers. When he inspected the nearly complete structure he shook his head and said to one of his aides, “That will give us trouble!”4

When the redoubt was finished it was guarded by a company of the 7th Regiment commanded by Lieutenant Andrew Ross, but its artillery was manned by a company of the 44th commanded by Lieutenant Dauquemeny de Marant. Behind it and between Battery No. 1 and the river at the extreme right of the line, Captain Thomas Beale and his New Orleans volunteer company of riflemen, consisting of about thirty men, were stationed.5 The guns of Battery No. 1, when fired, just grazed the side of the newly constructed redoubt, which may explain Jackson’s concern. In addition to the redoubt a powder magazine was built at the same time.

In the assignment of troops to the line, the 7th Infantry Regiment was stationed to cover the section from the redoubt past Battery No. 1 to Battery No. 2 and reaching as far as Battery No. 3. This regiment numbered 430 men and was commanded by Major Henry Peire. Battery No. 2, of course, was commanded by Lieutenant Norris and No. 3 by Dominique You and Beluché.

The line between the battery of the privateers and Battery No. 4, commanded by Crawley, was occupied by Major Plauché’s battalion of volunteers, numbering 289 men, along with Major Lacoste’s battalion of free men of color, numbering 180.

From Battery No. 4 to Colonel Perry’s No. 5 the line was defended by Major Louis Daquin’s battalion of Santo Domingo free men of color, numbering about 150, and another 250 soldiers of the 44th commanded by Captain Isaac L. Baker. All the troops from the 7th Regiment on the river to the 44th beyond battery No. 5 inclusively were commanded by Colonel George Ross.

Guarding the next segment of the line from Batteries No. 6 and No. 7 were the Tennessee troops under General Carroll. To the right of Battery No. 7 an

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