Rifles Heritage Today - The Battle of New Orleans 8th January, 1815. This battle was the culmination of a series of engagements fought from December 12th 1814, (The Battle of Lake Borge) through to this main action. It was the final major battle of the conflict between Britain and The United States known as The War of 1812 and the final time US and British forces would face each other as foes rather than allies. American forces, some regular but mostly militia and volunteers, commanded by Major General Andrew Jackson, prevented an invading British Army, commanded by General Edward Pakenham, and Royal Navy, commanded by Admiral Alexander Cochrane, from seizing New Orleans as a strategic tool to end the war. A peace accord, The Treaty of Ghent was signed on December 24, 1814 (but was not ratified by the US Government until February 1815), and hostilities continued in Louisiana until January 18 when all of the British forces had withdrawn, finally putting an end to the campaign in the lower Mississippi region. Following a successful night action fought on the 23rd December 1814, led by the 3/95th Rifles, which forced a US retirement to defensive positions, the main action took place two weeks and two days later on the southern approaches to the city on the east bank of the river. During the action despite a successful lodgment into the American lines on the left flank, led by the 85th Light Infantry and a successful strike on the opposite bank of the river again including the 85th and some 95th Rifles, at the key moment, General Pakenham was killed and the British main attack ground to a halt under heavy fire from the US entrenched positions (known as The Jackson Line). The US fire decimated the main assault from the British center and forced a withdrawal. Antecedents of The Rifles, having previously taken part in the successful assault upon Washington DC the previous August, were also heavily involved in this action. 43rd (Monmouthshire) Light Infantry [later Oxford & Buckinghamshire LI), 85th (Berkshire Volunteers) Light Infantry [later 2nd Battalion the KSLI] and 3rd Battalion the 95th Rifles, all Peninsula veteran Battalions took part in this defeat but none the less historic action.
Posted on: Thu, 08 Jan 2015 08:30:01 +0000
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