Andrew Jackson Historical Spoon - Nashville, TN, New Orleans, LA, Washington, DC

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Andrew Jackson Historical Spoon - Nashville, TN, New Orleans, LA, Washington, DC:
$39.99

This rare spoon commemorates General Andrew Jackson in the Battle of New Orleans, 1815. He is seated on his famous horse Duke. Sturdy, well-constructed, and with intricate detail.
Spoon measures 5 1/2\" and weighs 19.7 grams or a little over half of one Troy OZ.
The General Jackson statue stands near the White House and was the first bronze statue cast in the United States. It was the first statue in the world with a horse standing on its hind legs.
Battle of New Orleans From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia For the battle at New Orleans during the American Civil War, see Capture of New Orleans. For other uses, see Battle of New Orleans (disambiguation).Battle of New OrleansPart of the War of 1812
The Battle of New Orleans by Henry Bryan Hall after William MombergerDateDecember 24, 1814–January 8, 1815LocationAbout five miles (8 km) east-southeast of New Orleans on the grounds of Chalmette PlantationResultDecisive American victory;[1]
British forces withdraw completely from Louisiana.[2][3]BelligerentsUnited StatesUnited KingdomCommanders and leaders Andrew Jackson
William Carroll
John Coffee
Walter H. Overton
Daniel Patterson
David B. Morgan
Jean Lafitte Edward Pakenham†
Alexander Cochrane
John Keane(WIA)
John Lambert
William Thornton
Thomas MullinsStrength4,732 soldiers, militia, marines, sailors, privateers, Choctaws, and civilian volunteers
16 guns
1 schooner
1 sloop-of-war
1 steamboat11,000 soldiers, marines
and sailors
Large Royal Navy fleetCasualties and losses55 killed
185 wounded
93 missing[4]
Total: 333386 killed
1,521 wounded
552 missing
Total: 2,459[show]

American South[show]

Naval campaigns of the War of 1812

The Battle of New Orleans was a series of engagements fought between December 24, 1814, and January 8, 1815, together constituting the final major battle of the War of 1812.[5][6] American combatants,[7] 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.[8][9][10][11] The Treaty of Ghent was signed on December 24, 1814 (but was not ratified by the US Government until February 1815), and hostilities would continue in Louisiana, without knowing about and contrary to the Treaty,[12] until January 18 when all of the British forces had retreated, finally putting an end to the Battle of New Orleans.[13][14][15]

Battle of Lake BorgneMain article: Battle of Lake BorgneEighteenth century map of southeast Louisiana

By December 12, 1814, a large British fleet under the command of Sir Alexander Cochrane with more than 8,000 soldiers and sailors aboard, had anchored in the Gulf of Mexico to the east of Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Borgne.[16] Preventing access to the lakes was an American flotilla, commanded by Lieutenant Thomas ap Catesby Jones, consisting of five gunboats. On December 14, around 1,200 British sailors and Royal Marines under Captain Nicholas Lockyer[17] set out to attack Jones\' force. Lockyer\'s men sailed in 42 longboats, each armed with a small carronade. Lockyer captured Jones\' vessels in a brief engagement known as the Battle of Lake Borgne. 17 British sailors were killed and 77 wounded,[18] while 6 Americans were killed, 35 wounded, and 86 captured.[18] The wounded included both Jones and Lockyer. Now free to navigate Lake Borgne, thousands of British soldiers, under the command of General John Keane, were rowed to Pea Island, about 30 miles (48km) east of New Orleans, where they established a garrison.

Night attack of December 23Night battle[19]

On the morning of December 23, Keane and a vanguard of 1,800 British soldiers reached the east bank of the Mississippi River, 9 miles (14km) south of New Orleans.[20] Keane could have attacked the city by advancing for a few hours up the river road, which was undefended all the way to New Orleans, but he made the fateful decision to encamp at Lacoste\'s Plantation[21] and wait for the arrival of reinforcements.[22] During the afternoon of December 23, after he had learned of the position of the British encampment, Andrew Jackson reportedly said, \"By the Eternal they shall not sleep on our soil.\"[23] This intelligence had been provided by Colonel Thomas Hinds\' Squadron of Light Dragoons, a militia unit from the Mississippi Territory.[24][25] That evening, attacking from the north, Jackson led 2,131[26] men in a brief three-pronged assault on the unsuspecting British troops, who were resting in their camp. Then Jackson pulled his forces back to the Rodriguez Canal, about 4 miles (6.4km) south of the city. The Americans suffered 24 killed, 115 wounded, and 74 missing,[27] while the British reported their losses as 46 killed, 167 wounded, and 64 missing.[28]

Historian Robert Quimby says, \"the British certainly did win a tactical victory, which enabled them to maintain their position.\"[29] However, Quimby goes on to say, \"It is not too much to say that it was the battle of December 23 that saved New Orleans. The British were disabused of their expectation of an easy conquest. The unexpected and severe attack made Keane even more cautious...he made no effort to advance on the twenty-fourth or twenty-fifth.\"[30] As a consequence, the Americans were given time to begin the transformation of the canal into a heavily fortified earthwork.[31] On Christmas Day, General Edward Pakenham arrived on the battlefield and ordered a reconnaissance-in-force on December 28 against the American earthworks protecting the advance to New Orleans. That evening, General Pakenham met with General Keane and Admiral Cochrane for an update on the situation, angry with the position that the army had been placed in. General Pakenham wanted to use Chef Menteur Road as the invasion route but was overruled by Admiral Cochrane who insisted that his boats were providing everything that could be needed.[32] Admiral Cochrane believed that the British Army would destroy a ramshackle American army and allegedly said that if the Army would not do so his sailors would. Whatever Pakenham\'s thoughts on the matter, the meeting settled the method and place of the attack.[33]

When the British reconnaissance-in-force withdrew, the Americans began construction of earthworks to protect the artillery batteries, which were then christened Line Jackson. The Americans installed eight batteries, which included one 32-pound gun, three 24-pounders, one 18-pounder, three 12-pounders, three 6-pounders, and a 6-inch (150mm) howitzer. Jackson also sent a detachment of men to the west bank of the Mississippi to man two 24-pounders and two 12-pounders from the grounded warship USSLouisiana. Jackson\'s force was outnumbered by the attacking British forces. Jackson\'s army of 4,732 men comprised 968 US Army regulars,[34] 58 US Marines, 106 seamen of the US Naval battalion, 1,060 Louisiana Militia and volunteers (including 462 free people of color), 1,352 Tennessee Militia, 986 Kentucky Militia, 150 Mississippi Militia and 52 Choctaw warriors, along with a force of the pirate Jean Lafitte\'s Baratarians. Additionally, Jackson had the support of warships in the Mississippi River, including the USS Louisiana, the USS Carolina and a steamboat Enterprise.

The main British army arrived on New Year\'s Day 1815, and attacked the earthworks using their artillery. An exchange of artillery fire began that lasted for three hours. Several of the American guns were destroyed or knocked out, including the 32-pounder, a 24-pounder, and a 12-pounder, and some damage was done to the earthworks. The British guns ran out of ammunition, which led Pakenham to cancel the attack. Unknown at the moment to Pakenham, the Americans on the left of Line Jackson near the swamp had broken and run from the position. Pakenham decided to wait for his entire force of over 8,000 men to assemble before launching his attack.[35]

Battle of January 81815 painting of the battle by participant Jean Hyacinthe de Laclotte of the Louisiana Militia based on his memories and sketches made at the site.Early 19th century map depicting the battlefield at Chalmette Plantation on January 8, 1815

On January 8, 1815, the British marched against New Orleans, hoping that by capturing the city they could separate Louisiana from the rest of the United States. Pirate Jean Lafitte, however, had warned the Americans of the attack, and the arriving British found militiamen under General Andrew Jackson had constructed three lines of defence, the forward one four miles in front of the city, was strongly entrenched at the Rodriquez Canal, which stretched from a swamp to the river, with a timber, loopholed breastwork and earthworks for artillery.[36]:361 [37]

The British battle plan was for an attack against the 20-gun west bank battery, which would then both reduce the American artillery danger and enable those same guns to be turned on the American line which would assist a frontal attack against the defended line.[36]:362 In the early morning of January 8, Pakenham gave his final orders for the two-pronged assault against Jackson\'s position. Colonel William Thornton (of the 85th Regiment) was to cross the Mississippi during the night with his 780-strong force, move rapidly upriver and storm the battery commanded by Commodore Daniel Patterson on the flank of the main American entrenchments and then open an enfilading fire on Jackson\'s line with howitzers and rockets.[38] Then, the main attack, directly against the earthworks manned by the vast majority of American troops,[39] would be launched in two columns (along the river led by Keane and along the swamp line led by Major General Samuel Gibbs). The brigade commanded by Major General John Lambert was held in reserve.

A canal was dug by the British to enable 42 small ships boats to get to the river.[36]:362 Preparations for the attack had floundered early on the 8th, as the canal being dug by Cochrane\'s sailors collapsed and the dam made to divert the flow of the river into the canal failed, leaving the sailors to drag the boats of Col. Thornton\'s west bank assault force through deep mud and left the force starting off just before daybreak, 12 hours late.[40] The frontal attack was not however postponed as it was hoped that the west bank would at least create a diversion, even if they had not succeeded in the assault.[36]:362

The battlefield at Chalmette Plantation on January 8, 1815

The main attack began under darkness and a heavy fog, but as the British neared the main enemy line the fog lifted, exposing them to withering artillery fire. Lt-Col. Thomas Mullins, the British commander of the 44th (East Essex) Regiment of Foot, had forgotten the ladders and fascines needed to cross the eight foot deep and fifteen foot wide canal[36]:361 and scale the earthworks, and confusion evolved in the dark and fog as the British tried to close the gap. Most of the senior officers were killed or wounded, including General Gibbs, leading the main attack column on the right comprising the 4th, 21st, 44th and 5th West India Regiments, and Colonel Rennie leading a detachment of light companies of the 7th, 43rd, and 93rd on the left by the river.

General Andrew Jackson stands on the parapet of his makeshift defenses as his troops repulse attacking Highlanders, as imagined by painter Edward Percy Moran in 1910.

Possibly because of Thornton\'s delay in crossing the river and the withering artillery fire that might hit them from across the river, the 93rd Highlanders were ordered to leave Keane\'s assault column advancing along the river and move across the open field to join the main force on the right of the field. Keane fell wounded as he crossed the field with the 93rd. Rennie\'s men managed to attack and overrun an American advance redoubt next to the river, but without reinforcements they could neither hold the position nor successfully storm the main American line behind. Within minutes, the American 7th Infantry arrived, moved forward, and fired upon the British in the captured redoubt: within half an hour, Rennie and most of his men were dead. In the main attack on the right, the British infantrymen either flung themselves to the ground, huddled in the canal, or were mowed down by a combination of musket fire and grapeshot from the Americans. A handful made it to the top of the parapet on the right but were either killed or captured. The 95th Rifles had advanced in open skirmish order ahead of the main assault force and were concealed in the ditch below the parapet, unable to advance further without support.

The two large main assaults on the American position were repulsed. Pakenham and his second-in-command, General Gibbs, were fatally wounded, while on horseback, by grapeshot fired from the earthworks. Command then fell to the highest ranking living officer who was Major Wilkinson. Major Wilkinson reformed his lines and made a third assault. They were able to reach the entrenchments and attempted to scale them. Wilkinson made it to the top, before being shot. The Americans were amazed at his bravery and carried him behind the rampart. With most of their senior officers dead or wounded, the British soldiers, having no orders to advance further or retreat, stood out in the open and were shot apart with grapeshot from Line Jackson. General Lambert was reserve and took command. He gave the order for his reserve to advance and ordered the withdrawal of the army. The reserve was used to cover the retreat of what was left of the British army in the field.

Photo of Chalmette National Park, looking NE from the monument. The main British attack struck just beyond Batteries 5 and 6, the two cannons near the distant treeline.

The only British success was the delayed attack on the west bank of the Mississippi River, where Thornton\'s brigade, comprising the 85th Regiment and detachments from the Royal Navy and Royal Marines,[41][42][43] attacked and overwhelmed the American line.[44] The Navy detachment and the Marine detachment were led by Captain Rowland Money and Brevet Major Thomas Adair respectively. Money was captain of HMS Trave, and Adair was the commanding officer of HMSVengeur\'s detachment of Marines.[45] The sides of the canal by which the boats were to be brought through to the Mississippi caved in and choked the passage, so that only enough got through to take over a half of Thornton’s force. With these, seven hundred in number, he crossed, but as he did not allow for the current, it carried him down about two miles below the proper landing-place. Thornton’s brigade won their battle, but Colonel Thornton was dangerously wounded. This success, though a brilliant one, and a disgrace to the American arms, had no effect on the battle.[46] Army casualties among the 85th Foot were: 2 deaths, 1 man taken prisoner, and 41 wounded.[44] Royal Navy casualties were 2 deaths, Captain Rowland Money and 18 seamen wounded. Royal Marine casualties were 2 deaths, with 3 officers, 1 sergeant and 12 other ranks wounded. Though both Jackson and Commodore Patterson reported that the retreating forces had spiked their cannon, leaving no guns to turn on the Americans\' main defense line, Major Mitchell\'s diary makes it clear this was not so, as he states he had \"Commenced cleaning enemy\'s guns to form a battery to enfilade their lines on the left bank\".[47] General Lambert ordered his Chief of Artillery, Colonel Alexander Dickson, to assess the position. Dickson reported back that no fewer than 2,000 men would be needed to hold the position. General Lambert issued orders to withdraw after the defeat of their main army on the east bank and retreated, taking a few American prisoners and cannon with them.[44][48] It was later learned that the Americans were so dismayed by the loss of this battery, which would be capable of inflicting such damage on their lines when the attack was renewed, that they were preparing to abandon the town, when they received the news that the British themselves were withdrawing.[36]:363

The battle was remarkable for both its brevity and lopsided lethality. In the space of twenty-five minutes, the British lost 700 killed, 1400 wounded and 500 prisoners, a total loss of twenty-six hundred men; American losses were only seven killed and six wounded.[49][50] Adjutant-general Robert Butler, in his official report to General Jackson a few days after the battle of the 8th, placed the losses of the British at 700 killed, 1400 wounded, and 500 prisoners - the total of 2600 casualties was almost one third the entire number the enemy admitted to have taken part in the contest of the day. After the battle was over, around 500 British soldiers who had pretended to be dead rose up and surrendered to the Americans. One bugle boy climbed a tree within 200 yards of the American line and played throughout the battle, with shooting whizzing around him. He was captured after the battle and considered a hero by the Americans.

Almost universal blame was attributed to Colonel Mullins, of the Forty-fourth Regiment, which was detailed under orders to prepare and have ready, and to carry to the front on the morning of the eighth, fascines and ladders with which to cross the ditch and scale the parapet, as the soldiers fought their way to the breastwork of the Americans. It was freely charged that the Colonel deserted his trust and at the moment of need was half a mile to the rear. It was then that Pakenham, learning of Mullins\' conduct, placed himself at the head of the Forty-fourth and endeavored to lead them to the front with the implements needed to storm the works, when he fell wounded, on being assisted onto a horse, he was hit again and fell, this time mortally wounded.[36]:363[51]