The Battle of New Orleans - Coursework Example

The Battle of New OrleansThe Battle of New Orleans has had a great impact on the outcome of the War of 1812 as it was the last large-scale battle of the campaign. The significance of the battle could be explained by the fact that it has brought a decisive and unappealable victory to the US army led by Major General Jackson and drawn the line under several years of the warfare. The battle took place near New Orleans between December 23, 1814 and January 8, 1815 and was preconditioned by the competition for three strategic points.

The British had elaborated on the attack plan including three major offensives: hitting Washington, New Orleans and striking the US forces from Canada (Hickman). Thus, for the US, the battle was generally preconditionedby the necessity to defend the strategically important city. The British, in their turn, planned to establish control of New Orleans and separate Louisiana from the rest of the US (history.com). As a result, American armed forces have managed to maintain control over the city with minimal losses compared to Britain’s casualties.

The defense of the city organized by Jackson had proved to be strong enough not to let the British penetrate the territory. What is peculiar about the Battle of New Orleans is that it took place already after signing of Ghent peace agreement which took place in Belgium on the 24th of December. However, this information hadn’t reached the warring parties on the American continent by the time the battle started. In accordance with this peculiarity, one could state the battle to be of no use at it took place when America and Britain had already settled their differences.

Nevertheless, taking into account the brilliant victory of American army followed by the full withdrawal of British troops, we can claim the battle to be of great significance for strengthening position and potential of the United States on the international stage. Works Cited:Hickman, Kennedy. War of 1812: Battle of New Orleans, from: http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/warof1812/p/battle-of-new-orleans.htmThe Battle of New Orleans, from: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-battle-of-new-orleans