The Battle of New Orleans - Article Example

The Battle of New Orleans The War of 1812 pitted the British and the Americans against one another, and one of the battlegrounds came to be in what would later become the state of Louisiana. Movements began on the night of January 7th, 1815, and the battle itself took place on January 8th. The city of New Orleans, on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, was invaded by British troops under Pakenham. Meanwhile, American troops under Jackson moved to confront the British. The British Army was planning to cross the Mississippi River in order to make a surprise attack, with two sections of the force planning to attack the American forces while another section remained in reserve. Trouble with the canals they had dug, as well as a general slow crossing, muddled the British plans early on. Meanwhile, the American forces were on the alert and Jackson had been inspecting them and preparing them through the night. The British moved in for a predawn attack, but due to problems crossing the river were delayed until daylight. Nonetheless, the forces of one of the three sections, under the command of General Gibbs, continued with the original plan. The attack began after a signal of one rocket being fired from each of the two attacking sections. The British then began to charge into the American position, but were met quickly with artillery fire that ripped through their lines. American rifle fire along with a continued slew of artillery managed to stop this advance. The British losses continued to be heavy, as every wave that attacked the American lines was fiercely repelled. Many British officers were killed during this part of the battle, including Pakenham and Gibbs. Keanes, commanding the reserve force of highlanders, saw the devastation and soon moved to reinforce the attacking element. His wave met the same fate as the others, however, and suffered heavy losses. The attacking section that had not yet been met with defeat, however, was still well hidden amongst the fogs near the river. This section, under General Lambert, made its advance and nearly took the right side of the American line. Quickly, however, American forces fired back on this section and again brought heavy casualties while suppressing their advance successfully. However, the British did see some success on the opposite bank of the river, where they landed and were opposed by fatigued militia forces. A weak line existed overall on this side of the river, and was only of much use because its naval guns near the river had contributed to the artillery fire that repelled the British attack against Jackson’s line. After the British broke this line, the success was short lived, as the order to withdraw came in. While British losses were somewhere between two thousand and three thousand soldiers, the America ns only suffered perhaps seven casualties. The victory for the Americans was very clear and strong. The Creek War Part of the War of 1812 was the Creek War, where Indians of this Southeastern tribe became divided into two groups—one peaceful, one hostile. The hostile group, known as the Red Sticks, had been inspired by the famous Tecumseh, who had travelled south from the Great Lakes before the war on a mission to unite the Indians of America against the white settlers. The Red Sticks were an example of his success, while those who refused to participate showed that it was indeed a divided movement. The Creek War itself took place from 1813 to 1814. The Creek received the support of England and Spain in their war, but were pitted against not only American troops under General Jackson but also against the Choctaw, Cherokee, Chickasaw, and other Creek Indians. This allied force had broken the idea of a united Indian front against the whites, and made the Red Stick campaign very difficult. The first battle of the war was the Battle of Burnt Corn. Prior to this, the Creek had already been fighting among themselves due to a disagreement about executing a war party that had killed white settlers. The American troops, however, had not yet been involved. The American troops stopped a group of Red Sticks as they returned with weapons from Spanish territory, and after these Re Sticks fled and left their weapons, another party of Red Sticks attacked in relation for the seizure of the weapons. The Red Sticks then began to attack US forts near their territory, and were particularly notorious for the Fort Mims Massacre in Alabama where they killed hundreds of half bloods and whites. In response, the locals assembled a militia due to the preoccupation of the regular Army with British troops. This militia was made up of Tennessee troops under the command of General Jackson, who was joined by the allied Indian tribes. Jackson quickly was successful at the Battle of Tallushatchee and the Battle of Talladaga. Hostile Red Sticks had gathered at these places after burning towns, and in both battles the American forces easily killed the Red Sticks. While the Tennessee militia carried out this primary campaign, milities from Georgia and Mississippi also carried out an offensive against the Red Sticks. The Mississippi militia moved to converge on the Red Stick capital at the Holy Ground, or Hickory Ground, near the crossing point of the Tallapoosa and Coosa rivers in Alabama—they nearly captured the Red Stick leader William Weatherford in this campaign. The Georgian militia had much more minor encounters early on in the war, and was through fighting long before the Tennessee militia was. The Battle of Horseshoe Bend, at Tallapoosa, was the decisive American and allied victory. The Tennessee militia under Jackson surrounded the Red Sticks, and with the help of allied Indians crossed the river separating the two forces and fired into the Red Stick ranks. The bloody battle was soon a victory. The Creeks were forced to sign the Treaty of Fort Jackson, and ceded much of their lands to the government. The Presidential Election of 1824 The presidential election of 1824 was unique in American history because it featured candidates who were all from the same political party. The Federalist Party, which had been popular in the past, had collapsed by this time and the Democratic-Republican Party remained as the party of choice. The candidates, all being from the same party, were more differentiated by their regional orientations than their politics. There were three candidates, each of whom had their own qualifying background and characteristics. John Quincy Adams, who would eventually win the election, was a statesman from Massachusetts. He had served as the American envoy to several countries in Europe, as well as having been a Senator and the Secretary of State. His background was firmly established in politics and diplomacy. In contract, Andrew Jackson was a war hero of the War of 1812 known for his victories against the Creek Indians and the British. Coming from Tennessee, he had served in Congress as well as in a judicial position, but was most significant for his military experience and straightforwardness. Georgia’s William Crawford had diplomatic experience as well as a history of service as the Secretary of the Treasury, but lacked popularity due to his previous victory in the dated caucus system, which the public opposed using. Henry Clay of Kentucky had more minor political experience in Congress. John Calhoun, a former Secretary of War, dropped out of the race to become a candidate for Vice President. Character traits were most important during the election, and the public analyzed and judged the candidates by their personality in order to determine who was most fit to be president. The issues, however, went rather unmentioned in the public realm, and it was clear that political platforms were not central in this election. In the end, Crawford, Adams, and Jackson were the neck and neck candidates, and the results of the election, being indecisive, left them as the last straws. Jackson seemingly was in a position to declare victory, as he had won over the electoral college as well as the popular vote—at least in comparison to his peers. However, he did not hold a majority, as the multitude of candidates had left the votes spread thin. The next move was for the House of Representatives to choose to victor, as the Constitution dictated at the time. In a single, clear cut vote the House of Representatives declared John Quincy Adams the winner of the election. The election’s conclusion became known as the “Corrupt Bargain”, as Jackson had lost despite winning the support of a plurality that was said to be the will of the people. The results left his supporters outraged. References Lafitte, Jean. "The Battle of New Orleans, January 8, 1815." NPS Historical Handbook. U.S. National Park Service, 02 Dec. 2002. Web. . Middleton, Carol. "The Creek War." RootsWeb Genealogical Data Cooperative. Ancestry.com. Web. . Whitson, James R. "The 1824 Campaign and Election." President Elect. 2008. Web. . Read More