156 
advance, commanded by Colonel 
Thornton of the 85th regiment, 
was put into the gun vessels and 
boats, and Captain Gordon of the 
Seahorse proceeded with them 
and took post upon the Isle aux 
Poix, a smal] swampy spot at the 
mouth of the Pearl river, about 
30 miles from the anchorage, and 
nearly the same distance from 
the Bayone, where Major-Ge- 
neral Keane, Rear-Admiral Cod- 
rington and myself joined them 
on the following day ; meeting the 
gun vessels and boats returning 
to the shipping for troops, and 
supplies of stores and provisions. 
The Hon. Captain Spencer of 
the Carron, and Lieutenant Peddy 
of the Quarter-Master General’s 
department, who were sent to re- 
connoitre the Bayone Catalan. 
now returned with a favourable 
report of its position for disem- 
barking the army; having, with 
their guide, pulled up in a canoe 
to the head of the Bayone, a dis- 
tance of eight miles, and landed 
within a mile and a half of the 
high road to, and about six miles 
below, New Orleans, where they 
crossed the road without meeting 
with any interruption, or per- 
ceiving the least. preparation on 
the part of the enemy. 
‘The severe changes of the 
weather, from rain to fresh gales 
and hard frost, retarding the boats 
in their repeated passages to and 
from the shipping, it was not until 
the 2ist that (leaving on board 
the greater part of the two black 
regiments and the dragoons), we 
could assemble troops and sup- 
plies: sufficient to admit of our 
proceeding ; and on that day we 
commenced the embarkation of 
the second division in the gun 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 
1815. 
vessels, such of the hired craft as 
could be brought into the Lakes, 
and the Anaconda, which by the 
greatest exertions had been got 
over the shoal passages. 
On the 22nd these vessels being 
filled with about two thousand 
four hundred men, the advance, 
consisting of about sixteen hun- 
dred, got into the boats, and at 
eleven o’clock the whole started, 
with a fair wind, to cross Lac 
Borgne. We had not, however, 
proceded above two miles, when 
the Anaconda grounded, and the 
hired craft and gun-vessels taking 
the ground in succession before 
they had got within ten miles of 
the Bayone; the advance pushed 
on, and about midnight reached 
the entrance. 
A picquet, which the enemy 
had taken the precaution to place 
there, being surprised and cut 
off, Major-General Keane, with 
Rear-Admiral Malcolm and the 
advance, moved up the Bayone, 
and having effected a landing at 
day-dreak, in the course of the 
day was enabled to take up a po- 
sition across the main road to New 
Orleans, between the river Mis- 
sissippi and the Bayone. 
In this situation, about an hour 
after sunset, and before the boats 
could return with the second di- 
vision, an enemy’s schooner of 
14 guns, and an armed ship of 
16 guns, having dropped down 
the Mississippi, the former. com- 
menced a_ brisk cannonading, 
which was followed up by an attack 
of the whole of the American 
army. Their troops.were, how- 
ever, beaten back, and obliged 
to retire with considerable loss, 
and Major-General Keane ad- 
vanced somewhat beyond his for- 
