The Battle of New Orleans 229 



army. Jackson's men had worked like beavers, and 

 his breastworks were already defended by over three 

 thousand fighting men, 22 and by half a dozen guns, 

 and moreover were flanked by the corvette Louis 

 iana, anchored in the stream. No sooner had the 

 heads of the British columns appeared than they 

 were driven back by the fire of the American bat 

 teries; the field-pieces, mortars, and rocket guns 

 were then brought up, and a sharp artillery duel 

 took place. The motley crew of the Louisiana han 

 dled their long ship guns with particular effect; 

 the British rockets proved of but little service; 23 

 and after a stiff fight, in which they had two field- 

 pieces and a light mortar dismounted, 24 the British 

 artillerymen fell back on the infantry. Then Pak- 

 enham drew off his whole army out of cannon shot, 

 and pitched his camp facing the intrenched lines 

 of the Americans. For the next three days the Brit 

 ish battalions lay quietly in front of their foe, like 



M 3,282 men in all, according to the Adjutant-General's re 

 turn for Dec. 28, 1814. 



M Latour, 121. 



M Gleig, 314. The official returns show a loss of 18 Ameri 

 cans and 58 British, the latter suffering much less than Jack 

 son supposed. Lossing, in his " Field-Book of the War of 

 1812, ".not only greatly overestimates the British loss, but 

 speaks as if this was a serious attack, which it was not. 

 Pakenham's army, while marching, unexpectedly came upon 

 the American intrenchment, and recoiled at once, after see 

 ing that his field-pieces were unable to contend with the 

 American artillery. 



