The Battle of New Orleans 247 



Meanwhile Colonel Thornton's attack on the op- 

 posite side had been successful, but had been de- 

 layed beyond the originally intended hour. The 

 sides of the canal by which the boats were to be 

 brought through to the Mississippi caved in and 

 choked the passage, 44 so that only enough got 

 through to take over a half of Thornton's force. 

 With these, seven hundred in number, 45 he crossed, 

 but as he did not allow for the current, it carried 

 him down about two miles below the proper landing- 

 place. Meanwhile General Morgan, having under 

 him eight hundred militia, 46 whom it was of the 

 utmost importance to have kept together, promptly 

 divided them and sent three hundred of the rawest 

 and most poorly armed down to meet the enemy in 

 the open. The inevitable result was their imme- 

 diate rout and dispersion; about one hundred got 

 back to Morgan's lines. He then had six hun- 

 dred men, all militia, to oppose to seven hundred 

 regulars. 



one reduces Jackson's total force to 4,000, and the other 

 gives Pakenham but 7,300. Only 2,000 Americans were 

 actually engaged on the east banks. 



44 Codrington, i, 386. 



45 James says 298 soldiers and about 200 sailors; but Ad- 

 miral Cochrane in his letter (Jan. i8th) says 600 men, half 

 sailors; and Admiral Codrington also (p. 335) gives this 

 number, 300 being sailors; adding 13 1-3 per cent for the 

 officers, sergeants, and trumpeters, we get 680 men. 



46 796. (Latour, 164-172.) 



