Chalmette Battlefield

Living historians demonstrate musket firings at the Chalmette Battlefield.

NPS Photo

Quick Facts

Location:

Chalmette, Louisiana

Significance:

Site of the Battle of New Orleans

Designation:

National Historical Park

Six miles downriver from New Orleans is the Chalmette Battlefield. In 1815, this field would serve as the stage for the Battle of New Orleans.

By 1815, Great Britain and the United States had been fighting against each other in the War of 1812 for over two years. The British had set their sights on invading New Orleans. A vital port, the city acted as the gateway to the Mississippi River Valley and the vast Louisiana territory. Both sides of the conflict the city's importance. For the United States, losing control of New Orleans would strain the American economy beyond recovery.

On January 8th, 1815, the British army attacked the American defensive line at the Chalmette Plantation. The superior British force outnumbered the American troops two-to-one. But against the odds, General Jackson's soldiers defeated the British. They were driven off the battlefield in defeat after 30 minutes of fighting.

Many people believe that this last great battle of the War of 1812 was unnecessary. The treaty ending the war had been signed in late 1814, but the war was not over. 

The resounding American victory at the Battle of New Orleans soon became a symbol of a new idea. American democracy triumphing over the old European ideas of aristocracy and entitlement. Americans took great pride in the victory. For decades celebrated January 8 as a national holiday, just like the Fourth of July.