Editing Battle of New Orleans (section)

==Aftermath==
===Fort St. Philip===
{{Main|Siege of Fort St. Philip (1815)}}
[[Fort St. Philip]], manned by an American garrison, defended the river approach to New Orleans. British naval forces attacked the fort on January 9 but withdrew after ten days of bombardment with [[Shell (projectile)#Early shells|exploding bomb shells]] from two [[bomb vessel]]s, mounting a total of four mortars.{{NoteTag|Roosevelt dismissively summarized the engagement in one sentence: "At the same time [as the British Army's withdrawal from New Orleans], a squadron of vessels, which had been unsuccessfully bombarding Fort Saint Philip for a week or two, and had been finally driven off when the fort got [the ammunition for] a mortar large enough to reach them with, also returned; and the whole fleet [thereafter] set sail for Mobile."{{sfnp|Roosevelt|1900|p=237}} }}{{NoteTag|'A British squadron appeared in the river below Fort St. Philip, Two bomb-vessels, under the protection of a sloop, a brig, and a schooner, bombarded the fort without effect until January 18, when they withdrew.'{{sfnp|Adams|1904|p=383}} }} In a dispatch sent to the Secretary of War, dated January 19, Jackson stated: "I am strengthened not only by [the defeat of the British at New Orleans] ... but by the failure of his fleet to pass fort St. Philip."{{sfnp|James|1818|pp=459-460}}

===British withdrawal===
Despite news of capture of the American battery on the west bank of the Mississippi River, British officers concluded that continuing the Louisiana campaign would be too costly. Three days after the battle, General Lambert held a council of war. Deciding to withdraw, the British left camp at Villeré's Plantation by January 19.{{sfnmp|Gleig|1827|1p=340|Latour|1999|p=184}} They were not pursued in any strength.{{NoteTag|Despatch from Jackson to Secretary of War dated January 19. "Last night at 12 o'clock, the enemy precipitately decamped and returned to their boats, leaving behind him, under medical attendance, eighty of his wounded including two officers, 14 pieces of his heavy artillery and a quantity of shot... Such was the situation of the ground he abandoned, and of that through which he returned, protected by canals, redoubts, entrenchments and swamps on his right, and the river on his left, that I could not, without encountering a risk which true policy did not seem to require, or to authorize, attempt to annoy him much on his retreat&nbsp;... [I am of] the belief that Louisiana is now clear of its enemy."{{sfnp|James|1818|p=563-564}} }} The Chalmette battlefield was the plantation home of Ignace Martin de Lino (1755–1815), a Spanish veteran of the [[American Revolutionary War]].{{NoteTag|Marker inscription, 'Named for Ignace Francois Martin de Lino de Chalmet (1755-1815), veteran of the American Revolution. Attained the rank of captain of infantry in the Spanish Army; retired about 1794. Purchased plantations below New Orleans and began acquisition of properties in 1805, which would become the Chalmette Plantation stretching 22 arpents along the Mississippi River; main house, sugar mill and almost all out buildings destroyed in the Battle of New Orleans. Decisive engagement on January 8, 1815. Erected by: St. Bernard Tourist Commission.'{{sfnp|HMDb, ''Chalmette Plantation''|2016}}}} The British returned to where they had landed, a distance in excess of sixty miles. The final troops re-embarked on January 27.{{sfnp|James|1818|pp=387–388}}

The British fleet embarked the troops on February 4, 1815 and sailed toward Dauphin Island at [[Mobile Bay]] on February 7, 1815.{{sfnp|Gleig|1827|p=184–192}}{{sfnp|James|1818|p=391}} The army captured [[Fort Bowyer]] at the entrance to Mobile Bay on February 12. Preparations to attack Mobile were in progress when news arrived of the Treaty of Ghent. General Jackson also had made tentative plans to attack the British at Mobile and to continue the war into Spanish Florida. With Britain having ratified the treaty and the United States having resolved that hostilities should cease pending imminent ratification, the British departed, sailing to the West Indies.{{sfnp|Fraser|Laughton|1930|p=297}} The British government was determined on peace with the United States, and speculation that it planned to permanently seize the Louisiana Purchase has been rejected by historians.  Thus Carr concludes, "by the end of 1814 Britain had no interest in continuing the conflict for the possession of New Orleans or any other part of American territory, but rather, due to the European situation and her own domestic problems, was anxious to conclude hostilities as quickly and gracefully as possible."{{sfnmp|Carr|1979|1p=273–282|Mills|1921|2p=19-32}}

It would have been problematic for the British to continue the war in North America, due to [[Napoleon]]'s escape from Elba on February 26, 1815, which ensured their forces were needed in Europe.{{NoteTag|Per Lambert, "While Napoleon remained in power, few British soldiers could be spared for North America. Wellington was always looking for more manpower."{{sfnp|Lambert|2012|p=381}}}} General Lambert participated in the Battle of Waterloo, as did the 4th Foot.

===Distinguished service as mentioned in dispatches===
{{blockquote|In his general orders of January 21, General Jackson, in thanking the troops, paid special tributes to the Louisiana organizations, and made particular mention of Capts. [[Dominique You|Dominique]] and Belluche, and the Lafitte brothers, all of the Barataria privateers; of General Garrique de Flanjac, a State Senator, and brigadier of militia, who served as a volunteer; of Majors [[Jean Baptiste Plauché|Plauche]], [[Henri de Sainte-Gême|Sainte-Geme]]. Lacoste, D'Aquin, Captain Savary, Colonel De la Ronde, [[General Humbert]], Don Juan de Araya, the Mexican Field-Marshal; Major-General Villeré and General Morgan, the Engineers Latour and Blanchard; the Attakapas dragoons, Captain Dubuclay; the cavalry from the Felicianas and the Mississippi territory. General Labattut had command of the town, of which Nicolas Girod was then the mayor.{{sfnmp|Brannan|1823|1p=477-480|Coleman|1885|2p=177}} }}

{{blockquote|Among those who most distinguished themselves during this brief but memorable campaign, were, next to the Commander-in-chief, Generals Villeré, Carroll, Coffee, Ganigues, Flanjac, Colonel Delaronde, Commodore Patterson, Majors Lacoste, Planche, Hinds, Captain Sainte-Geme, Lieutenants Jones, Parker, Marent, and Dominique; Colonel Savary, a man of colour nor must we omit to mention Lafitte, pirate though he was.{{sfnmp|Brannan|1823|1p=477-480|Bunner|1855|2p=231}}}}

=== Assessment ===
[[File:American cannons at Chalmette Battlefield Chalmette LA.jpg|thumb|Two examples of artillery pieces on Line Jackson. The one on the right is naval artillery and the left one is army artillery. The Americans used both equally. The British used mostly naval artillery during the campaign and with the small wheels and large frames these guns became bogged down in the muddy fields of Chalmette.]]
For the campaign, American casualties totaled 333 with 55 killed, 185 wounded, and 93 missing,{{NoteTag|Quoting from Butler's "report of the killed, wounded and missing" to Brigadier General Parker dated January 16, reproduced in the appendices.{{sfnp|James|1818|p=388}}}} while British casualties totaled 2,459 with 386 killed, 1,521 wounded, and 552 missing,{{NoteTag|An aggregation of totals for four casualty returns shows 386 killed, 1,516 wounded, and 552 missing. Casualty returns within Stovin's reports{{sfnp|Stovin|1815|pp=443-448}} James states 385 killed, 1,516 wounded, and 591 missing, 39 light dragoons in a boat being added to the missing.{{sfnp|James|1818|p=388}}}} according to the respective official casualty returns. A reduction in headcount due to 443 British soldiers' deaths since the prior month was reported on January 25. The effective strength of the British had reduced from 5,933{{NoteTag|Within Monthly Return, December 1814{{sfnp|Bamford|2014}} to 4,868 soldiers of the original force, bolstered by 681 and 785 soldiers of the [[Royal Fusiliers|7th Foot]] and [[43rd (Monmouthshire) Regiment of Foot|43rd Foot]] respectively.{{NoteTag|Within Monthly Return, January 1815.{{sfnp|Bamford|2014}} }} More than 600 prisoners of war were released from Jackson's captivity by March 1815.{{sfnp|Hollick|2021}} Bassett contains a letter from Jackson to Colonel Hays dated February 4. "After the exchange is compleated {{sic}}, there will remain between three and four hundred Prisoners in my hands".{{sfnp|Bassett|1911|p=157}}}}

The hundreds of dead British soldiers were likely buried at [[Jacques Villeré#Military service|Jacques Villeré's plantation]], which was the headquarters of the British Army during the New Orleans campaign. Nobody knows exactly where their final resting spot is. The only deceased British soldiers transported back to the United Kingdom were Generals Pakenham and Gibbs.{{sfnp|Reilly|1976|p=301}} Lieutenant Colonel Robert Rennie was buried by the 7th US Infantry, as ordered by Jackson, and his personal effects were passed on to Norman Pringle (an officer of the 21st Foot), via a flag of truce, to be forwarded on to Rennie's widow.{{sfnp|Davis|2019|p=277}}

[[File:Pakenham & Gibbs memorial.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.9|British Generals Pakenham and Gibbs Memorial at St. Paul's Cathedral in London]]
A discredited historical interpretation holds that the British had an ambitious colonization plan for the "[[Crown colony]] of Louisiana" if they had succeeded in capturing New Orleans and Mobile. While some British generals did speculate, the British government under [[Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool|Lord Liverpool]] rejected all such ideas and planned to finalize the peace by ratifying the Treaty of Ghent as soon as possible, regardless of what happened in New Orleans.{{sfnmp|Carr|1979|1p=273–282|Howe|2007|2p=16}} For the discredited speculation see Abernethy (1961).{{sfnp|Abernethy|1961|pp=389–390}} Cavell notes that there is little in the correspondence to imply that Britain planned permanently to occupy or to annex New Orleans or Louisiana territory and Davis states in his book 'no one in [the British] government seems to have advocated permanent possession'.{{sfnp|Cavell|2022}}{{sfnp|Davis|2019|p=15}}

Both sides faced challenges with logistics. This was especially the case for the British. The shortage of small boats had a noticeable impact when the landing on the Right Bank was made with only a third of the force originally planned, and they arrived far later than the time when they were supposed to arrive. The transport ships with the 26 artillery pieces of the siege train did not arrive until January 11, and would not see action until the engagement at Fort Bowyer on February 7, 1815. The poor quality of the roads through the swampy terrain, coupled with the lack of horses, was a burden upon the British supply network. These logistical shortcomings of the British were a precursor to similar issues that would be experienced during the [[Crimean War]].