Great Britain and the United States. The Rear-Admiral was nominated a K.C.B. Jan. 2, 1815.
Residence.– 43, Charles Street, Berkeley Square.
the ship having warped farther up the river, the following day Sir Edward moved forward to within gun-shot of an entrenchment which the enemy had recently thrown up, extending across the cultivated ground from the Mississippi to an impassable swampy wood on his left, a distance of about 1000 yards.
It being thought necessary to bring heavy artillery against this work, and also against the ship which had cannonaded the army when advancing, guns were brought up from the shipping, and on the 1st Jan. 1815, batteries were opened, but without having the desired effect, in consequence of which the attack was deferred until the arrival of a reinforcement of troops under Sir John Lambert, who joined on the 6th.
In the proposed plan for the general attack upon New Orleans, it was decided to throw a body of men across the river to gain possession of the enemy’s guns on the right bank; and for this purpose the canal by which the provisions and stores had been conveyed towards the camp, was widened and extended to the river; and about fifty boats having, in the day-time of the /th, been tracked under cover and unperceived close up to the bank, at night the whole were after much labour dragged into the Mississipi, and placed under the command of Captain Roberts, of the Meteor, who had recently distinguished himself in a brilliant affair, to which we shall pay proper attention in our memoir of Captain Nicholas Lockyer, the officer who commanded on the occasion.
Early on the morning of the 8th, the 85th regiment and about 600 seamen and marines, under the direction of Colonel Thornton, Captain Money of the navy, and Major Adair of the latter corps, were landed without opposition; and the armed boats moving up the river as they advanced, this part of the operations succeeded perfectly; the Americans being driven from every position, leaving behind them 17 pieces of cannon, and the colours of the New Orleans regiment of militia; but the great loss sustained in the unsuccessful attempt to gain possession of the enemy’s lines near the town, having induced Sir John Lambert (who had succeeded to the command of the army on the death of Sir Edward Pakenham) to send orders to Colonel Thornton to retire; after spiking the guns and destroying the carriages, the whole were re-embarked and brought back, the boats again dragged into the canal, and from thence to the Bayon, conveying at the same time such of the wounded as it was thought requisite to send off to the ships.
The loss of the British on the 8th was about 2,000 killed, wounded, and taken prisoners. The brave Sir Edward Pakenham, as soon as from his station he had made the signal for the troops to advance to the general assault, gallopped on to the front, to animate them by his presence; and he was seen with his hat off, encouraging them on the crest of the glacis; it was there he received two wounds, one in the knee, and another in his body; he fell in the arms of his aid-de-camp, Major M‘Dougall. This sad event
