History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery Vol. 2 / Compiled from the Original Records

by Francis Duncan

The batteries against the main entrenchment on the left bank were two in number, containing four 18-pounders and four 24-pounders. It was first intended that Captain Michell’s brigade of heavy howitzers and 9-pounders should be sent across the river, if the attack on that side should prove successful; but this plan was subsequently altered, and Captain Michell’s brigade, with Captain Deacon’s, was employed in the main attack on the enemy’s line.

The attack took place on the morning of Sunday, the 8th January. As soon as it was dark on the previous night, the operation of carrying the boats from the canal to the Mississippi commenced, but was found to be more difficult than had been anticipated. There was scarcely any water in the opening which had been cut in the levée,—and between that and the stream the water was shallow, and the mud very deep. The greater part of the night was spent in getting the boats afloat. At 3.15 A.M. only thirty boats had been launched into the deep water, and the 85th Regiment alone had been embarked. The fatiguing nature of the work passed description, and the exertions made by all to overcome the difficulties were beyond praise. Many of the working parties were obliged to stand in mud which almost reached their waists; and yet there was not a word of complaint. Had the determination of the troops in the battle of the 8th been equal to that displayed on the night preceding, a painful chapter in English history need never have been written. The difficulties experienced in getting the force under Colonel Thornton transported across the river were almost equalled by those experienced in getting the batteries ready for the main attack. The ground over which the guns had to be transported was very heavy, and intersected with ditches: and at 4.30 A.M. the batteries were not yet half finished. The reader will bear in mind that it was necessary to defer the erection and armament of these batteries until the night preceding the engagement, in order to deceive the enemy.

When Sir Edward Pakenham quitted his quarters at 5 A.M. on the 8th, he was surprised to hear that Colonel Thornton’s party had not yet crossed the river; and, as it was so nearly daylight, he hesitated as to the wisdom of letting them go, as there would not be time for them to get possession of the works on the other side, and to bring up artillery to enfilade the enemy’s line in support of the general attack, which was to take place at daylight. Still, bearing in mind that, at the worst, Colonel Thornton’s movements would operate as a timely diversion, he sent to enquire how many men had been embarked: and, having been informed that the 85th Regiment, with some Marines—amounting in all to 460—had been put on board, and that there was room for 100 more,—he ordered that additional number to be embarked, and the whole to cross without delay.

Too literal obedience to orders is often fatal. Had the officer superintending the launching of the boats made use of a smaller number, and made more frequent trips with them across the river, there is little doubt that he would easily have succeeded in transporting the whole force in sufficient time. But, having received orders to launch forty-two boats, he obeyed his orders to the letter; nor did the unexpected difficulties which he encountered suggest to him the propriety of consulting Sir Edward Pakenham, with a view to modifying his orders, and bringing them into accord with the altered circumstances. The hurried embarkation at the end, and the smaller force employed, produced the alteration already mentioned in the disposition of the Artillery intended to accompany Colonel Thornton’s force. Major Michell, without his guns, and Captain Lane’s rocket detachments alone crossed the river.

MS. Journal of Sir A. Dickson.

At 5.30 A.M. Sir Edward proceeded to the front. Colonels Dickson and Burgoyne followed him; and the description of the battle may be summarised from the voluminous account of the former officer. Day was fast breaking, and, as they passed the house known as La Ronde’s, a rocket was fired, which, they afterwards learned, was a signal for the advance of the columns to the attack. They had not proceeded much farther when the fire of musketry commenced, followed by that of artillery; and, as they proceeded to a point about 600 yards distant from the enemy’s line, they observed the reserve troops moving forward by a road on their flank. It was evident that the attack should have been made a little earlier in the morning, as the Americans could not have directed their fire with such certainty against the English columns, which, as Colonel Dickson rode forward, he perceived must be distinctly visible from the enemy’s lines. At first the musketry fire was scattered along the line; it then became more general, although not so incessant as might have been expected. The fire of artillery was heavy, and kept up with the utmost vigour; but as Colonel Dickson advanced, he observed the infantry fire to be slackening,—heard that Sir Edward Pakenham was badly wounded,—and met the troops coming back in great confusion, the 1st Brigade, however, which had been in reserve, continuing to advance in good order. Seeing the field Artillery on his left slowly retiring, Colonel Dickson rode up, and ascertained from Captain Carmichael that he had moved forward according to order, taken up a position, and opened as soon as the musketry fire commenced; but that he had scarcely fired five rounds a gun when the attacking columns broke at the head, and such numbers of men came in front of his guns that he was obliged to cease firing; and being under a most heavy fire, without the power of returning it, he had thought it best to fall back. One 3-pounder gun had been dismounted, both gun-wheels having been shot away. It was soon apparent that the attack had entirely failed; but the sight of the 1st Brigade continuing to advance, and the 2nd commencing to re-form, gave some hopes of its renewal. These were, however, soon dissipated; the artillery and musketry fire of the enemy continued unslackened; and the 1st Brigade, followed by the other troops, was soon observed to move to the right towards the wood, and to lie down under cover. During the whole of these events, the fire from the Royal Artillery batteries, under Major Munro, was kept up with the greatest vigour. Colonel Dickson then moved the brigades of Artillery, and formed line for action on the road. While doing this, he heard that both General Gibbs and MS. Journal of Sir A. Dickson. General Keane were wounded,—the former mortally. “A little afterwards,” he wrote, “I heard of the death of Sir Edward Pakenham, who perished in a noble effort to re-establish the confidence of the troops, which had halted from panic just as they were arriving at the line of the enemy,—a panic which no exertion could restore, and which occasioned their total repulse and defeat. Major Macdougal, Sir Edward’s aide-de-camp, informed me that at the moment the column of General Gibbs’ brigade stopped they began firing front and rear, and Sir Edward, who was at some distance behind to observe the operation, immediately galloped up to the head of the column, exclaiming, ‘Lost from want of courage!’ and was trying to encourage the troops on, which he succeeded in doing for a few yards, when he was wounded in the thigh, and his horse killed. Major Macdougal having extricated and raised him from the ground, he was in the act of mounting Macdougal’s horse when he was hit again, and fell into Macdougal’s arms, ejaculating a few words, which were the last he spoke. He expired just as he was conveyed to General Gibbs’ house, thus falling a sacrifice to the misconduct of his troops, by which Great Britain lost one of her ablest and bravest soldiers, and myself one I must ever regret both as a commander and a friend.”

The troops advanced until very near the enemy’s line; but, the enemy’s fire becoming extremely heavy, they stopped, and began firing; and, confusion taking place, nothing could induce them to advance farther; so that, after losing a great number of officers and men, they fell back. A party, consisting of the light companies of the 7th, 43rd, and 93rd Regiments, with one hundred negroes, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel Rennie, 21st Regiment,—taking with them a spiking party of Artillery, under Lieutenant Ford,—attacked the advanced work on the right of the enemy’s line, which they succeeded in carrying, but not without great loss, Colonel Rennie and many officers and men being killed. They kept possession of the outwork for some time, and at last were obliged to leave it, in consequence of the heavy fire from the main work. This force was the advanced part of General Keane’s column, which consisted of the 93rd Regiment, with two companies of the 95th. It had been arranged that, in the event of Colonel Thornton succeeding in capturing the works on the other side of the river, General Keane’s column should press after Colonel Rennie’s force, and endeavour to turn the right of the enemy’s line through the small outwork. Unfortunately, the delay in sending Colonel Thornton’s force across caused Sir Edward Pakenham to alter this plan; and General Keane’s column was ordered to join the left of the 2nd Brigade in the main attack. What was the result? General Keane complied with the new order, and attacked the line to the left of the 2nd Brigade; but the ditch was found to be too deep at this place, and, after the most gallant exertions, his attack was repulsed with heavy loss. Had Colonel Rennie’s force, on taking the outwork, been followed by the 93rd Regiment, it is extremely probable that, by means of the open communication between it and the main work, the latter might have been entered and carried.

In the meantime, Colonel Thornton’s force, which had crossed the river without opposition, advanced rapidly, and carried everything before them. They turned and captured with great gallantry the whole of the enemy’s entrenchments, becoming possessors of the flanking batteries, which it had been decided, if possible, to secure and silence before the main attack commenced. These batteries contained sixteen Major Michell to Colonel Dickson, 8 Jan. 1815. guns and howitzers; and on one of the latter was found the inscription, “Taken at the surrender of York Town in 1781.” Major Michell’s conduct during this attack was thus described in Colonel Thornton’s despatch: “Major Michell of the Royal Artillery afforded me much assistance by his able direction of the firing of some rockets, it not having been found practicable in the first instance to bring over the artillery attached to his command.” Had the attack on the left bank of the Mississippi been as well carried out as that on the right, the defeat of the Americans would have been certain. As it was, General Lambert, to whom the command fell on the death of Sir Edward Pakenham, seeing how desperate the state of affairs was, and bearing in mind that no fewer than 2000 men had been killed or wounded, decided on withdrawing the army to its old encampment, which was to be strengthened to prevent surprise—should the enemy adopt the offensive. He also recalled Colonel Thornton’s force from the other bank, but not until that gallant officer had demolished the captured batteries and spiked their guns. He then decided on abandoning the expedition;—levelling the batteries which had been thrown up;—and rendering the heavy ordnance unserviceable. The boats were removed from the river and placed in the canal, and the wounded were sent away as rapidly as the limited boat accommodation would permit. In answer to some proposals made by General Lambert, the Americans agreed that all prisoners should be returned on both sides; and promised that the wounded in their possession should be sent down the river to the English ships.

The retreat of the English army towards the landing-place, where they were to re-embark, was admirably conducted in the face of great difficulties. The design was so effectually concealed from the enemy, that by the 18th January the whole army, with its field artillery and stores, had moved, and the bridges in its rear had been destroyed, without attracting the enemy’s notice. It may interest the reader to know that the rocket detachments acted as the Artillery of the rear-guard. On the evening of the 28th January the whole of the army had embarked on board the fleet. In the despatch from General Lambert reporting the ‘London Gazette,’ 8 March, 1815. re-embarkation of the army, he wrote: “Lieut.-Colonel Dickson, Royal Artillery, has displayed his usual abilities and assiduity: he reports to me his general satisfaction with all the officers under his command, especially Major Munro, senior officer of the Royal Artillery previous to his arrival, and the officers commanding companies.”

Before the news of the Peace, which had been concluded between England and America, reached the army which had been discomfited at New Orleans, a successful affair for the English arms took place. General Lambert had now proceeded with his force against Fort Bowyer, Mobile, and, after deliberate approaches by the Engineers, and the erection of powerful batteries, the fort was summoned. After a short parley, its Governor surrendered: begging, however, to be permitted to defer its evacuation until the following day, as so many of his men had got drunk. This was agreed to: but the gate of the fort was immediately given over to a company of British Infantry, and the British flag was hoisted. On the 12th February, the garrison marched out; and on the 13th, the arrival of the news of the Peace, which had been signed at Ghent, put an end to further operations.