2. Eccentric Attack.—Operations against New Orleans in 1815. Intended force 15,000 to 20,000 men. Object, "to obtain command of embouchure of the Mississippi, and, secondly, to occupy some important and valuable possession, by the restoration of which the conditions of peace might be improved, &c."; i.e., the intention was positive—to acquire. Compare Rochefort Expedition (diversion) and Belleisle (eccentric attack) in the Seven Years War.
Note 2.—This distinction gives a threefold classification of combined expeditions, as used by Elizabethan strategists.
Raids = Diversions.
Incursions = Eccentric attacks.
Invasions = True direct offence.
Compare these with Sir John Ardagh's classification (Report of Royal Commission on Reserve Forces, 1904):—
"Raids," not exceeding 10,000 men.
"Small expeditions," not exceeding 50,000 men.
"Dangerous invasion," not exceeding 150,000 men.