War of 1812: The Staff Ride Handbook for The Battles of New Orleans, 23 December 1814 - 8 January 1815 - British Army, Infantry, Opposing Naval Forces, Dragoons, Plains of Chalmette, Rodriguez Canal

Professionally converted for accurate flowing-text e-book format reproduction, this book covers the final battles of the War of 1812. Interest in the details of this often-overlooked conflict has increased as a result of recent bicentennial observances, exposing a new generation of students to a unique period in our Army's history. Most survey course references to the War of 1812 concern the demonstrably different performances of the US Army and US Navy, the latter getting the better coverage. That comparison however, lies at the heart of why this war and this series of battles are crucial to understanding the development of both the Army as an institution and civil-military relations more generally from 1815 to 1941. This handbook will help new and returning students to look at the battles of New Orleans in the proper context, aided by a wealth of new scholarship produced over the last 30 years.

This handbook enables understanding of the battle by facilitating readers' awareness as they walk the ground. It begins with a thorough description of the strategic objectives desired by both the British and Americans, and an operational overview of events in the American Deep South and the Gulf of Mexico which set the conditions for the tactical engagements which occurred in December 1814 and January 1815. The use of the plural Battles in the title denotes a focus upon all four of the engagements fought between American and British forces just south and east of New Orleans. Because of this, the handbook can be used to tailor a staff ride for a single tactical engagement or as a campaign analysis.

In keeping with our previous staff ride publications, this handbook spends a great deal of time on the study of leadership. New Orleans remains firmly associated in American military lore with visions of a victorious Andrew Jackson, in command of a composite force of fighters from an astonishing array of backgrounds. While Jackson's influence over the battle and its outcome remain mostly undeniable, this handbook provides equal attention to Jackson's opponent, Sir Edward Pakenham, the ill-starred commander of British regulars, many of whom boasted long experience against the French armies of Napoleon Bonaparte. Further attention is also paid to a variety of American and British subordinate commanders at all levels, bringing these seldom-heard voices back into the conversation two centuries after the fact.

The Battles of New Orleans offers military organizations of all three components and of any echelon the opportunity to study the timeless factors that influence armed conflict to include leadership, sustainment, and domestic politics. Although the tactics and the equipment are far different today, modern participants will still come away with a greater appreciation and understanding of the experiences of American and British Soldiers of all ranks in the final battle between the Unites States and Great Britain.

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