The Battle of New Orleans

 

During the War of 1812

The battle that most did matter

Was that fought on January 14, 1815 at New Orleans

With the Americans led by Andrew Jackson, who ultimately caused the British to scatter 

The Americans were outnumbered

And it seemed New Orleans would fall

To a large British fleet

With some 8,000 soldiers and sailors aboard 

But Jackson was an excellent commander

And despite many predictions of his defeat

Managed to overcome his lesser numbers

And in the end the British did retreat 

As a result of his victory

Jackson became a man with much public favor

And he became our President

Some 14 years later 

In 1959 Johnny Horton wrote the lyrics to The Battle of New Orleans

It became a huge success, with the actual facts substantially blurred

A comic approach was substituted

For what actually occurred 

Thus the New Orleans battle seemed to produce great results

An American victory, Jackson becoming President

A song later written which enjoyed great popularity

But the battle took place when the war was over, as a result of the Treaty of Ghent 

The Treaty of Ghent was a peace treaty signed on December 24, 1814

Ending the war between the United States and Britain, with a pen stroke

It was ratified by Parliament on December 30, 1814

And ratified by the U.S. Senate the following February with a unanimous vote 

Thus if Jackson and the British commander knew of these events

The Battle of New Orleans would have been suspended

Confirmation of the Treaty by the Senate appeared certain

But communications in those days was slow, and neither knew the war had ended 

So the moral of this story is really quite simple, before you wage a battle against your foe

Make sure you keep your political leaders in sight

To make sure the war is still in progress

Or you’ll be sustaining casualties in a meaningless fight