Battle of New Orleans

January 8, 1815

Order of Battle

British

General Sir Edward Pakenham, GCB

Staff

Infantry Regiments

• 4th Foot (King's Own)
• 7th Foot (Royal Fusiliers)
• 21st Foot (Royal North British Fusiliers)
• 43rd Light Infantry (Monmouth)
• 44th Foot (East Essex)
• 85th Foot (Buck's Volunteers)
• 93rd Foot (Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders)
• 95th Rifle Corps
• 1st West Indian Infantry (Colored)
• 2nd West Indian Infantry (Colored)

Cavalry Regiments

• 14th Dragoons (dismounted)

Detachments of:

• Royal Artillery
• Royal Engineers
• Royal Rocket Corps
• Royal Corps of Sappers and Miners
• Sailors from the Royal Navy
• Royal Marines

Of the regiments that fought at New Orleans, the 4th (King's Own) and the 95th (Rifle Corps) went on to fight in June at Waterloo. The 93rd Foot (Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders) went on to form "The Thin Red Line" at Balaclava during the Crimean War. The 4th suffered three times as many casualties at New Orleans than they did at Waterloo, with over 400 killed or wounded. Overall British casualties numbered between 2,000 and 3,000, which included the commander, General Sir Edward Pakenham.

United States

Major General Andrew Jackson, USA

Staff

Regular US Army

• 7th Infantry
• 44th Infantry

Militia Units

• Louisiana Militia, including:

Orleans Rifle Company (Beale's Rifles)

Orleans Battalion of Uniform Companies:

Carabiners

Dragoons a Pied

Francs

Chasseurs

Louisiana Blues

Barataria Company

Reserve Companies

• Tennessee Militia
• Kentucky Militia
• Free Men of Color (2 battalions)
• US Marines (detachment)

Cavalry

• Hind's Dragoons
• Attakappas Dragoons
• Chaveau's Horse Volunteers
• Feliciana Troop of Horse
• Ogden's Cavalry

While British forces were able to route the US units assigned to the West Bank of the Mississippi River, the main US force on the East Bank inflicted massive casualties on the invading force, with an astoundingly low cost to themselves in terms of men lost (7 killed, 6 wounded). The utter defeat of the British on the East Bank nullified any gains they made on the other side. That and the loss of their commander forced the British to return to their ships and sail for home.

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