New Orleans, La

was founded in 1718 by Jean Baptiste Lemoyne de Bienville, and a few years later (1722) was made the capital of the vast territory known as Louisiana, In 1765 the town received the exiles from Acadia, and in 1768 rose in arms against the ce ion of Louisiana to Spain. The following year the people were compelled to submit by a large Spanish force. In 1788 and 1794 the town was almost totally destroyed by fire. In 1803 the city, with the rest of Louisiana, was turned over to France, and by France to the United States. In 1807 Burr's conspiracy was here foiled, and on January 8, 1815, occurred the battle ef New Orleans. In December, 1814, 7,000 British troops, under General Pakenham, were transported from Jamaica to Lake Borgne for an attack on New Orleans. General Jackson made every po ible preparation to resist them. On December 23, December 28 and January 1 he had gained minor succe es over them. But Pakenham was reinforced to 10,000 men. The decisive battle occurred on January 8, 1815. General Jackson with 5,000 men drew up his first line in three detachments, two on the left bank and one of 800 men under General Morgan on the right bank. The line was defended by numerous batteries and redoubts, and by an armed ve el, the ‘‘ Louisiana.’? General Pakenham, with 10,000 veteran troops, planned an attack in three divisions. On the night before the battle Colonel Thornton was ordered to cro the river and attack General Morgan. At dawn, the British second division, under General Gibbs, attacked Jackson’s left, and soon after, the third division, under General Keane, attacked the right. This last movement was at first succe ful and captured part of Jackson’s works, but the battery and musketry fire was so deadly that they fell back in disorder. Meantime from this division General Keane had detached half to a ist the second division under General Gibbs. This had attacked Jackson’s strongest position. As they advanced to the charge they were: killed by the hundreds, yet did not falter. When within 200 yards of the American line, the Kentucky and Tenne ee riflemen, deadly shots, four ranks deep, fired line by line. The slaughter was terrible, but the British, now reinforced by General Keane’s troops, pre ed on up to the very parapets. But Generals Pakenham and Gibbs Vol. VI.—3 were both mortally wounded. General Keane and Major Wilkinson, the next in command, were so severely wounded that they were carried from the field and the British fell back in disorder. Colonel Thornton’s division had meantime captured General Morgan's position on the right bank of the river, but was recalled in view of the defeat on the other side. The British lost in this battle 7oo killed, 1,400 wounded, and 500 prisoners. The American lo was eight killed and thirteen wounded. Occurring after the conclusion of peace at Ghent, the battle had no lasting results, but was famous as the one great succe won by American land forces in the War of 1812. In the Civil War New Orleans was captured and occupied, May 1, 1862, by Captain Farragut and General Butler, after four days, April 24 to 27, inclusive, spent in bombarding Forts Jackson and St. Philip, the Confederate strongholds below the city, and in defeating the Confederate fleet. The Union armament consisted of four sloops of war, seventeen gunboats, twenty-one bomb schooners, these latter in charge of Commander Porter, and two sailing ve els. Lovell, for the Confederates, commanded thirteen armed steamers, the steam battery ‘‘ Louisiana,’’ of sixteen guns, and the ram ‘* Mana as,”’ besides a flotilla of five ships and rafts. There was in addition a land force of some 3,000 men. Cro ing the bar April 8, Farragut spent several days in preparing for a bombardment of Forts Jackson and St. Philip. April 27, the bombardment began, 1,400 shells being thrown in one day. The Union fleet was then arranged in two columns and prepared to pa the forts, Farragut’s column firing upon Fort Jackson, Bailey’s upon Fort St. Philip. A chain had been placed acro the river, but this was broken; the ‘‘ Hartford,’ Farragut’s ship, got safely through under cover of Porter’s mortar-boats, and the others followed. The forts were silenced, and the Confederate flotilla attacked and almost entirely destroyed. Lovell fled and Farragut demanded the surrender of New Orleans from the mayor. This was finally granted and Butler took charge. In 1890 great excitement against murderous Italians led to lynchings by a mob. 32