Posted on Nov 13, 2025
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The Battle of New Orleans
I happened upon this article reading about something else and wanted to share it. I suppose many folks at RP know it well. I did not.
The British simply did not want to let go. Grrr . . . . and they were pirating away people serving in our Navy (impressment)!
Like Ken Burns says "this is US . . . you and me and everyone . . . Americans."
The Battle was a true measure of that. Everyone belonged and worked together, pirates, included.
"Madison made the issue of impressment from ships under the American flag a matter of national sovereignty—even after the British agreed to end the practice—and asked Congress for a declaration of War on Great Britain on June 1, 1812." from Office of the Historian, State Department "War of 1812–1815"
I happened upon this article reading about something else and wanted to share it. I suppose many folks at RP know it well. I did not.
The British simply did not want to let go. Grrr . . . . and they were pirating away people serving in our Navy (impressment)!
Like Ken Burns says "this is US . . . you and me and everyone . . . Americans."
The Battle was a true measure of that. Everyone belonged and worked together, pirates, included.
"Madison made the issue of impressment from ships under the American flag a matter of national sovereignty—even after the British agreed to end the practice—and asked Congress for a declaration of War on Great Britain on June 1, 1812." from Office of the Historian, State Department "War of 1812–1815"
How a Rag-Tag Group of Soldiers, Marines, Choctaw, Militia and Pirates Saved New Orleans From the...
Posted from military.com
Military History
American History
World History
Posted 1 mo ago
Responses: 3
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Yep, there is a wonderful short song about that battle...sung by Johnny Horton. Here are the lyrics:
In 1814 we took a little trip
Along with Colonel Jackson down the mighty Mississip'
We took a little bacon and we took a little beans
And we caught the bloody British in the town of New Orleans
We fired our guns and the British kept a-comin'
There wasn't as many as there was a while ago
We fired once more and they began to runnin'
On down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico
We looked down a river and we see'd the British come
And there must have been a hundred of 'em beatin' on the drum
They stepped so high and they made their bugles ring
We stood behind our cotton bales and didn't say a thing
We fired our guns and the British kept a-comin'
There wasn't as many as there was a while ago
We fired once more and they began to runnin'
On down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico
Old Hickory said, "We could take 'em by surprise
If we didn't fire our muskets 'til we looked 'em in the eye"
We held our fire 'til we see'd their faces well
Then we opened up our squirrel guns and gave 'em
Well, we fired our guns and the British kept a-comin'
There wasn't as many as there was a while ago
We fired once more and they began to runnin'
On down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico
Yeah, they ran through the briers and they ran through the brambles
And they ran through the bushes where a rabbit couldn't go
They ran so fast that the hounds couldn't catch 'em
On down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico
We fired our cannon 'til the barrel melted down
So we grabbed an alligator and we fought another round
We filled his head with cannonballs 'n' powdered his behind
And when we touched the powder off, the gator lost his mind
We fired our guns and the British kept a-comin'
There wasn't as many as there was a while ago
We fired once more and they began to runnin'
On down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico
Yeah, they ran through the briers and they ran through the brambles
And they ran through the bushes where a rabbit couldn't go
They ran so fast that the hounds couldn't catch 'em
On down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico
Hut, two, three, four
Sound off, three, four
Hut, two, three, four
Sound off, three, four
Hut, two, three, four
Hut, two, three, four
In 1814 we took a little trip
Along with Colonel Jackson down the mighty Mississip'
We took a little bacon and we took a little beans
And we caught the bloody British in the town of New Orleans
We fired our guns and the British kept a-comin'
There wasn't as many as there was a while ago
We fired once more and they began to runnin'
On down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico
We looked down a river and we see'd the British come
And there must have been a hundred of 'em beatin' on the drum
They stepped so high and they made their bugles ring
We stood behind our cotton bales and didn't say a thing
We fired our guns and the British kept a-comin'
There wasn't as many as there was a while ago
We fired once more and they began to runnin'
On down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico
Old Hickory said, "We could take 'em by surprise
If we didn't fire our muskets 'til we looked 'em in the eye"
We held our fire 'til we see'd their faces well
Then we opened up our squirrel guns and gave 'em
Well, we fired our guns and the British kept a-comin'
There wasn't as many as there was a while ago
We fired once more and they began to runnin'
On down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico
Yeah, they ran through the briers and they ran through the brambles
And they ran through the bushes where a rabbit couldn't go
They ran so fast that the hounds couldn't catch 'em
On down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico
We fired our cannon 'til the barrel melted down
So we grabbed an alligator and we fought another round
We filled his head with cannonballs 'n' powdered his behind
And when we touched the powder off, the gator lost his mind
We fired our guns and the British kept a-comin'
There wasn't as many as there was a while ago
We fired once more and they began to runnin'
On down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico
Yeah, they ran through the briers and they ran through the brambles
And they ran through the bushes where a rabbit couldn't go
They ran so fast that the hounds couldn't catch 'em
On down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico
Hut, two, three, four
Sound off, three, four
Hut, two, three, four
Sound off, three, four
Hut, two, three, four
Hut, two, three, four
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SGT Mary G.
SGT Kevin Hughes Thanks! I was actually going to look up the words. I remember when that was on the Top Ten Hit Parade, too. It was playing repeatedly.
That is actually more or less what I knew about the Battle of New Orleans. lol. Up in the Pacific NW the War of 1812 was a joke. Something about an argument at the border with Canada over a pig. Clearly
Clearly there was much more to it!
That is actually more or less what I knew about the Battle of New Orleans. lol. Up in the Pacific NW the War of 1812 was a joke. Something about an argument at the border with Canada over a pig. Clearly
Clearly there was much more to it!
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SGT Kevin Hughes
SGT Mary G. - Isn't History amazing when you dig enough to find the details. Glad you posted this.
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In a epic twist of God's sense of humor, this, our greatest victory in the War of 1812, took place after the peace agreement had been signed.
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