"Gen. Jackson's Victory at New Orleans"
by Dennis Malone Carter
Above:  Drum used by Americans
at the Battle of New Orleans;  
Above, right:  Rifle, pouch and
horn used during the battle.
The Battle of New Orleans was over just two hours after it
had begun.  Almost 2,000 British soldiers were killed or
died later from their wounds; there were only 13 American
casualties.  None of these are buried at the Chalmette
Cemetery, in fact, only one veteran of the War of 1812
rests there.  Some of the fallen American soldiers are
buried in
St. Louis No.1 Cemetery, where there is a
monument to them in the Protestant section of the
cemetery.
"To control the Mississippi River was to control 41 per cent of U.S. shipping.  If the British would
have captured New Orleans, we would have lost the Louisiana Purchase and the west probably
would have been Canadian." -- Chalmette Battlefield Park Ranger C. J. Longaneckar
Illustrations of the Battle of New Orleans
~ and ~
Vintage Photos of the Chalmette Battlefield/Cemetery
Postcard at right, ca. 1930, reads:  "The remains of over 15,000
veterans and others eligible for burial in a national cemetery
have been interred here since this was set aside as a national
cemetery in 1864.  'Dum Clacent Clement,' inscribed on this
monument is translated to mean, 'Though Silent, Still Let Them
be Heard.'  The cemetery is within the Chalmette National
Historical Park, site of the Battle of New Orleans."
Remains of de la Ronde house, early 1920's.
Remains of de la Ronde house, early 1950's.
The veterans buried in Chalmette National Cemetery fought in every major U. S. war from the
War of 1812 to the Vietnam War ... nearly half of these are graves of unknown soldiers.
"I like to think that when the wind is blowing, the trees tell the stories
of the people buried there," Chalmette Battlefield Park Ranger.
Jacques Phillippe Villere, portrait on right, was born in St. John the Baptist
Parish, LA, in 1761.  His father was Naval Secretary of Louisiana under King
Louis XV; his grandfather had accompanied Iberville on his voyage to
Louisiana.  Jacques married Jeanne Henriette de Fazende, of St. Bernard
Parish, in 1784.  During the Battle of New Orleans, Villere commanded the First
Division of Louisiana Militia.  Villere's home, Conseil, was overrun by the
British and used as an encampment.

Jacques Villere was a member of the convention which drafted Louisiana's first
constitution.  He was elected as the second governor of Louisiana, the first
Creole to be elected to that office, serving from 1816 until 1820.  After which,
he retired to his plantation Conseil.  Major-General Villere died in 1830.
Many thanks to Anthony Posey for contributing the above sketch of the de la Ronde
plantation.  The sketch is a part of the Crystal and Anthony Posey Collection.
Excerpt of order from General Andrew Jackson to Jacques Villere:

Head Quarters New Orleans - General Orders Decr. 19th, 1814

Major General Villere will without delay obstruct the passage from the Lakes Borgne, Pontchartrain and
Maurepas to the Mississippi, and station at every important point a guard...and report regularly to head
quarters every occurence of importance.  The Major General is authorized to make such requisitions
upon the inhabitants within his District...as he may deem necessary and enroll and receive into the
service all the Indians within his District and upon their enrollment, will deliver to them one blanket and
two shirts the value thereof to be deducted from their pay.

Andrew Jackson, Major General Commanding
WPA workers, tombstone alignment project at Chalmette National Cemetery, 1937.
"Battle of New Orleans, January 8, 1815" by Latour
The de la Ronde plantation, constructed in 1805 - Maj. Gen. Sir Edward Pakenham, leader of
the British forces, died here from wounds received in the battle.  The date of this photo is
unknown, but it was taken by New Orleans photographer, George Francois Mugnier, which
narrows the time period; because of that and the stages of deterioration of the house in the
photos below, I'd guess that the one above was proabably taken in the 1890's.
On the right, Conseil, the Villere
Plantation, where the British
encamped and where an abortive
attack by Gen. Jackson took place
on December 23, 1814.  After
severe fighting, the Americans
withdrew.  This battle is referred to
as the "Battle of Villere's
Plantation" or the "Night Battle of
New Orleans."