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Patterson, held the west bank of the river. These precautions enabled
the defenders to enfilade the approaching enemy. A detachment guarded
the pass of Bayou St. John, above the city, and a number of gunboats
awaited to dispute the passage of the river between Lake Pontchartrain
and Lake Borgne.

The British fleet appeared at the entrance to this channel, December
14th, and was immediately assailed by the American flotilla, which was
destroyed before it could inflict serious damage. Left free to select
the point of attack, the British sent a force in flat-bottomed boats to
the extremity of the lake, where they landed in a swamp. They repelled
an attack by Jackson, who fell back toward the city. On the 28th of
December the British were within half a mile of the American lines. They
began a fire of shells, but were repulsed by Jackson's artillery.

The defenders numbered some 3,000 militia, who were stationed in a line
of intrenchments a mile long and four miles from the town. This line was
protected by a ditch in front, flanked by batteries on the other side of
the river, and, in addition, eight other batteries were in position.

The British worked slowly forward until on the first day of the year
they were within less than a quarter of a mile of New Orleans. As the
best material at hand from which to erect breastworks they used
hogsheads of sugar and molasses, which were sent flying in fragments by
the American cannon. Several attacks upon the defenders were repulsed
and the final assault delayed for a number of days.

Sir Edward Pakenham, a veteran of the Peninsular wars, and a
brother-in-law of Wellington, the conqueror of Napoleon, was in command
of the reinforcements. While the advance went on slowly, 3,000 militia
joined Jackson. They were composed mainly of Kentucky and Tennessee
riflemen, the finest marksmen in the world. They were men, too, who did
not lose their heads in battle, but, kneeling behind their
intrenchments, coolly took aim and rarely threw away a shot.

On the morning of Jan. 8, 1815, the English army advanced against the
American intrenchments. They numbered nearly 8,000 veterans, and England
never placed a finer body of men in the field. The American riflemen,
with shotted cannon and leveled rifles, calmly awaited the command to
open on the advancing host. They were formed in two lines, those at the
rear loading for those in front, who were thus enabled to keep up an
almost continuou