The British at the Gates: The New Orleans Campaign in the War of 1812

I just finsihed this book and is the one of the best I have read on the subject. Throughly researched and accurate, well written the only real issue is some of Mr.Reilly's thoughts conserning the Laffite brothers and their sordid compatriots...skip those sections and read William C. Davis "The Pirates Laffite", but excellent treatment on the battle and the politics sorrounding it.

This is indeed the superior history of the Battle of New Orleans and is especially valuable for the analysis of the political stakes. In short, the British had every intention of adding this city to their collection of overseas naval bases (which eventually included Gibraltar, Capetown, Hong Kong and a failed attempt at Toulon) and had worded the peace treaty to permit this, had they succeeded in its capture. The modern claim that the battle was meaningless because it took place in the month after the signing of the treaty, is not correct.

To win the battle, but lose the war is an apt cliche for the Americans regarding the Battle of New Orleans and the War of 1812. Despite the title, this book is about more than the Battle of New Orleans and spends significant time discussing the causes of the War of 1812, the major battles of the war and the peace negotiations. (In fact, Reilly doesn't begin to address the Battle of New Orleans until page 171 in a book of 371 pages of text.) The book does several things well. It assesses dispassionately the role of military and political leadership in crucial events and battles of the War. The essential role of generalship and statesmanship in these affairs is one of the sub-themes of the work. Reilly demonstrates well the crucial relationship between the events and strategies of the War of 1812 and the Napoleonic Wars of Europe. Unlike many military histories, this book demonstrates why particular tactics were or were not sensible. Finally, it debunks legends and sometimes conventional wisdom about the war and battle with the use of the contemporary papers, diaries and court-martial records.