Battle of New Orleans influenced the Battle of Waterloo

The new Ridley Scott movie Napoleon aroused some thoughts regarding the Battle of Waterloo, so famous in history and so well depicted in the movie, despite the film’s many historical inaccuracies.

At first it might seem as if the Battle of New Orleans had little to do with the Battle of Waterloo, even though both were fought in 1815. One was fought in North America after a peace treaty had already been drafted to end the War of 1812 between the United States and Britain, and seemed to have little influence on history, other than making General Andrew Jackson a national hero. The other one, fought in Belgium in Europe, was much more significant, resulting in the final defeat of Napoleon and his exile for the rest of his life, which ended more than a decade of what were called the Napoleonic Wars.

I contend that the Battle of New Orleans had a great influence on the Battle of Waterloo, and knowing what happened in the earlier battle with some of the same troops and officers, allowed the British some advantage over their French opponents.

The commander of British forces in the New Orleans campaign was General Edward Packenham, who lost his life in the Battle of New Orleans on January 8, 1815. Packenham ws the brother-on-law of the Duke of Wellington, who led the British at Waterloo. Wellington married Packenham’s sister. Wellington and Packenham had fought together against French troops in Spain. They were friends and colleagues. Surely Wellington knew about the death of Packenham, and had an intense interest in the Battle of New Orleans that killed his brother-in-law. The Battle of Waterloo was fought in June 1815, and by then Wellington was familiar with the strategy and tactics of the Battle of New Orleans. He knew that Packenham had suffered an enormous defeat while attacking a fortified line frontally, and at Waterloo, he was the one with the fortified line. He allowed Napoleon to assume the role of attacker, because a frontal attack on a fortified line could be suicidal. At Waterloo, it was Napoleon who attacked a fortified line, just as Packenham had done six months earlier. Wellington assumed the role of defender at Waterloo, just as Jackson had in the Battle of New Orleans. The outcome was the same. The frontal attacks of Napoleon against Wellington’s line were crushed as well as the frontal attacks of Packenham against Jackson’s line had been crushed.

Another reason why the Battle of New Orleans had an effect on the Battle of Waterloo is that many of the British officers and units at the Battle of Waterloo were veterans of the Battle of New Orleans. While the earlier battle had decimated a British army, there were many survivors, too, and they lived to tell the tale. They remembered what happened at the Battle of New Orleans, and I am sure they did not want to repeat the same mistakes they had made in January 1815. Some of the key British officers in the failed frontal attacks at the Battle of New Orleans were also key British offices in the successful defense against frontal attacks at the Battle of Waterloo about six months later.

I do not contend that without the lessons of the Battle of New Orleans, the British would have lost the Battle of Waterloo, but I do believe that the earlier battle influenced the British strategy and tactics at the Battle of Waterloo, and contributed much to the British victory in the latter battle.

What is ironic is the Battle of New Orleans was fought in Louisiana, territory that Napoleon himself had sold to the United States in 1803, doubling the size of the United States. In fact, probably the most lasting positive contribution of Napoleon in history is the doubling in size of the United States, its control of the Mississippi River, and its emergence as a great power in the world.

Daniel Haulman of Montgomery is a military historian, writer, and teacher. He has written many books, with several focused on the Tuskegee Airmen.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Battle of New Orleans influenced the Battle of Waterloo