The Statesman.
London, England, 1815-03-10 00:00:00

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PRICE ein.

SUPPLEMENT ro roc LONDON GAZETTE
OF TUESDAY. MARCH 1.
THURSDAY, mAttcn FL •
COLONIAL MiPAILI'AIENT.
Downing-street, March 8, 1815.

Dispatchc:, of whirl. the following nre Copies. have been tits
day received by Earl Bathurst, one of his Ma.leity's Prin-
cipal Secretaries of State, front Major-neneral Sir John
Lambert, K. C. H. comuirtuding on the coat of Lonisi.ina.
Camp, in front of the Enemy's Lines below
Nri Orients, Jan. 10.
MY*Lonn,—lt becomes my dutyko lay bet,re
your Lordship the proceedings of the force lately
employed on the roast of Louisiana, 'under. the cony,
*nand of Major-General the llotinnoorahle Sir E.
M. Paken!min, K. B. and acting in concert with
Vice-Admiral the Honourable Sir Alex. Cochrane,
K. B.
. The report which I enclose from Major-General
Keane, will put your Lordship in possession of [Le
occurrences which took place until the arrival of
Major-General the Honourable Sir E. Paketili in to
• assume the command ; from that period I satin as
extract of the Journal of Major Forrest, Astistant-
Quarter-Master-General, up to the time of the join-
ing of the troops (which sailed on the of October
last under my command), and which was on the fith
of January ; and from that period I shall detail., is
.Iwell as I am able, the subsequent events.
. I found the army in position, in a flat country,
with the Mississippi on its left, and a thick eaten.
sive wood on its right, and open to its front, from
! which the enemy's line was quite distinguishable.
It seems Sir E. Pakenham had waited for the arri-
i sal of the fusiliers and 43d regiment, in order to
make a general attack upon the enemy's line; and on
the Bth, the army was formed for that object.
In order to give your Lordship as clear view as I
can, I shall state the position of the enemy. On the
left bank of the•riVer it was simply a sircight line of
about a front of one thousand yards with a parapet
i the right resting on the river, and the left on a wood
! which had been made impracticable for any body of
! troops to pass. This line was strengthened by flank
works, and had a canal of about four feet deep ge-
nerally, but not altogether of an equal width ; it
was supposed to narrow towards their left.; about
eight heavy guns were in position on this line. The
I Mississippi is here about eight hundred yards across.
and they had on the right bank a heavy battery of
• twelve guns, • which enfiladed the whole front of the
position on the left bank.
Preparations were made on our side, by very con-
siderable labour, to clear out and widen a canal that
communicated with a stream by which the boats had
passed up to the place of disembarkation, to open it
into the Mississippi, by which means troops could
be got over to the right bank, and the co-operation
of armed boats could be secured.
The disposition for the attack was as follows :—A
corps, consisting of the 85th light infantry, 200 seamen
and 400 marines, the sth West India regiment, and
four pieces of artillery, under the command of
Col. Thornton, of the 85th, was to pass over during
the night, a-d move along the right hank towards
New Orleans, clearing its front until it reached the
flanking battery of the enemy on that side, which it
had orders to carry.
The assailing of the enemy's lines in front of us,
was to be made by the brigade composed of the 4th,
21st, and 41111 regiments, with three companies of
the 95th, under Major-General Gibbs; and by the 31
brigade, consisting of the 911, two companies of the
95th, and two companies of the fusiliers, and 43d,
under Major-General Keane; some black troops
were destined to skirmish in the wood on the right ;
the principal attack was to be made by Major-Gen.
Gibbs; the Ist brigade, consisting of the fusiliers
and 43d, formed the reserve; the attackiug columns
were to be provided with fascines, scaling ladders,
and rafts, the whole to he at their stations before
day-light. An advanced battery in our front of six
• 18-pounders, was-thrown up during tint night, about
800 yards from the enemy's line. The attack was
to be made at the palliest hour. Uttlookee-for di'.

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