Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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Begin at the Visitor Center, where you can learn about the importance of the
Battle of New Orleans in the War of 1812 through displays, maps, interactive
exhibits and films. The center's museum store sells books, period music, re-
productions of war memorabilia, and children's books. Chalmette Battlefield
sustained major damage in Hurricane Katrina; the visitor center was des-
troyed, and most of the structures were damaged. Although the battlefield
reopened a year after the storm—in September 2006—it didn't fully recover
until 2010, when the new Visitor Center was completed.
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After exiting the Visitor Center, head a few feet to the left to Battlefield Tour
Loop Road, a 1.5-mile roadway with stations where you can sit on a bench
and read plaques that explain the war's major milestones. As you begin
walking, look to your right at the Malus-Beauregard House, a restored
Greek Revival mansion built nearly 20 years after the Battle of New Orleans.
The house is named after its first and last owners—Madeleine Pannetier
Malus in the 1830s and Judge René Beauregard (son of Confederate general
P. G. T. Beauregard) in 1880. The National Park Service, which runs Chal-
mette Battlefield, bought the house in 1949.
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Continue walking around the loop where you'll pass exhibits that explain the
British battle plan, which called for attacks along the river, against the
American rampart near the swamp, and on the west bank. Other exhibits ex-
plain the British artillery batteries, the roads and ditches used for the as-
sault, and the march of the 93rd Highlanders across the battlefield. (The
American line of defense is explained on the walkway leading into the park.)
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At around the halfway point, you'll see a pathway leading to Chalmette Na-
tional Cemetery. It's not included in this walk, but feel free to explore the
grounds where more than 15,000 war veterans are buried. The cemetery was
established in May 1864 as a final resting place for Union soldiers who died
in Louisiana during the Civil War. The cemetery also includes the gravesites
of veterans of the Spanish-American War, World Wars I and II, and the Viet-
nam War. Four Americans who fought in the War of 1812 are also buried in
the cemetery, though only one of them took part in the Battle of New Or-
leans.
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From the cemetery, continue circling around the loop to the area that served
as the main attack of the British under Maj. Gen. Edward M. Pakenham,
commander of the British army at Chalmette, and Maj. Gen. Samuel Gibbs.
On January 8, 1815, Pakenham sent 7,000 troops head-on against the Amer-
