Battle Of New Orleans Anniversary Event Held

Nearly 3,500 visitors, including over 2,000 local students on field trips, attended the 192nd anniversary commemoration of the Battle of New Orleans at Chalmette Battlefield on Friday and Saturday, January 12th and 13th. The battlefield is part of Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve and was the site of the January 8, 1815, conflict.

Activities included military drills, cannon and musket firings, period music, and crafts and cooking demonstrations by park staff and volunteers in period clothing. More than 125 living history volunteers participated as 1815 troops and civilians. Volunteers came from as far away as Ontario and as close by as the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets from the high school in Chalmette.

“The park held last y ear’s event despite no power, no water, no phone lines, and no visitor center due to the damage inflicted by Hurricane Katrina,” said Aly Baltrus, supervisory park ranger for the site. “This year things approached normal, with a temporary visitor center in place. We were especially happy to see the return of school field trips. The students, like so many of us, have gone through some hard times, and we think that their own life experiences will help them really appreciate the effort it took to win the first Battle of New Orleans.”