Welcome to History's Not Boring by Kidopoly.com. I'm Mira. And I'm Finn. Before we start, we have a massive shout-out today. This episode is for Madeline, JP, Jacques and Juliet. Oh yeah! The Pelerin kids. They listen to us every single morning on their school run. Exactly! And since they live in New Orleans, Louisiana, we decided to cover one of the wildest, most incredible events that ever happened in their very own city. Wait, New Orleans? I love that city. What happened there? Well Finn, picture this. It is January 8, 1815. Two giant armies are about to clash in a terrifying, ground-shaking battle. Uh-oh, who is fighting? The United States and the British Empire. It's the grand finale of the War of 1812. Cannons are loaded, swords are drawn, thousands of soldiers are ready. That sounds like a massive deal. It is. But here is the mind-blowing part. A peace treaty was actually already signed. Wait, what? A treaty was signed? But you just said they were about to fight. Yes. A peace treaty was signed in Belgium two whole weeks before the battle. But the war wasn't legally over until America ratified it, and nobody there knew. No way! You mean they fought a giant battle without knowing about the treaty? It's true! Today we are exploring the legendary Battle of New Orleans, where pirates, frontiersmen, and a rogue general defeated one of the greatest armies on Earth. Okay, Mira, hold up. How did two whole armies fight a battle without knowing a treaty was signed? Think about it, Finn. It was 1815. There were no cell phones, no internet, and no aeroplanes. Right. They couldn't just send a text message saying, hey, the treaty is signed, go home. Exactly! The Treaty of Ghent was signed in Europe on December 24, 1814. But the news had to cross the massive Atlantic Ocean on a wooden sailing ship. How long did that take back then? Usually four to six weeks. So while the peace treaty was floating across the ocean, a massive British fleet was sailing straight for New Orleans. Why did the British want New Orleans so badly? Because New Orleans sits at the very bottom of the Mississippi River. The Mississippi is like a superhighway of water, right through the middle of America. Oh, if the British control the river, they control all the trade in the United States. Bingo! The British sent 8,000 highly trained, battle-hardened veteran soldiers. Some of these guys had just defeated the legendary French Emperor Napoleon. 8,000 of the best soldiers in the world. Who was defending the city? An American general named Andrew Jackson. And he only had about 4,500 men. He was outnumbered almost two to one. That's terrifying. Were his soldiers at least trained professionals too? Not even close. General Jackson had a completely ragtag army. It was one of the craziest mixes of people ever assembled in history. What do you mean by a ragtag army? Who did Jackson actually have? Well, he had a few regular US Army soldiers and Marines. But mostly he had frontier militiamen from Tennessee and Kentucky. Like guys in buckskin jackets with long hunting rifles. Exactly! He also had two battalions of free men of colour who were skilled, organised soldiers from New Orleans. That's cool. Who else? A brave group of Choctaw Native American warriors joined them too. And, believe it or not, pirates. Wait, real pirates? With cannons and cutlasses? Yes! The legendary French pirate Jean Lafitte and his crew of Baratarian smugglers. They were experts at aiming cannons, and Jackson needed their firepower. So we've got frontiersmen, free black soldiers, Choctaw warriors, and pirates all teaming up. That sounds like a movie. It really does. But they had a huge problem. The British were marching right toward the Chalmet Plantation, just five miles south of New Orleans. What did Jackson's army do? Just stand there in an open field? No way! They worked day and night to build a giant defensive wall out of sticky Louisiana mud and timber. They called it Line Jackson. How big was this mud wall? It was about five feet high and stretched for nearly a mile. And right in front of it was the Rodriguez Canal, a watery ditch 10 feet wide. So the British would have to cross a 10-foot moat and then climb a five-foot wall of slippery mud while pirates fired cannons at them. Exactly! But remember, there were 8,000 highly trained British soldiers, and on the morning of January 8th, they began their attack. Tell me everything. What happened on the morning of January 8th? It was freezing cold, and a thick, soupy fog covered the muddy sugarcane fields. The Americans couldn't see anything, but they could hear them. Hear what? The British marching? The thud of thousands of boots. The British general, Edward Packenham, planned a surprise attack under the cover of the fog. Did it work? Did they sneak up on the mud wall? No, because just as the British got close, a morning breeze blew in. The fog completely lifted, like a curtain opening on a stage. Whoa, so the Americans just saw 8,000 soldiers right in front of them. Yes, and the British had a disastrous problem. The 44th Regiment, who were supposed to bring the wooden ladders to climb the five-foot wall, forgot them. Are you kidding? That's like forgetting the key to a locked door. What did they do? They were stuck in the open field, right in front of the mud wall, and the Americans opened fire. The pirate cannons roared and the frontiersmen fired their long rifles. It must have been absolute chaos. It was. General Pakenham bravely rode to the front lines to encourage his men, but he did not survive. Without their commander and without ladders, the British attack collapsed. How long did the battle last? Hours? Days? Finn, the main attack was completely destroyed in just 30 minutes. Half an hour, and it was over. 30 minutes? That's shorter than my favourite cartoon. How many people were hurt? The numbers are staggering. The British lost over 2,000 soldiers. They were either killed, wounded, or captured. And what about the Americans? Andrew Jackson's men. The Americans lost fewer than 100 men. Only 71 casualties in total. It was one of the most lopsided victories in military history. That's unbelievable! The Ragtag Army actually won. What happened next? The victory made Andrew Jackson a massive national hero, which eventually helped him become the seventh president of the United States. And Jean Lafitte and his pirates? Yeah. Did the pirates get arrested? Nope. The US government gave them a full pardon for their crimes, because they helped save the city. Best deal ever. Do you have any weird facts from the battlefield? Oh, absolutely! Did you know the Americans actually used cotton bales as part of their defences at first? But they caught fire from the cannon sparks and created terrible choking smoke. A flaming wall of cotton? That sounds like a terrible idea. It gets weirder! The mud was so incredibly sticky and deep that it created a huge strategic nightmare, making it super difficult for the heavy British army to march forward. So they were fighting a massive battle while sinking in sticky mud. History is so wild. Alright, Finn, time for the quiz. Are you ready to test your New Orleans knowledge? Oh boy, I think so. Lay it on me. Okay, first question. What date did the Battle of New Orleans take place? Next one, this is tricky. How many soldiers did the British Army have? Question 3. What was the name of the famous pirate who helped defend the city? Alright, here's number four. What incredibly important thing did the British 44th Regiment forget to bring? Last question. How long did the main battle attack last? Great job! Let's go through the answers and see how you did. The answer to question one is it took place on January 8, 1815. For question two, the British brought a massive army of 8,000 veteran soldiers. Number three, the answer is the pirate's name was Jean Lafitte. Question 4. They tragically forgot the ladders needed to climb the mud wall. And the final answer is the main attack was destroyed in just 30 minutes. Wow, Mira, I cannot believe a giant battle happened while news of a peace treaty was slowly crossing the ocean. Right? And it showed that when people from all different backgrounds come together, like frontiersmen, free men of colour, native warriors, and even pirates, they can do impossible things. Hey, if you thought this pirate-filled battle was awesome, please leave us a five-star review. Just scroll down on your podcast app and tap those five stars. Yes, it helps us keep making more cool episodes. Oh, and don't forget to check out our site, kidopoly.com. We've got tons of fun learning games and awesome activities there. And if you want a shout out on the show, just like the Pelorin kids got today, ask a grown-up to email us at hello at kidopoly.com. We love hearing from you. Thanks for listening and exploring the past with us today. See you next time on History's Not Boring.