Chapter 21 Summary and Analysis

"Day of Deliverance" details the Battle of New Orleans. The British defeat American gunboats on Lake Borgne, land thousands of troops on a swampy island, and shift to shallow-draft boats for the risky 60-mile descent on New Orleans. Driving rain by day and frost by night keep the soldiers miserable, but confidence pervades the ranks. American defectors assure them of Jackson's weakness and the rich booty that awaits them. The 1,600-man vanguard lands with two small cannons in marshlands and slowly follows a canal to plantation country, imprisoning farmers to keep word from spreading. One escapes, however. Mortified at being taken while monitoring this approach, Gabriel Villery brings Jackson word on Dec. 23. This clarifies where at least some of the enemy is, but there is no way of knowing if this is a diversion. Unable to risk a wrong guess, Jackson...