Today marks the 210th Anniversary of the miraculous victory of the United States over Great Britain at the Battle of New Orleans.

At the start of A.D. 1815, the United States was a battered nation, reeling from a bloody three-year war against Great Britain & their Muscogee allies. Only a few months ago in August of A.D. 1814 had the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C., been burned to the ground; White House & all. The British had their sights-set on New Orleans at the mouth of the Mississippi River, with intent to take the city as a means of eventually controlling the entire Mississippi Valley; surrounding & strangling the young American republic.

For the people of New Orleans, their world was grim. Only a few years ago had Louisiana been sold-out from her mother-country, France, for pocket change by the soon-deposed “Emperor”, Napoleon Bonaparte. Their new masters in Washington seemed to have no affection or loyalty to the Créoles of New Orleans either, having put-down the independence movement of West-Florida with an iron-boot. By January of A.D. 1815, the city was under martial-law by the command of General Andrew Jackson, an Anlgo-American Protestant seen as a foreigner & an oppressor of the Franco-Spanish Catholics who had long inhabited the city.

Andrew Jackson had arrived to defend New Orleans on the 23rd of January, A.D. 1814. He urged the city’s residents to evacuate for fear that the recent burning and pillaging of Washington D.C. by the British Army would also take place in New Orleans.

When the Ursuline Sisters, who had first-arrived in A.D. 1727, refused to leave, citing the needs of those whom they served, the General asked them to pray, at which time they began all-night vigils of prayer. During the night of January 7th, Andrew Jackson & his relatively small, little-prepared & ill-equipped band of soldiers organized their defenses against the large, very-well equipped British Army which would attack the city before dawn. At the same time, many citizens not directly involved in the army joined the Ursuline Sisters in their all-night vigil in their chapel on Chartres Street, imploring Our Lady of Prompt Succor to give the victory to General Jackson, saving the city of New Orleans from British control.

During the night, the Ursuline Superior, Mother Ste. Marie Olivier de Vezin, promised Our Lady that if General Jackson & his men were victorious, a Mass of thanksgiving would be sung every year in memory of her saving help to the city on that day. As dawn was breaking on the 8th of January, Bishop DuBourg began a Mass for the same intention.

During that fateful dawn, 5,700 rag-tag American militiamen, Choctaw Indians, & Créole pirates stood their ground to defend the city of New Orleans against an overwhelming force of 8,000 professional & well-equipped British regular troops at what is now the suburb of Chalmette, Louisiana; five-miles to the East of New Orleans proper.

At the very moment of Communion, a courier rushed into the chapel announcing that Jackson and his men had won the field, & the chapel rang out with the joyous singing of the Te Deum. Miraculously, the Americans, Choctaws, & Pirates had repelled the seemingly-unstoppable British assault in roughly half-an-hour, suffering only 71 casualties, but inflicting 2,037 casualties on the British, including their commander, Sir Edward Pakenham.

Following the battle, General Jackson wrote a letter to Bishop DuBourg calling for a gathering of all citizens to give thanks for “the great assistance we have received from the Ruler of all events.”

Since that day, the people of New Orleans & Louisiana have entrusted themselves to the protection of Our Lady of Prompt Succor, with the promise of Mother Ste. Marie Olivier de Vezin & Bishop DuBourg being honored annually with a Solemn Mass on the 8th of January each year at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Prompt Succor on the campus of the Ursuline Academy; the oldest Catholic School & the oldest Girls’ School in the United States.

SEE NEW ORLEANS, THE SHRINE OF OUR LADY OF PROMPT SUCCOR, & OTHER SITES OF SIGNIFICANCE WITH OUTREMER

OUTREMER is proud to announce that an itinerary is in development to help Pilgrims, both from Louisiana & around the United States, to come & see New Orleans, the Shrine of Our Lady of Prompt Succor, the historic Ursuline Convent, St. Louis Cathedral, the Shrine of Blessed Fracnis Xavier Seelos, & more. Stay tuned for updates regarding this, & our other fine Pilgrimage itineraries; & be sure to keep us in mind when considering your next Pilgrimage, be it personal, with a group, or with your Parish.