The Battle of New Orleans

Curated by Mary Ann Wegmann, Louisiana State Museum, and the University of New Orleans History Department; Associate Editor & Media Editor: Jessica Anne Dauterive; military history research assistance: Rhett Breerwood

A tour of French Quarter sites and buildings connected to the Battle of New Orleans through fact as well as legend.


This tour was created in January 2015 during the 200th anniversary of the Battle of New Orleans.

Battle of New Orleans: Introduction

Almost 200 years ago, on January 8, 1815, Major General Andrew Jackson and his outnumbered American defenders overwhelmed veteran British troops at the Battle of New Orleans. The battle took place five miles downriver from New Orleans in Chalmette,…

Jackson Square during the Battle of New Orleans

Formerly the Place d'Armes around which New Orleans was built, Jackson Square, a National Historical Landmark, is the most prominent location in the “Vieux Carre” or Old Quarter. On December 18, 1814, Jackson reviewed his troops on this site.…

Battle of New Orleans: St. Louis Cathedral

Facing Jackson Square and the Mississippi River, the Cathedral-Basilica of St. Louis, King of France, is the oldest Catholic cathedral in continual use in the United States. With its three steeples, St. Louis Cathedral, as it is commonly known, is…

Maspero's Coffee House and the Battle of New Orleans

Maspero’s Exchange, also known as Maspero’s Coffee House and now called the “Original Pierre Maspero’s,” is located at 440 Chartres Street, on the corner of St. Louis and Chartres Streets, nearest the river and Canal Street. The original 1788 house…

Old Absinthe House and the Battle of New Orleans

The Old Absinthe House, a stucco building at the corner of Bourbon and Bienville Streets, is one of the oldest structures in New Orleans, dating to approximately 1806. In the nineteenth century, the Old Absinthe House became famous for its…

Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop and the Battle of New Orleans

For many years, a bar called “Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop” has occupied this building at the corner of Bourbon Street and St. Philip Street. Designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1970, Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop was built between 1772 and 1791…

Battle of New Orleans: Old Ursuline Convent

Almost 300 years ago, in 1727, the Ursuline nuns arrived in New Orleans at the invitation of Governor Bienville. While awaiting the completion of their convent in 1734, the Ursuline nuns established a school and an orphanage. The Ursuline Order…

From Fort St. Charles to the U.S. Mint

The United States Mint was once the site of Fort St. Charles, one of the defenses built in 1792 during the Spanish period. Fort St. Charles was the largest of five fortifications surrounding the city. Spanish Governor Baron Hector de Carondelet noted…