New Orleans- Thursday, January 8, 2015

The Eighth of January!   New Orleans!  It was a long trip but I'm here for the anniversary.

We slogged through the busride, because really, what else can you do?  My legs started to hurt and I had more room then most people to jostle around and stretch a little.  The rules for the drivers said that our pair had to switch every four and a half hours, so we had  few stretch breaks through the night.   I saw us pass Nashville in the wee hours of the morning, and was reminded that Jackson's home "The Hermitage" and his grave were somewhere nearby.  We had breakfast at a Cracker Barrel in Mississippi.  After that, I asked if we could show the History Channel's documentary about the Battle of New Orleans on the bus's DVD player.  "It might have an American bias," I said, and everyone jokingly groaned, but we watched it.  I certainly liked seeing it and the rest of the bus seemed to be engaged while watching it.   The battle was an early morning battle, so it seemed appropriate to watch it then.

We got to our hotel in New Orleans at about 11:00 AM (about 2 hours later than we were supposed to).   We had no sooner got to our room then George and Elizabeth from the 22nd US knocked on my door.  I had somehow mixed up the names of our hotels, and we were both surprised to see that they are not only staying in the same hotel as me, but are actually only 3 doors down on the same floor.

I had a few goals for today.  1) Go to the battlefield, because after all, it's the 8th of January!  2) Get a  picture in Jackson Square 3) See Jackson's coat.  4) Stay awake so I'll sleep tonight.  I got my 1812 Civilian clothes on, and set out for Jackson Square.  I thought that I could also register for the re-enactment at a nearby hotel, but registration wasn't open when I was there.  Walking to Jackson Square from our hotel is pretty easy.  When I got to Jackson Sqaure, though, I got a pleasant surprise.  The Daughters of the War of 1812 were having a wreath laying ceremony at the Jackson statue.  There were several dignitaries from different organizations including one from Her Majesty's government.  The Washington Artillery (a unit I know from Blandford Church and the Civil War) fired 21 modern artillery rounds in a salute and the Marine Corps Band played.  Several people talked to me, incuding one artist who took my picture for his Facebook page.

Once I found out that I couldn't yet register for the re-enactment, I got a cab to the Chalmette Battlefield where the battle took place 200 years ago.  As I posted on Facebook:

200 Years Ago Today- January 8, 1815. Andrew Jackson led Americans to an incredibly dramatic, lopsided and important victory as the British forces attacked New Orleans. It was dramatic because it would become the stuff of legends and propelled Jackson to the Presidency. It was lopsided because the Americans had less than 20 casualties, while the British had more than 2000 killed, wounded and captured. In spite of people who try to imply that the battle didn't matter because the Treaty of Ghent had already been signed, the treaty still had to be ratified by the Senate. Jackson's victory of New Orleans made the bitter pill of "Status Quo Antebellum" easier for the Senate to swallow and allowed the Americans to think we had somehow won this war. And if Jackson had been defeated, the British would have had the possibility of a chokehold on the Mississippi River and the heart of the continent.

I got a lot of pictures while I strolled along Jackson's line and went to the visitors center.  I missed the big ceremonies this morning, but there were a few others going on.  I heard one woman singing opera selections (though I didn't hear the reason why those songs were chosen), and I saw some people reminiscing on stage with a park ranger about growing up in the neighborhood that used to be there before the National Park Service took over.  I bought a pin, a patch and a t-shirt, and there were lots of friendly people there.   One woman in the gift shop kindly called a cab for me, and I was able to get back to Jackson Square.

I had read that Jackson's coatee was on loan from the Smithsonian to the Louisiana State Museum, at the Cabildo, which I knew was on Jackson Square.  When I got there, a sign said that the Museum was closed and for today and would not open until Jan. 11.  and the coat will be part of a new display on the Battle of New Orleans.  I saw the coat itself when I stopped to see the Star Spangled Banner at the Smithsonian, but this will give me something new to do on Monday.

I  went to the Cafe du Monde and had some beignets (fried dough).  My stomach has been feeling a little out of sorts since the bus ride, so this was my late lunch and early dinner.  Maybe I'll get something later too.   I got a few more pictures in Jackson square, and then went back to the hotel.  It's about 4:00, but I'll use this time to call Julie, blog, unwind, and rest. 

Post Script: Dean talked me into going out to see the fireworks tonight.  Since we'd all been on the  bus and we weren't going to be late, and we were in a small group for safety, I decided to go along.  We thought the fireworks were going to be in Jackson Square, so we got to see that lit up at night.  They were actually being fired up from a barge in the Mississippi River.  They were nice, but not like Batlimore's.   The group wanted to walk down Bourbon Street so we got to see a bit of the craziness and nght life there.  We stopped for a few moments to listen to a band in one place.  We also bought some supplies for the hotel, and stopped for a snack at Arby's.  That ended up being my dinner.  We were back in the hotel before 10:00.  When we talked to the consierge on our way in, we learned that he is also an actor and was on the pilot episode of NCIS-New Orleans.  I'll have to watch that with  Julie to see him now.