[StBernard] St. Bernard Parish to hold 11th Annual "Battle of New Orleans" Night Skirmish Reenactment on January 11, 2013

[Westley Annis]

Saint Bernard Parish to Hold 11th Annual "Battle of New Orleans" Night
Skirmish Reenactment 

Over 100 Living History Participants to Recreate the December 23rd 1814
Night Battle 

 

On Friday evening, January 11th, living history enthusiasts dressed in
period military uniforms will converge on the De La Ronde Oak Grove to
reenact an important part of the War of 1812 New Orleans campaign. 

 

The night skirmish will start at 7 p.m. and will last about an hour.  The
event is free and open to the public.

 

"The annual night skirmish reenactment is an important way Saint Bernard
commemorates the Battle of New Orleans," said Parish President Dave Peralta.
"By holding the event in the evening, attendees will a have a better view of
what the battle looked like, including seeing the flares from the muskets."


 

"We're grateful for the participation of all of the people who travel from
around the country to help bring history alive in Saint Bernard," said
Peralta.

 

The skirmish is taking place in the De La Ronde Oak Grove due to federal
rules prohibiting set battle reenactments on National Park Service property.

 

"Though we're not conducting the reenactment on the Chalmette Battlefield,
the De La Ronde Oak Grove is a historic location," said Mike Bayham, who
helped establish the reenactment in 2003.  "The British Army had occupied
much of Saint Bernard Parish, including the De La Ronde Plantation, which
they used as a military hospital."  

 

Though the December 23rd 1814 night battle was a tactical draw for the
Americans, it was a strategic victory.    

 

"While the US forces failed to dislodge the British from their base, the
action caused the British to delay their plans to advance on New Orleans,
allowing General Andrew Jackson time to construct defensive works that would
prove crucial to the American victory on January 8, 1815," said Parish
Historian Bill Hyland.

 

Parking is restricted at the site however attendees can ride over on the
free shuttle based out of the Saint Bernard Visitor Information Center
located at 409 Aycock Street in Arabi.  

 

The first shuttle will leave for the De La Ronde Oak Grove at 6:30 PM.

 

Event sponsors include Saint Bernard Parish Government, the Saint Bernard
Parish Tourist Commission and the Saint Bernard Parish Sheriff's Office.

 

Please contact either Mike Bayham at (504) 278-1033 or Tourism Director
Gidget McDougall at (504) 278-4346 for more information about the
reenactment.