1815 – Morning Report for a Cavalry Squadron at the Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812

Item Details

New Orleans, 1815, Unbound

Very Good

This “Morning Report for a Squadron of Dragoons commanded by Major Thomas Hind” measures  15.25” x 6.25”. Signed by the unit adjutant in the lower left. “Tho Hind, Maj / Com Cavalry” signed in the lower right. It is datelined “Camp above / New Orleans / January 29th / 1815”.  The pre-printed form has been completed to show the status of the troops commanded by Hinds and his subordinates, Captains Hemp, Richardson, Gerald, Ross, and Smith. In nice shape. Near-invisible archival tissue has been used on the reverse to reinforce a vertical storage fold. 

Hind is considered to be one of the heroes of the battle. This report was prepared in New Orleans shortly after the famous Battle of New Orleans in which General Andrew Jackson led a mix of regular and volunteer forces to victory over a much larger British assault force commanded by Major General Sir Edward Pakenham that had landed south of the city.

At the time of this report, Hind’s squadron was recovering from not just the battle, but from a fortnight of guerrilla warfare defense that it had conducted against the British as they began their Gulf Campaign.

Highlights of the squadron’s actions include:

23-25 December – Engaging in surprise hit-and-run attacks while gathering information about the strength, location, and organization of the British force.

26-28  December – Increasing the number and ferocity of raids including an audacious attack upon an evening parade and cleared fields of fire by burning a cane field 450 yards in front of the British lines.

29-30 December – Making numerous guerrilla attacks that forced British soldiers to abandon their outposts creating confusion that disrupted Pakenham’s plans to advance.

Early January – Taunting the British while conducting cavalry drills within 250 yards of their lines.

9 January – Harassing the British force as it withdrew to its ships following its defeat.

This report shows that the unit numbered 267 officers and enlisted men, belying secondary sources that state the squadron was composed of 150 dragoons. Regardless, it was the largest mounted unit to serve at the Battle of New Orleans.  

Following the battle, Hind was promoted by President Madison to the rank of Brigadier General in the Mississippi Militia. Later, he served as a federal negotiating agent with the Choctaw, a member of the Mississippi Legislature, and a U. S. Congressman.  A Mississippi county was named in his honor in 1821. Hind, who was born in Berkeley County, Virginia (now West Virgina) in 1780, died at age 60 in 1840.  

(For more information, see Davis’s The Greatest Fury: The Battle of New Orleans and the Rebirth of America and various internet genealogical websites.)

Possibly now unique. No similar reports appear to exist for other American mounted units or any other units on the New Orleans battlefield. At the time of listing, none are for sale in the trade, none have appeared at auction per Rare Book Hub, and OCLC reports none are in institutional collections.

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