“Cannonballs to New Orleans” Luncheon: Saturday, November 15

CannonballsToNOIn 1814 we took a little trip
Along with Colonel Jackson down the mighty Mississip
We took a little bacon and we took a little beans
And we caught the bloody British in the town of New Orleans

We fired our guns and the British kept a’comin’
There wasn’t nigh as many as there was a while ago
We fired once more and they began to runnin’
On down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico

[Johnny Horton, “Battle of New Orleans,” 1959]

In November 1814, about 215 Middle Tennesseans under the command of Colonel John Cocke, former Montgomery County sheriff, boarded flat-bottom boats for a treacherous journey down the Cumberland, Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to join Major General Andrew Jackson’s 7th US Infantry Regiment in New Orleans.

This November, Clarksvillians will again gather to send Volunteer Reenactors to fight with Jackson in commemoration of the 200th anniversary of this famous battle.

In addition to troops, guns, powder, and supplies, the Militia soldiers also transported cannonballs cast at Ironmaster Montgomery Bell’s Cumberland Furnace in Dickson County that were used in the Battle of New Orleans on the 8th of January 1815.

Starting at 9:00am on Saturday, November 15, War of 1812 Reenactors from five states will be at McGregor Park to talk with visitors about weapons, uniforms, food and medicine common to the period. Then at 11:00am Clarksville can give them a rousing send-off on the Aux Arc, a 40-foot replica of keelboats that would have taken Tennessee volunteers on the long journey to New Orleans.

Those who have bought tickets for the price of a $20 “Andrew Jackson” can celebrate the successful launch over lunch with fellow Clarksvillian and Tennessee governor from 1809 to 1815 Willie Blount, Rachel and Andrew Jackson, and President James Madison. Tickets are available for purchase by check or cash through the Clarksville-Montgomery County Historical Society and Clarksville-Montgomery County Arts & Heritage Development Council or by credit card via PayPal. (Online reservations carry a $2.00 convenience fee.)