1815
Battle of New Orleans
The setting
Chalmette, near New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
Narrow dry plain (the Rodriguez Canal / Line Jackson) hemmed between the Mississippi River and a cypress swamp
Reveal the outcome
Recorded sideUnited States
Recorded resultDecisive victory
American defenders repelled a frontal British assault on entrenched lines, inflicting catastrophic losses; British abandoned the campaign.
How the atlas explains it
Jackson fortified a strong defensive line behind the Rodriguez Canal anchored on river and swamp, denying the British room to maneuver; massed artillery and rifle fire shredded the exposed assault columns.
What followed
Greatest U.S. land victory of the war; fought after the Treaty of Ghent was signed (24 Dec 1814) but before its ratification, it became a symbol of national pride and made Jackson a hero.