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| Ship Island (Adjacent To Cat Island) |
LETTER OF A BRITISH OFFICER
[C. J. Forbes]
On Board H. M. S. Alceste
Off Cat Island, 28th Jan., 1815
| Source [ Excerpted Letter] |
A summary of Charles Forbes and his letter (Trent University Library):
While in the British Army, Charles Forbes was present for the Battle of New Orleans in 1815. Our donation contains a letter written 29 Jan. 1815 on board H.M.S. Alceste, off Cat Island (near New Orleans), and sent to James Cobb, Secretary, East India Company (a cousin). In the letter Charles says that the information given to the Admiral was “fallacious” and that unlike what they had been led to believe, no “settlers of Louisiana and the Floridas” flocked to join the British cause and hence they had insufficient troops for the encounter with the Americans. It’s interesting to note that even by the end of January, Charles did not know that a treaty to end the War had been signed.
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