CHALMETTE, La. -- A nonprofit organization is working to expand the footprint of one of Louisiana's most significant historic sites by acquiring additional land connected to the Battle of New Orleans.
The American Battlefield Trust is raising $3.6 million to purchase property that would become part of Chalmette Battlefield, part of Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, increasing the size of the public site by about 28%.
The land is historically significant because it was the site of the British Army's main advance during the Battle of New Orleans, according to the trust.
"It's also the site of the main British advance during the actual Battle of New Orleans," said David Duncan of the American Battlefield Trust. "It's like reclaiming a lost chapter in a very important book that will add to historical interpretation."
The Battle of New Orleans was fought in January 1815 between British forces and the young United States, even though the Treaty of Ghent ending the War of 1812 had already been signed. News of the treaty had not yet crossed the Atlantic, and the battle went on to become one of the war's most famous engagements.
More than 2,000 people were killed during the battle, most of them British soldiers.
Duncan said the trust has long been interested in preserving the property but had to wait until the landowner was willing to sell.
"We've always been interested, and as it sometimes takes in the battlefield preservation world, it just took a while for the landowner to be willing to sell to us," Duncan said. "That's just a long-term relationship-building exercise. We came to a price, and now we're working to raise the money to save that land."
During the battle, Gen. Andrew Jackson ordered his troops to construct a defensive line consisting of a moat and a mud rampart. The fortifications helped protect American forces as they repelled the British assault, with roughly 70 American deaths compared with much heavier British losses.
The victory propelled Jackson to national prominence, but preservation advocates say the Battle of New Orleans has never received the recognition it deserves.
"It offers just a tremendous new interpretive opportunity that hasn't existed before," Duncan said.
The American Battlefield Trust has secured much of the funding through federal and state grants and private donations. Organizers say they are now less than $1 million short of their fundraising goal.
"People can now go and, once we're successful, hopefully they can walk in the footsteps of the British charge right up to the line of Andrew Jackson and the ragtag force that he put together to defend New Orleans," Duncan said.
The American Battlefield Trust has also helped preserve land associated with the Battle of Mansfield in northwest Louisiana.
Those interested in learning more about the preservation effort or making a donation can visit the American Battlefield Trust's website.