Combat· War of 1812
Rodriguez Canal
On New Year's Day, the British tried to batter down Jackson's defenses with their guns rather than storm them.
They hauled forward batteries and opened a heavy cannonade against the American line along the Rodriguez Canal, expecting to dismount the defenders' artillery and breach the earthworks. It did not work. The American gunners, including naval crews and the Marines holding their sector of the line, returned a more accurate and better-served fire that silenced or wrecked several British batteries and forced the attackers to give up the duel and withdraw their guns. The failure of the bombardment was a serious setback for Pakenham. Having found that he could not blast his way through, he was left with the grim alternative that would destroy his army a week later: a direct frontal assault on a fortified line held by confident, well-positioned defenders.
Podcast episodes on War of 1812
Record no. 243