THIS WEEK in the War of 1812 (February 1-February 7, 1815)

First Word.

Major General Andrew Jackson

On January 8 the British were beaten, on January 27 they departed Louisiana waters and headed for Mobile Bay.

Meanwhile, word finally gets to Washington on February 4 that Jackson and his rag tag army have won a great victory against the British — sparking celebrations all over the city and the region. But word of peace from Europe still has not arrived.

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Gone but Not Forgotten.

Vice Admiral Sir Alexander Cochrane’s fleet lies off Mobile Bay, waiting for a chance to strike at Fort Bowyer, a small post guarding the approach to the city of Mobile.

A small contingent of U.S. troops at Bowyer had beaten off an attack by 100 Royal Marines and 600 Indian backed up by a couple of Royal Navy ships in the late fall of 1814.

The fort’s commander, Major William Lawrence, commands 370 troops, the British now have ten times that number, plus all the guns of Cochrane’s fleet.

(U.S. Military Academy History Dept.)