The American Battlefield Trust has initiated a 1 million fundraising campaign to secure 40 acres of land connected to the Battle of Chalmette. The historic location marks the final major engagement of the War of 1812, fought outside New Orleans. If the funding effort succeeds, the transaction will mark the first significant expansion of the preserved battlefield park in a century.
While sections of the original site are currently protected inside Chalmette National Cemetery and Jean Lafitte National Historic Park, the surrounding acreage faces intense pressure from industrial development. The complete real estate transaction carries a total cost of 3.6 million dollars due to local zoning factors. The non-profit organization must raise the final 1 million portion of the balance by a September 2 deadline.
The remaining financial requirements are being offset by anticipated matching funds from the federal American Battlefield Protection Program. Additional funding elements include early contributions from major individual donors alongside an award from the Louisiana Outdoors Forever Program, which represents a first for the organization.
The historical engagement took place on January 8, 1815, under the command of General Andrew Jackson before news of the Treaty of Ghent reached the region. The American defensive force consisted of regular army troops, Choctaw Indians, pirates, and regional volunteers. The defense resulted in more than 2,000 British casualties compared to 71 casualties suffered by the American forces.
The American Battlefield Trust operates as a nonpartisan, nonprofit entity focused on protecting historical battlegrounds from the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, and the Civil War. To date, the organization has preserved more than 62,000 acres of land across 160 distinct sites spanning 25 states.
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