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Most one-sided battle that the underdog won?

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Topic: Most one-sided battle that the underdog won?
Posted By: Cuddles McKitten
Subject: Most one-sided battle that the underdog won?
Date Posted: 01-Oct-2008 at 14:41
What was the largest enemies-to-friendlies ratio that an army has ever come up against and defeated that you can think of?  By defeated, I don't mean a temporary strategic victory by delaying the enemy force (e.g. Thermopylae) but a tactical victory forcing the enemy into a retreat or rout.

Also, there should be no cheating and using slanted pseudo-historical numbers.  Just because there were Greeks who claimed that there were 250,000 Persians at Gaugamela doesn't mean that those numbers are likely!



Replies:
Posted By: Paul
Date Posted: 01-Oct-2008 at 17:42
Battle of Lacolle Mills 1814
 
80 cuddly British vs 4000 evil Americans
 
a 2:100 ratio.
 
Americans gotta whooping and ran away.
 
 
 
Canucks made a song about it, well almost,
 
 
  http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=tRwiH18QwpU&feature=related - http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=tRwiH18QwpU&feature=related
 
 


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Posted By: Greek Demiurge
Date Posted: 01-Oct-2008 at 19:51
It depends on how definitive you require your sources to be. I think the Chinese defeat of the millions strong Yellow Scarves with a ten thousand strong expeditionary force is pretty impressive,but I can't find a primary source to peg down the exact numbers.

The same for Lu Bu's historical victories.

Hard numbers wise, I'd bet on the Japanese victory over the Russians during the Russo Japanese war. Raw military comparisons leave the Japanese in the dust.


Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 02-Oct-2008 at 18:58
Klushino 1610

6800 Poles vs 40 000 Russian and Swedish forces.

Wizna 1939

720 Poles against 42 000 Germans (+tanks, artillery, air support)


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Posted By: Seko
Date Posted: 02-Oct-2008 at 22:08
Those are some impressive feats of mankind that will surely go down in history as... some of the most impressive feats of mankind. Smile Can't really say that its worth verifying  but they are noteworthy nonetheless.
 
 
 
Back in in 1969 Ohio State came into the Game as the No.1 favorites in all of the land. Having run roughshod over every opponent culminating in the coveted National Championship the year before, the dreaded Buckeyes returned their top fighters and carried a string of 22 straight victories that fatefull late November day. They had soldiers named Kern, Tatum, Stillwagon, and Sensibaugh. They had previously beaten the tar out of Bump's seniormost members the year before for they had aura of invicibility clad in armour of Scarlet and Grey. Most intimidating of all, these illustrious Buckeyes were led by one of histories greatest leaders, Wayne Woodrow Hayes. All one had to know was his nic, Woody, because that alone was enough to instill dread and make grown men cry.
 
 
On the other side of the battlefield were the perennial pushovers. The Michigan Wolverines had been regularly clobbered by Woody's men during the decade. It got so bad that, rumor has it, there was a secret call to go for two at the end of regulation just to rub it in. Thus ended the 1968 debacle in a massacre, Ohio State - 50  Michigan -14. Micihgan was a far cry from the men in blue led by famous strategists of a by-gone era, ghosts of Yost, Crisler and Oosterbann. However, as if all howevers warrant a merit of significance, this was not the same Michigan team Bump Elliot had deployed. No. This was a team hardened from the sinews of man made molten lava. Toughened up by a coach that new only one thing and that was to beat Ohio State. His name? General "BO" Schembechler!
 
The battle of 1969 was expected to be a heavy mismatch. A slaughter if you will. The Game, as it is now called, annually pitted the Michigan Wolverines against the Ohio State Buckeyes at the end of each season. The winners would go on to the Rose bowl. The losers scraped their wounds and dreamt of another showndown in the distant future.
 
Well let me tell you. The hype was in the air. Winning eight games by an average score of 46-9 despite, the fact that Michigan came into the game ranked twelfth and had outscored its four most recent opponents 178-22, Ohio State were the preivous Champs with the lofty record. They were the only team that matter. The only team that could have given those Buckeyes a run for their money was... their own second string players! That is how good they were.
 
Ohio State was pegged as a 17 point favorite. Woody was expected to win his 6'th National Championship that day. The Game started out a bit gloomy for the home team as Ohio State marched down the field for the first touchdown of the day. However, you know what I mean, they missed the extra point and Michigan showed meddle by driving for a touchdown of their own. Fate can be a strange thing. For the first time all season Ohio State had trailed in a game. The proud Buckeyes marched back up and down the field to make it 12-7. A couple runs later by Garvie Craw and Quarterback Moorhead, the Wolverines took a commanding 21-12 lead. Aided by a field goal the half ended at 24-12. The second half was all defense. As in all great battles a well oiled offense can only be stifled by a stingy defense. The blue defense had caught 6 interceptions. The Ohio State air raid was blown into smithereens. The Game ended 24-12 and jubilant crowds stormed onto the field.
 
That fatefull day in 1969, a general was born and an old one would remember lick his wounds. The two memorable coaches would eventually lead their teams to all Big Ten Championships the ensueing decade. Theirs would be called the Ten Year War. Was nothing like it and never will be.
 
In memory of Bo's motto - Those Who Stay Will Be Champions!
 
 
 
 


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Posted By: pikeshot1600
Date Posted: 03-Oct-2008 at 00:17
As Beylerbeyi might say, there is no fun being a mod unless you can get away with stuff.
 
As Seko has already hijacked this thread, and in the spirit of the college football season, I propose the 1964 game between Ohio State and Penn State played at Columbus.  The newspapers in the Big Ten cities wanted to know who was this interloper on the Big Ten schedule.  Ohio State was undefeated and Penn State was 3-4 at the time.
 
Well....by the end of the game, it was Penn State 27, Ohio State 0.  The Buckeyes didn't cross midfield until the fourth quarter.  Woody Hayes stated that PSU coach Rip Engle "may have a 4-4 team, but we didn't play that team today."
 
One of the memorable upsets without doubt!
 
 


Posted By: Omar al Hashim
Date Posted: 03-Oct-2008 at 01:08


Nasiriyyah 23 March 2003
100 Iraqi Regulars & Feddayyin vs 5000 US Marines


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Posted By: Temujin
Date Posted: 03-Oct-2008 at 19:28
Originally posted by Bartoha


Wizna 1939

720 Poles against 42 000 Germans (+tanks, artillery, air support)


that was actualyl a German victory....

and while we're at it, Thermopylae was a persian victory and no delaying action as the delaying force is supposed to delay the enemy in retreatign actions, not to get completely annihilated for no reason (Athens was taken and looted). i guess those people would also considder Iwo Jima a resounding Japanese victory or something?


Posted By: Penelope
Date Posted: 04-Oct-2008 at 00:44
Originally posted by Seko

Those are some impressive feats of mankind that will surely go down in history as... some of the most impressive feats of mankind. Smile Can't really say that its worth verifying  but they are noteworthy nonetheless.
 
 
 
Back in in 1969 Ohio State came into the Game as the No.1 favorites in all of the land. Having run roughshod over every opponent culminating in the coveted National Championship the year before, the dreaded Buckeyes returned their top fighters and carried a string of 22 straight victories that fatefull late November day. They had soldiers named Kern, Tatum, Stillwagon, and Sensibaugh. They had previously beaten the tar out of Bump's seniormost members the year before for they had aura of invicibility clad in armour of Scarlet and Grey. Most intimidating of all, these illustrious Buckeyes were led by one of histories greatest leaders, Wayne Woodrow Hayes. All one had to know was his nic, Woody, because that alone was enough to instill dread and make grown men cry.
 
 
On the other side of the battlefield were the perennial pushovers. The Michigan Wolverines had been regularly clobbered by Woody's men during the decade. It got so bad that, rumor has it, there was a secret call to go for two at the end of regulation just to rub it in. Thus ended the 1968 debacle in a massacre, Ohio State - 50  Michigan -14. Micihgan was a far cry from the men in blue led by famous strategists of a by-gone era, ghosts of Yost, Crisler and Oosterbann. However, as if all howevers warrant a merit of significance, this was not the same Michigan team Bump Elliot had deployed. No. This was a team hardened from the sinews of man made molten lava. Toughened up by a coach that new only one thing and that was to beat Ohio State. His name? General "BO" Schembechler!
 
The battle of 1969 was expected to be a heavy mismatch. A slaughter if you will. The Game, as it is now called, annually pitted the Michigan Wolverines against the Ohio State Buckeyes at the end of each season. The winners would go on to the Rose bowl. The losers scraped their wounds and dreamt of another showndown in the distant future.
 
Well let me tell you. The hype was in the air. Winning eight games by an average score of 46-9 despite, the fact that Michigan came into the game ranked twelfth and had outscored its four most recent opponents 178-22, Ohio State were the preivous Champs with the lofty record. They were the only team that matter. The only team that could have given those Buckeyes a run for their money was... their own second string players! That is how good they were.
 
Ohio State was pegged as a 17 point favorite. Woody was expected to win his 6'th National Championship that day. The Game started out a bit gloomy for the home team as Ohio State marched down the field for the first touchdown of the day. However, you know what I mean, they missed the extra point and Michigan showed meddle by driving for a touchdown of their own. Fate can be a strange thing. For the first time all season Ohio State had trailed in a game. The proud Buckeyes marched back up and down the field to make it 12-7. A couple runs later by Garvie Craw and Quarterback Moorhead, the Wolverines took a commanding 21-12 lead. Aided by a field goal the half ended at 24-12. The second half was all defense. As in all great battles a well oiled offense can only be stifled by a stingy defense. The blue defense had caught 6 interceptions. The Ohio State air raid was blown into smithereens. The Game ended 24-12 and jubilant crowds stormed onto the field.
 
That fatefull day in 1969, a general was born and an old one would remember lick his wounds. The two memorable coaches would eventually lead their teams to all Big Ten Championships the ensueing decade. Theirs would be called the Ten Year War. Was nothing like it and never will be.
 
In memory of Bo's motto - Those Who Stay Will Be Champions!
 
 
 
That is the most famous rivalry in college sports.


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The direct use of force is such a poor solution to any problem, it is generally employed only by small children and large nations.


Posted By: ulrich von hutten
Date Posted: 04-Oct-2008 at 06:54
Bern (Switzerland)  July 4, 1954 Wankdorf-Stadium
 
Worldcup-Final Germany - Hungary
 
The Hungarian team wasn't defeated for nearly 4 1/2 years. In the five years prior to the World Cup 1954 they had remained unbeaten in 32 games, were reigning http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Football_at_the_1952_Summer_Olympics - Olympic Champions and winners of the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_European_International_Cup - Central European International Cup teams in 1953. In 1953 they defeated http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/England_national_football_team - England 6-3, becoming the first non- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom - UK team to beat them at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wembley_Stadium_%281923%29 - Wembley Stadium . Shortly after that England had received another humiliating defeat, losing 1-7 to Hungary in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budapest - Budapest just before the World Cup.
 

The Wankdorf Stadion in Berne was packed with a crowd of 64,000 people, eagerly anticipating the encounter between the two teams. The match was played in heavy rain, weather conditions the German side had christened " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritz_Walter - Fritz Walter -weather", as the German team captain http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritz_Walter - Fritz Walter was known for playing his best football under those conditions. When it had rained a few days before the final, German coach Sepp Herberger had sent his players out to practice during heavy rain, as if foreseeing the weather conditions. In addition, the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germans - Germans were equipped with footwear supplied by http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adidas - adidas , which had produced a hitherto unheard of design of boot with exchangeable, screw-in studs that could be adapted to any weather. This enabled the German players to wear their regular boots despite the adverse weather.

Although he was not fully fit in time, Ferenc Puskás was back in the Hungarian lineup for the final match, and he put his team ahead after only 6 minutes. When http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zolt%C3%A1n_Czibor - Zoltán Czibor added the second goal for Hungary a mere two minutes later, the pre-tournament favourites seemed destined to ease to victory over Germany, just as they had in the group, and take the trophy.

However, Germany did not give up and equalised quickly, with goals from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Morlock - Max Morlock (10') and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helmut_Rahn - Helmut Rahn (18'). Having leveled the scores, the Germans now looked a match for the Hungarians and managed to reach half time at 2-2, both teams having missed several promising chances to take the lead. In the second half, the Hungarians poured forward looking to retake the lead, but their attempts were repeatedly foiled by the German defence with goalkeeper http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toni_Turek - Toni Turek pulling off several fine saves.

With six minutes left and the Germans still holding out at 2-2, German striker http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helmut_Rahn - Helmut Rahn , nicknamed "The Boss" reached the ball on a speculative German attack 20 yards in front of the Hungarian goal. Deceiving the Hungarian defender by shooting with his weaker left foot, he scored West Germany's third goal with an accurate drive to the bottom left of the goal, leaving Hungarian goalkeeper Grocics no chance. Two minutes before the end, Puskás equalised once more, but his goal was ruled off-side by the English linesman. The match and Hungary’s unbeaten run ended in one of the biggest upsets in the history of football.

The unexpected win evoked a wave of euphoria throughout Germany, still suffering in the aftermath of World War II. The 1954 victory is regarded as a turning point in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Germany_since_1945 - post-war German history by German historians http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Arthur_Heinrich&action=edit&redlink=1 - Arthur Heinrich and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joachim_Fest - Joachim Fest , due to being the first feeling of success for a beaten nation, living in a destroyed country. As television was only available to few homes or public places then, German radio commentator http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_Zimmermann - Herbert Zimmermann emerged as a person of German contemporary history, due to his emotional radio report, heard by millions in Germany. His reporting style borne by deep emotions ("call me crazy, call me nuts") and especially his ecstatic cries when Germany scored the winning goal ("Rahn should shoot from the background, Rahn shoots - goal, goal, goal!" - "Aus dem Hintergrund müsste Rahn schießen, Rahn schießt - TOR, TOR, TOR!"), and after the final whistle ("Over! Over! The game is over! Germany is World Champion, beating Hungary 3-2!" - "AUS! AUS! AUS! Das Spiel ist aus. Deutschland ist Weltmeister, schlägt Ungarn 3 zu 2!")  ( http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=N0avCtHStIk&feature=related - see_here ) are very well known and popular in Germany to this day, even to people who are not interested in football.*

*most from Wiki
 
That was A battle and it was an underdog victory. So it has be placed here.


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Posted By: gcle2003
Date Posted: 04-Oct-2008 at 11:20
Plassey 1757, theoretically about 2,000 to 50,000. However, the battle was mostly won by the British bribing the vast majority of the other side not to fight. There are more ways to skin a cat than one....
 
Wrt the parallel thread, Southampton 1 Manchester United 0, English Cup Final, 1976. No way am I not going to get that in.


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Posted By: malizai_
Date Posted: 04-Oct-2008 at 18:34
Can lesser numbers alone render somenone an underdog, what about other quaifiers like strength and superiority of equipment?
 
Could Babur's 15000 be underdogs aginst Lodhi's (60000) given he had superior artillery?.
(Battle of Panipat, India 1526)
 
Or
 
Kitchner's 25000 vs the Mahdi's 50000 (the battle of Omdurman, Sudan 1898)


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Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 01-Feb-2009 at 15:44
I think in modern history the 6 day war between Isreal and Egypt, Jordan & Syria, not forgetting the large contributions of troops from Sudan, Tunisia Morocco & Saudi Arabia will go down in history as the most one sided war.

Israel were underdogs to say the least, yet still overcome the odds.

I think the balance of power has shifted somewhat after that experience!



Posted By: Voskhod
Date Posted: 02-Feb-2009 at 08:44
Not a 2:100 ratio but here's a worthy honourable mention: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disaster_of_Annual - Battle of Annaul

20,000 Spanish troops killed by Rif Berber irregulars, who lost around 1,000 of their own men. The rebellion itself, while eventually crushed, lasted six years and was only subdued after use of chemical weapons and French intervention.

Originally posted by sammysnake

I think in modern history the 6 day war between Isreal and Egypt, Jordan & Syria, not forgetting the large contributions of troops from Sudan, Tunisia Morocco & Saudi Arabia will go down in history as the most one sided war.

Israel were underdogs to say the least, yet still overcome the odds.

I think the balance of power has shifted somewhat after that experience!


Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Morocco, Sudan hardly contributed, although Iraq did sent troops.

Israel's success is due to their generals, and the genius in ordering the preemptive strike against the Egyptian Air Force, which pretty much ensured Israeli air superiority.


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"All the true heroes of history will be forgotten and all the villains will be remembered as heroes."
- Leo Tolstoy


Posted By: Al Jassas
Date Posted: 02-Feb-2009 at 13:09

Israel had 250k+ troops on the ground, Egypt+Syria barely mobalised 100k troops plus Saudi Arabia sent only a battalion and Iraq a brigade. Egypt had more planes than Israel but only 70 pilots capable of flying them.

 

AL-Jassas



Posted By: Dolphin
Date Posted: 02-Feb-2009 at 15:25
300.



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Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 02-Feb-2009 at 22:01
The engagement at gadgor during tha Battle of Chawinda in the '65 Indo-Pak war, a regiment of the Pakistan Army (45 tanks), held off the whole Indian I  for two days, in flat terrain, being the only force between the Indians and the Pakistani Industrial heartland. The Indians lost 100 tanks, the Pakistanis 2. Granted that Indian attacks were confused and disorganised, but still.

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Posted By: Jallaludin Akbar
Date Posted: 02-Feb-2009 at 22:25
Indian-Pakistani of 1971: Battle of Longewala

The Successful Indian Defence against a numerically superior Pakistani Offensive. 120 Indian troops with airstrike capability against 2,800 Pakistani troops+55 tanks, field guns, AA, etc. Indian forces held off the pakistani offensive. Casualties-india:2, Pakistan:200 soldiers, 34 tanks and some other vehicles. The Observational failure of Indian forces and Tactical failure of Pakistani commanders resulted in the bloody aftermath--although both sides fought valiantly.


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"First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win."
-Mahatma Gandhi



Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 03-Feb-2009 at 00:08

It was more like 800 troops with 45 tanks. Mainly 38 Cavalry. The main objective, of diverting the Indian assualt against Rahim Yar Khan was accomplished. 38 cavalry lost 18 tanks IIRC.

 
If you want an Indian heroics, you should really check out the action at Ranjouri in 1971, when battalion of Gurkhas managed to hold off the entire 12 Division, before being overrun. 30,000 men against 600. Probably saved the city of Poonch from being lost. Or some of the battles in 1962.
 
I would also of course mention, Kohima.


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Posted By: Domen
Date Posted: 03-Feb-2009 at 16:47
Battle of Konstantynów - 26th - 28th of July 1648

8,000 Poles vs 60,000 Cossacs

Casualties:

Polish - 200 to 300
Cossac - 10,000 to 15,000

Battle of Beresteczko - 28th - 30th of June 1651:

55,000 - 65,000 Poles (including 27,000 regular infantry, dragoons, cavalry and artillery and the rest of irregular cavalry) vs 80,000 Cossacs and 30,000 Tatars

Casualties:

Polish - 300 killed (including surprisingly many officers) + 400 wounded
Cossacs + Tatars - 80,000 - 40,000 killed (including Tuhaj Bej) or captured


Posted By: Voskhod
Date Posted: 10-Feb-2009 at 11:39
Originally posted by Dolphin

300.



The Spartans lost though. =P


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"All the true heroes of history will be forgotten and all the villains will be remembered as heroes."
- Leo Tolstoy


Posted By: Parnell
Date Posted: 10-Feb-2009 at 14:52
Tom Barry's flying column of 104 men out maneovered a British encirclement operation of 1400 at Crossbarry. Lightly armed, they took out far more men than they lost and they broke their way through to the mountains...

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Posted By: Galahadlrrp
Date Posted: 02-May-2009 at 05:33
--How about the Battle of Watling Street? A Roman force primarily composed of the 5000-odd men of the XIVth Legion commanded by Suetonius Paulinus, versus the British Hordes led by Boudicca--estimated as high as 120000 men. End result was Britannia was a nice peaceful Roman province for the next several hundred years.


Posted By: Nenonen
Date Posted: 27-Jan-2011 at 07:20
Winter War 1939-40. One finnish ski company (with 150 soldiers) hold back, reatreat fighting one Red Army division ( 18 000).

In Suomussalmi one very week finnish division (9th D, 9 000 soldiers) (without arthillery) destroyed one motorized division (12 000) totally and made one other (18 000) escaping. Later that 9th Division attack to another Soviet division in Kuhmo, south of Suomussalmi and was destroying it before the armistice, 13th of March 1940.

Why this division was so successful? The main reason was that majority of soldiers were get used to work in very cold conditions in deep forest as lumberjacks. So fighting in temperature -30 celcius conditions was surely nothing new for these men. 


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"Military history is nothing but a tissue of fictions and legends, only a form of literary invention; reality counts for very little in such an affair."



Posted By: Tiger of Kai
Date Posted: 27-Jan-2011 at 11:47
Battle of Okehazama (1560)

Oda Nobunaga led a force of just over 2,000 men and defeated Imagawa Yoshimoto. Whose force is thought to have been somewhere between 30,000 and 40,000 men. The battle was a complete rout that culminated with Yoshimoto's death.


Posted By: opuslola
Date Posted: 19-Feb-2011 at 16:34
I would promote the victory of the mysterous Catalans over the vast forces of Waltier/Gautier/Galtier, etc., de Brienne, in Greece!

The battle, that de Brienne (Bryan?) conceived as a "walkover", ended with the distruction of both himself, the "flower" of French/Flemish chivalry, and his familiy's inheritance!

The date, I think, was 1311 CE!

Of course, man for man, the Catalans or Almogavars, were possibly the greatest fighting force ever conceived!

Please read more here;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Halmyros

And please look up "the battle of Cephissus?"

Please read or examine this site?

http://www.bing.com/search?q=battle%20of%20cephissus&pc=conduit&form=CONTLB&ptag=A5DC7BAE8890B42A4A3F&conlogo=CT2392836

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http://www.quotationspage.com/subjects/history/


Posted By: johnbryan
Date Posted: 29-Jun-2011 at 19:13
The Battle of New Orleans, 8 January, 1815.  Andrew Jackson's rag-tag army of 4,000 largely half trained troops deceisively defeated a much larger force of some 11,000 veteran British troops, inflicting well over 2,000 killed, wounded and POW's on them before the British withdrew back to their ships in this, the last battle of the War of 1812..


Posted By: opuslola
Date Posted: 11-Dec-2013 at 21:12
I am not sure that many of you know that the so-called Battle of New Orleans, was actually fought a few miles from the city proper, and was entirely fought N. and East of the city. The English fleet sailed by S.W. Mississippi Gulf-coast, I.e. Pass Christian, into the great lake/inland lake of the Gulf of Mexico, named Lake Borgne, named after the General of the British forces facing Andrew Jackson and company.

Regards, Ron

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