

City History: New Orleans
Steve Keller
A podcast exploring the history of New Orleans. Your support helps buy the books needed to make each episode! https://ko-fi.com/cityhistory
We'll cover New Orleans's founding, its evolution through French, Spanish and American rule, the battle that saved it in 1815, Congo Square, its dramatic capture and occupation during the Civil War, its unique legacy of race and slavery, how it survived Prohibition, the Depression and hurricanes, Mardi Gras, jazz and the future New Orleans may (or may not) have.
We'll cover New Orleans's founding, its evolution through French, Spanish and American rule, the battle that saved it in 1815, Congo Square, its dramatic capture and occupation during the Civil War, its unique legacy of race and slavery, how it survived Prohibition, the Depression and hurricanes, Mardi Gras, jazz and the future New Orleans may (or may not) have.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jan 18, 2025 • 28min
1.26: Line Jackson
The Americans build a wall to defend New Orleans. The British army pays for it.
Donate to help the victims and families of the New Year's tragedy on Bourbon Street.
https://www.gnof.org/new-orleans-new-years-day-tragedy-fund-2/
https://www.unitedwaysela.org/UnitedforNOLA
LEARN MORE:
The Greatest Fury: The Battle of New Orleans and the Rebirth of America by William C. Davis
The British at the Gates: The New Orleans Campaign in the War of 1812 by Robin Reilly
The Battle of New Orleans: Andrew Jackson and America's First Military Victory by Robert V. Remini
The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans by Lawrence N. Powell
The Pirates Laffite: The Treacherous World of the Corsairs of the Gulf by William C. Davis
The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square by Ned Sublette
"British Command Decisions Relative to the Battle of New Orleans" by John K. Mahon

Dec 28, 2024 • 23min
1.25: Pull Dick, Pull Devil
Gabriel Villeré escapes the British invaders. Jackson attacks them immediately. As a thick fog rolls in below New Orleans, both sides manage feats of strength.
READ MORE:
The Greatest Fury: The Battle of New Orleans and the Rebirth of America by William C. Davis
The British at the Gates: The New Orleans Campaign in the War of 1812 by Robin Reilly
The Battle of New Orleans: Andrew Jackson and America's First Military Victory by Robert V. Remini
The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans by Lawrence N. Powell
The Pirates Laffite: The Treacherous World of the Corsairs of the Gulf by William C. Davis
The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square by Ned Sublette
"British Command Decisions Relative to the Battle of New Orleans" by John K. Mahon
https://villerefamily.com/the-battle-of-new-orleans/

Dec 22, 2024 • 14min
1.24: Sloop John Bull
The British take the bad route to New Orleans. It is very cold.
READ MORE:
The Greatest Fury: The Battle of New Orleans and the Rebirth of America by William C. Davis
The British at the Gates: The New Orleans Campaign in the War of 1812 by Robin Reilly
The Battle of New Orleans: Andrew Jackson and America's First Military Victory by Robert V. Remini
The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans by Lawrence N. Powell
The Pirates Laffite: The Treacherous World of the Corsairs of the Gulf by William C. Davis
The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square by Ned Sublette
"British Command Decisions Relative to the Battle of New Orleans" by John K. Mahon
SOUNDS:
spring field NL 01 200529_0183.wav by klankbeeld -- https://freesound.org/s/539262/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

Dec 8, 2024 • 30min
1.23: Lockdown
Andrew Jackson races to prepare New Orleans before the British invasion. The Lafittes cut a deal. An urgent message arrives from downriver.
READ MORE:
The Greatest Fury: The Battle of New Orleans and the Rebirth of America by William C. Davis
The British at the Gates: The New Orleans Campaign in the War of 1812 by Robin Reilly
The Battle of New Orleans: Andrew Jackson and America's First Military Victory by Robert V. Remini
The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans by Lawrence N. Powell
The Pirates Laffite: The Treacherous World of the Corsairs of the Gulf by William C. Davis
The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square by Ned Sublette
"British Command Decisions Relative to the Battle of New Orleans" by John K. Mahon

Nov 22, 2024 • 21min
1.22: Andrew Jackson
We explore Andrew Jackson's path to New Orleans: His origins. The Creek War. Pensacola. And we see how he set up the American victory at New Orleans—before he even arrived.
READ MORE:
The Battle of New Orleans: Andrew Jackson and America's First Military Victory by Robert V. Remini
The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans by Lawrence N. Powell
The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square by Ned Sublette
"'Remember Fort Mims:' Reinterpreting the Origins of the Creek War" by Karl Davis
"'A Slow, Laborious Slaughter': The Battle of Horseshoe Bend" by Thomas Kanon
"British Command Decisions Relative to the Battle of New Orleans" by John K. Mahon
"Red Stick War, 1813–1814" in Massacring Indians: From Horseshoe Bend to Wounded Knee by Roger L. Nichols
SOUNDS:
French Quarter Bourbon walk.wav by volivieri -- https://freesound.org/s/110012/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

Nov 12, 2024 • 22min
1.21: Target New Orleans
The War of 1812 begins! Seven weeks after Louisiana wins statehood, America declares war on Britain. It goes poorly. Britain puts New Orleans in its sights, and the militias—particularly, black militias—are, for now, its best defense.
READ MORE:
The Battle of New Orleans: Andrew Jackson and America's First Military Victory by Robert V. Remini
The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans by Lawrence N. Powell
The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square by Ned Sublette
"'The Preservation of Good Order': William C. C. Claiborne and the Militia of the Louisiana Provisional Government, 1803–1805" by Joseph F. Stoltz III
"British Command Decisions Relative to the Battle of New Orleans" by John K. Mahon
"Mr. Jefferson's Creoles: The Battalion D'Orleans and the Americanization of Creole Louisiana, 1803–1815" by Paul D. Gelpi, Jr.
"William Claiborne and New Orleans's Battalion of Color, 1803–1815: Race and the Limits of Federal Power in the Early Republic" by James E. Wainwright
"Always 'En Garde': The Effects of the Slave Insurrection Upon the Louisiana Mentality, 1811–1815" by Junius P. Rodriguez
SOUNDS:
French Quarter Bourbon walk.wav by volivieri -- https://freesound.org/s/110012/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

Oct 24, 2024 • 19min
1.20: Pirate Endgame
Pirate leader Jean Lafitte has a critical decision to make. So does the U.S. Navy. Nothing less is at stake than the future of Barataria Bay—and New Orleans.
READ MORE:
The Pirates Laffite: The Treacherous World of the Corsairs of the Gulf by William C. Davis
"Jean Lafitte and the British Offer of 1814" by John Sugden
"The Patterson and Ross Raid on Barataria, September 1814" by Robert C. Vogel
The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square by Ned Sublette
The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans by Lawrence N. Powell

Oct 14, 2024 • 25min
1.19: The Lafittes vs. The Law
Jean and Pierre Lafitte fight the law in the bays and bayous of Louisiana. The Lafittes usually win (or at least escape). But the Navy and New Orleans gear up for a big showdown with the pirates of Barataria Bay.
READ MORE:
The Pirates Laffite: The Treacherous World of the Corsairs of the Gulf by William C. Davis
"The Patterson and Ross Raid on Barataria, September 1814" by Robert C. Vogel
The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square by Ned Sublette
The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans by Lawrence N. Powell
SOUNDS:
French Quarter Bourbon walk.wav by volivieri -- https://freesound.org/s/110012/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

Oct 6, 2024 • 19min
1.18: The Pirates of Barataria
Piracy explodes in the Gulf. Pierre and Jean Lafitte establish a pirate empire in Barataria Bay. Despite Jefferson's embargo, New Orleans residents enjoy tons of cheap, illegal goods.
READ MORE:
The Pirates Laffite: The Treacherous World of the Corsairs of the Gulf by William C. Davis
"The Patterson and Ross Raid on Barataria, September 1814" by Robert C. Vogel
The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square by Ned Sublette
The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans by Lawrence N. Powell
SOUNDS:
French Quarter Bourbon walk.wav by volivieri -- https://freesound.org/s/110012/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

Sep 19, 2024 • 30min
1.17: The Slave Revolt of 1811
Hundreds of enslaved Louisianans rise up against the sugar plantations. Led by Charles Deslondes, this army marches on New Orleans while the U.S. military is away.
READ MORE:
American Uprising: The Untold Story of America's Largest Slave Revolt by Daniel Rasmussen
The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans by Lawrence N. Powell
The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square by Ned Sublette
City of a Million Dreams: A History of New Orleans at Year 300 by Jason Berry
"'A Horde of Brigands?' The Great Louisiana Slave Revolt of 1811 Reconsidered" by Robert L. Paquette
"The Persistent Specter: Slave Rebellion in Territorial Louisiana" by James H. Dormon
"Historiographical Examinations of the 1811 Slave Insurrection" by Nathan A. Buman
"Commerce and Slavery in Lower Louisiana" in Slave Country by Adam Rothman
https://64parishes.org/entry/german-coast-slave-insurrection-of-1811
SOUNDS:
French Quarter Bourbon walk.wav by volivieri -- https://freesound.org/s/110012/ -- License: Attribution 4.0


