1813 1814 1815 East Coast Great Lakes / Saint Lawrence River West Indies / Gulf Coast Pacific Ocean The siege of Fort St. Philip was a ten day long distance bombardment of exploding bomb shells - by two Royal Navy bomb vessels, mounting a total of four mortars - against the American garrison of Fort St. Philip.

The fort was unable to retaliate at the start, as the bomb vessels were out of the range of its solid shot cannon, and its mortar did not have ammunition.

This was remedied by supply boats, whereby the fort counter-attacked the bomb vessels with its mortar on January 17, and the British duly withdrew.

In August 1814, Vice Admiral Cochrane had finally convinced the Admiralty that a campaign against New Orleans would weaken American resolve against Canada, and hasten a successful end to the war.

The Americans built a signal station three miles below the installation and an earthen redoubt to defend the fort's rear side.

Major Latour of the US Corps of Engineers was involved with the improvement of the fort's defences, but was not here during this engagement, being resident at New Orleans, and participating in the fighting there.

[17][18][19] They also erected overhead cover above the fort's gun batteries to prevent shell fragments from hitting the gun-crews.

[20] At the request of Jackson, at the start of December a picket was placed on duty at Fort de la Balize at the mouth of the Mississippi, who were captured by a boarding party landed by HMS Herald.

[21] The American garrison were primarily infantry - of whom 84 militia, 163 were regulars - supported by 117 artillery men to man the fort's cannon and mortar.

[28][29][c] These boats had originally been accompanied by the fifth rate HMS Nymphe,[1] but it was too large to traverse the shallow waters of the bar at the mouth of the Mississippi.

[e] Early that afternoon, the two bomb vessels advanced slightly[34] to take up positions 3,700 yards south of the fort.

HMS Volcano's log records that it fired fifty mortar shells that day, which calls into question the statements made by Latour.

HMS Volcano's log records that it fired eighty mortar shells that day, which calls into question the statements made by Latour.

A similar barrage directed towards the two bomb vessels was made from the fort on the 11th at 4:00pm for fifteen minutes, with no effect other than possibly disturbing their fire.

[37] The evening of January 11, the bomb vessels bombarded the fort's store house, thinking it to be the powder magazine.

[26] Realizing that their weapons were not very effective during the first few days of bombardment, on January 14, Latour theorized the British re-fused all of their shells to explode over the fort (Air burst), in order to shower the garrison with shrapnel.

[41] By the night of January 15, the United States garrison had constructed in the prior 24 hours more adequate defenses around their batteries from stockpiles of wood which were being brought into the fort from the nearby forest.

Rain had fallen, with little intermission, since the start of the engagement against the British and had left the interior of the fort underwater, making it similar to a livestock pond.

At some point one of the British bomb vessels was struck by an American mortar shell which put the boat out of action for five minutes.

[42] The mortar duel continued during the night of the January 17 and just before daylight on the 18th; several shells were lodged in Fort St. Philip's parapet; one burst passing through a ditch and into the center bastion.

[25] In a despatch sent to the Secretary of War, dated January 19, Jackson states 'I am strengthened not only by [the defeat of the British at New Orleans]... but by the failure of his fleet to pass fort St.

[49] For similar reasons, the Union attack on the fort in 1862 was made by schooner- and raft-mounted mortars that could negotiate the bar without beaching.

[50] The lack of any tangible sized amphibious landing does not support the idea the British wanted to capture the fort.

[51][52][53] Overton claims that well over 1,000 British mortar shells were fired,[54] estimated by Latour to be seventy tons of munitions.

[55][g] It has not been possible to corroborate that claim with daily expenditure from British sources,[57] but the commanding officer of the Volcano has echoed Overton's comment.

[5] Neither the name of the commander, nor if the British had suffered casualties were recorded in contemporary sources, as the engagement was not considered significant enough for coverage.