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TIIK BATTI.R OP Til F-: BAY OF SATNT T.OtT T ^
December 13th and 14th, 1814
On the niqht of December 12th, 1814, over 1000 British troops and 42 barges under the dln;cLion o? Capt. Lockyer moved through the pass between Ship and Cat Islands and sailed westward along the Mississippi Coast.
Lt. Thomas Ap Catesby Jones commanding the seven American boats standing off Malheureux Island sighted the fleet at mid morning on the 13th and he immediatedly dispatched the tiny tender, Sea Horse, under the command of Sailing Master Johnson into the of Bay St. Louis to assist in the removal of the public stores before they fell to the British. Three British boats were dispatched to capture the Sea Horse, which was endeavoring to load supplies below the bluff at Bay St. Louis. At 2:00 O'clock in the afternoon, Johnson siezed the initiative and sailed in attack. Although assisted by two guns mounted on the shore, he had only a single 6 pounder on board. After half an hour of intense barrage he put the British to route. Shortly, seven British barges returned to continue the battle. The Sea Horse gallantly fought the superior numbers and again the British were driven back to the safety of their fleet, several of their men having been killed or wounded and at least one of their boats was "apparently much injured". However, the odds were stacked too heavily against the little schooner and, that evening, rather than let the stores and boat fall into the hands of the enemy, both were blown up.
At dawn on the 14th, Jones, who was under orders from Commodore Patterson to "Sink the enemy or be sunk", sighted the approaching enemy flotilla and stationed his becalmed gunboats across the channel between Malheureux Island and Point Clear near Bayou Caddy. They were:
Gunboat #5 under Sailing Master John Ferris Gunboat #23 under Lieutenant Isaac MacKeever Gunboat #162 under Lieutenant Robert Spedden Gunboat #163 under Sailing Master George Ulrick Gunboat #156 was the flagship under Lt. Jones himself. Alligator under Sailing Master Richard Sheppard was becalmed near the line of approach and was captured.
The British rowed their boats into current until they were about two miles away from Lt. Jones. There Capt. Lockyer calmly brought the barges to, so that his sailors could eat breakfast and rest from their long row. About 10:30 they closed on Jones and his brave little fleet.
By 12:40 the battle was over. Six Americans were dead and 35 were wounded. The British sufferd 17 dead and 77 wounded. But more important was the loss of time which allowed Andrew Jackson to complete his fortifications for the defense at Chalmette, bringing victory for the Americans.