Battle of New Orleans
The role played by riflemen of Jackson's army

The author Augustus Caesar Buell had a book about Jackson published posthumously. It contains his argument that the effect of the artillery, relative to riflemen, was negligible. He "provides the most authentic solution" by claiming to quote from a primary source document from a fictitious department of the British Army. He declared there were 3,000 men wounded or killed by rifle munitions, 326 by musket or artillery. The numbers provided run counter to those in primary sources with known provenance. Although there are contemporary secondary sources that champion the riflemen as the cause of this victory, Ritchie notes the British reserve was 650 yards away from the American line, so never came within rifle range, yet suffered 182 casualties. Owsley estimates that between 800 and 1200 privately owned rifles were used, with the majority of Jackson's men equipped with the musket.
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