Gibeon Lippett: A Black Man in a Red Coat -
Black British Soldiers at the Battle of New Orleans
For most of the War of 1812, the American south had been a backwater to the main theatre of operations in the north and Mid-Atlantic regions. By 1814, however, the Gulf Coast was seen by the British as a place to contest the westward expansion of the United States and disrupt American plans to annex Florida. From assembly points in Bermuda and the Caribbean, British naval and land forces began a series of forays and raids, culminating in the final drive on New Orleans in January of 1815.
On January 8th, British forces under the command of Major General Sir Edward Pakenham made their unsuccessful assault on the American defensive positions at Chalmette (now a part of Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve), east of New Orleans. On the field of battle that day was Private Gibeon Lippett, a black American born in Rhode Island, fighting for the British 43rd Foot Regiment.
Lippett (according to service records) was born in Rhode Island but had traveled to Cork City, Ireland, where he enlisted in the British Army on June 22, 1796, at the age of seventeen. He served in campaigns in Europe and the Caribbean and survived the Battle of New Orleans to fight again with the 43rd in France. Lippett was discharged from the army in April of 1826, "his constitution being worn out by long and severe service."
Lippett wasn't the only black soldier to fight for the British on January 8th. Members of the 5th West India Regiment (WIR), an entirely black unit led by white officers, also fought to drive Andrew Jackson's American forces back from New Orleans. The 5th WIR was one of several all black units created by the British to garrison forts in English territories in the Caribbean. Many of these units saw action in campaigns as far away as Gibraltar and West Africa, where they served with distinction.
The United States, Spain, France and Britain used black troops during the 18th and 19th Centuries. Free blacks served in the armies and navies of these nations, as did enslaved Africans lured by the promise that military service would win them their freedom.
Sources:
Benn, Carl. The War of 1812. Oxford, England: Osprey Publishing, 2002.
Ellis, John. The Black Presence in England.
