On the grounds of what is now Chalmette National Historical Park, the bloody Battle of New Orleans was waged on January 14, 1815. Ironically, the battle should never have been fought because a treaty signed 2 weeks before in Ghent, Belgium, had ended the War of 1812. But word had not yet reached Congress, the commander of the British forces, or Andrew Jackson, who stood with American forces to defend New Orleans and the mouth of the Mississippi River. The battle did, however, succeed in uniting Americans and Creoles in New Orleans and in making Jackson a hero in this city. After Katrina, 5 feet of water flooded the battlefield, the visitor station (which had to be destroyed; there is currently a double wide trailer in its place, with some nice displays), and the Beauregard House plantation house. The latter was "built to be flooded," said a justly impressed employee, out of materials that let the building breathe, and so it actually fared pretty well, though it is still closed. You can once again visit the battlefield with markers that allow you to follow the course of the battle. There's a National Cemetery in the park, established in 1864. It holds only two American veterans from the Battle of New Orleans, but some 14,000 Union soldiers who fell in the Civil War are buried here. For a terrific view of the Mississippi River, climb the levee in back of the Beauregard House. To reach the park, take St. Claude Avenue southeast from the French Quarter until it becomes St. Bernard Highway, in approximately 7 miles. Note that this drive will take you through the hard-hit Lower 9th Ward and the similarly devastated towns of Arabi and Chalmette.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's New Orleans 2009, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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