The eye-opener for me of what went down in The Battle of New Orleans was the fairly recent book, “Patriotic Fire” by Winston Groom. Andrew Jackson sent the remains of the Commander of the British Forces back to England, pickled, in a barrel. That dude had come here, fresh from flamboyant victories over Napoleon, to pay back the upstart uncouth “americans” for their pesky “revolution”. The book would lead one to believe that Andrew Jackson single-handedly, finally and emphatically made the American Revolution stick.
Was there some request or protocol or something for Pakenham’s body to be returned to England? Or was sending him back in a pickling barrel a sign of contempt? If so, I find that to be revolting behavior and it would certainly knock my opinion of Jackson down several pegs.
That seemed to be SOP for a commander killed in battle. The Brits did that to their own Lorn nelson, if memory serves. The ordinary soldiers and sailors were left to rot, or were buried at sea.