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by Randy Paul Decuir (Author)
At least five men of the Plauche family, including Major J. B. Plauche, played an important role in the Battle of New Orleans. This is their story along with a brief history of their descendants. The five Plauche solders were three brothers Jean Baptiste and his siblings Alexander, and Urbain Plauche of New Orleans and their first cousins, Placide and Batlthazare Plauche of Natchitoches. The three brothers were all officers in the historic and major battle which took place at the end of the War of 1812. The other two brothers were privates. All were the grandsons of Etienne Plauche and his wife Madeline Vaderache of Toulon France. The soldiers were born to two sons of Etienne who migrated to Colonial Louisana in the mid 1700s. The three brothers were born within a three or four year span, the middle children of a French colonial immigrant. Their father, Etienne Henri Plauchier, was born in Sienne, France, and was in New Orleans by 1765 when he married a New Orleans girl as recorded in St Louis Cathedral archives. Etienne was listed as a shipwright, designer and builder of ships, having established his shipyard on Bayou St. John. The other two brothers were the sons of Jean Antoine France of Provence, France, brother of of Etienne of Toulon. Jean Antoine migrated to Louisiana where he married a Natchitoches resident. They married in St. Louis Church in New Orleans, but most if not all of their children were born in Natchitoches. Jean Baptiste Plauche's battalion, the Baratarian pirates of Jean Lafitte, a group of Choctaw warriors and two companies of "free men of colour" lead by Daquin and Lacoste joined Jackson's army in the defense of the city. Against Jackson's combined army of now 5000-men was assembled the 11,000 regular British troops of Major General Sir Edward Michael Pakenham. Starting at dawn on December 14th the two armies began skirmishing in the lakes and bayous around New Orleans. These skirmishes escalated into the full blown battle south east of the city in Chalmette on January 8, 1815. After the battle's main day the British had suffered 2,042 casualties and the combined American forces only 71 casualties. Andrew Jackson in his post-battle report mentioned Plauche and his battalion with the following; "The battalion of city militia, commanded by Major Plauche realized my anticipations and behaved like veterans" This book focuses on the five known members of the Plauche family who played a key role in the Battle of New Orleans.
