Washington Stalemate Defeats Historic Victory in New Orleans

A reenactment of the 1815 Battle of New Orleans that sent the British running down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico fell victim to a bloodless skirmish Wednesday: the federal budget battle.

The annual celebration of Andrew Jackson’s defeat of British troops, commemorated since 1894, became the latest casualty of the budget war because of lack of government funding for national parks.

“It’s a sad day for us, and it affects a lot of people. Even if a budget were approved today, there would not be enough time left to pull it off,” said Gary Hume, chief of operations at the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve.

The Jan. 8 reenactment was to feature more than 200 players from Canada, Indiana, Ohio, California, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana. More than 20,000 visitors have watched the spectacle annually, Hume said.

The battlefield and a national cemetery are in Chalmette, La., about two miles east of New Orleans.