{"id":21246,"date":"2015-01-08T17:42:44","date_gmt":"2015-01-08T23:42:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/?p=21246"},"modified":"2015-01-09T17:23:44","modified_gmt":"2015-01-09T23:23:44","slug":"historic-battle-has-meaning-for-jewish-new-orleans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/historic-battle-has-meaning-for-jewish-new-orleans\/","title":{"rendered":"Historic battle has meaning for Jewish New Orleans"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>By ARLENE WIEDER, <em>Exclusive to the CCJN<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Two hundred years ago &#8211; January 8, 1815 &#8211; the final of four skirmishes between a ragtag army of American defenders and an invading force of seasoned British soldiers took place on a field in present-day Chalmette. We know this decisive victory as the Battle of New Orleans, but the effect of an earlier battle on January 1 may have had far bigger consequences for the Jewish community than most realize.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_21248\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a title=\"Battle of New Orleans\" href=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Battle_of_New_Orleans.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-21248\" class=\"wp-image-21248 size-medium lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Battle_of_New_Orleans-300x221.jpg\" alt=\"Battle_of_New_Orleans\" width=\"300\" height=\"221\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Battle_of_New_Orleans-300x221.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Battle_of_New_Orleans-1024x756.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Battle_of_New_Orleans.jpg 1200w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 300px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 300\/221;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-21248\" class=\"wp-image-21248 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Battle_of_New_Orleans-300x221.jpg\" alt=\"Battle_of_New_Orleans\" width=\"300\" height=\"221\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Battle_of_New_Orleans-300x221.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Battle_of_New_Orleans-1024x756.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Battle_of_New_Orleans.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/noscript><\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-21248\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Battle of New Orleans. (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The Red Coats, the aggressive interlopers who had first landed at Lake Borgne on December 12, were a well-trained and disciplined fighting force, having had experience fighting the Napoleonic Wars. They outnumbered their opponents by a factor of two-to-one.<\/p>\n<p>Despite having home field advantage, the American underdogs were composed of a diverse group of players from varied backgrounds, experiences and communities. This eclectic group was formed from a combined force of local Creoles, freemen of color, Choctaw Indians and volunteer riflemen from Tennessee and Kentucky. And, yes, there were pirates, too!<\/p>\n<p>Many historians go on at length to point out that the Treaty of Ghent that officially ended the war had been signed on December 24 and that the decisive battle fought during the early days of 1815 was not necessary. It is doubtful, however, that the British would have returned the land had they secured a victory.<\/p>\n<p>More to the point, New Orleans and the still young United States of America might have emerged as different entities. First, Andrew Jackson would not have become a celebrated national hero, eventually propelled into office as our nation\u2019s seventh president. Jean Lafitte would most likely be known more for thievery and privateering and not for supplying the necessary ammunition and manpower he offered to the home defenders from his foothold of Barataria Bay.<\/p>\n<p>But probably, most important to the local Jewish community was that our greatest 19<sup>th<\/sup> Century figure, Judah Touro, might never have emerged as the great community leader and philanthropist we remember him as had he not been critically injured during the opening volleys of the first of the battles.<\/p>\n<p>In his article \u201cWhen Bad Things Happen\u201d on the Aish HaTorah site, David Baum is quoted as saying: \u201cWe can understand the rules, but we cannot begin to fathom all the calculations that go into God\u2019s interactions with us, balancing our eternal needs, the needs of our society and the needs of mankind.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_21249\" style=\"width: 229px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a title=\"Judah Touro\" href=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Judah_Touro.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-21249\" class=\"wp-image-21249 size-medium lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Judah_Touro-219x300.jpg\" alt=\"Judah_Touro\" width=\"219\" height=\"300\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Judah_Touro-219x300.jpg 219w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Judah_Touro.jpg 748w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 219px) 100vw, 219px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 219px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 219\/300;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-21249\" class=\"wp-image-21249 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Judah_Touro-219x300.jpg\" alt=\"Judah_Touro\" width=\"219\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Judah_Touro-219x300.jpg 219w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Judah_Touro.jpg 748w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 219px) 100vw, 219px\" \/><\/noscript><\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-21249\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Judah Touro (Courtesy of The Historic New Orleans Collection)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>In Touro\u2019s case, few locals know he was one of the first casualties of the battle against the British forces.<\/p>\n<p>Jerry Klinger of the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation reported his research on the bravery of Touro, who had volunteered to stem the British invasion.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMr. Touro was attached to the regiment of Louisiana militia\u2026 After performing severe labors as a common soldier in the ranks, Mr. Touro on the first of January volunteered his services to aid in carrying shot and shell from the magazine to Humphrey\u2019s battery,\u201d Klinger wrote.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn this humble but perilous duty he was seen actively engaged during the terrible cannonade with which the British opened the day, regardless of the cloud of iron missiles which flew around him and which made many of the stoutest hearted cling closely to the embankment or seek some shelter. But in the discharge of duty this good man knew no fear and perceived no danger.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Touro was struck in the leg by a twelve-pound shot fired from one of the British cannon. It was a ghastly wound and he was carried off the field to the nearby field hospital. A physician there, Dr. Kerr, examined the soldier, but pronounced his wound beyond his medical capabilities to cure. Touro was essentially left alone, made comfortable and given up for dead.<\/p>\n<p>Luckily, for Touro, his friend Rezin Davis Shepherd, attached to a horse troop, was working as an aide to Commodore Patterson, assisting him with the charge of defending the city by erecting a battery on the right bank of the Mississippi River.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhile engaged in this task, Shepherd crossed the river to procure two masons to do some work on the Commodore\u2019s battery,\u201d Klinger continued. \u201cThe first person Shepherd saw on reaching the other side of the river told him of the condition of Touro. He was shocked. Shepherd rushed to the place where Touro was lying.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Near a wall of an old building at the rear of Jackson\u2019s headquarters, Shepherd confronted the doctor.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cKerr, who was dressing Touro\u2019s wounds, shook his head, indicating that there was no hope for Touro,\u201d Klinger recounted. But Shepherd refused to accept that prognosis for his friend.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe commandeered a cart and brought Judah back to his home,\u201d Klinger continued. \u201cRezin refused to stand by and let his friend simply die. For a full year Touro lay in a bed of agony and pain. Shepherd hired nurses, attendants and personally assisted his injured friend,\u201d Klinger stated.<\/p>\n<p>In the end Touro survived and went on to amass one of the greatest fortunes in the nation. \u201cHe never forgot the selfless act of his friend,\u201d Klinger said.<\/p>\n<p>So, had the British not invaded and Touro not suffered a near-death experience, it is possible that much of what we have come to know and love about our Jewish community in New Orleans might be drastically different.<\/p>\n<p>The confidence his friend placed in him not being left for dead, insured that Touro would respect life and appreciate what a positive outlook could overcome. His desire to be healthy no doubt contributed to his drive in business.<\/p>\n<p>We should not forget that without his philanthropy, Touro\u2019s immense wealth might never have been used to help establish sections of the Jewish community that survive into present-day time. And for that we should all be grateful.<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding-bottom:20px; padding-top:10px;\" class=\"hupso-share-buttons\"><!-- Hupso Share Buttons - https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/ --><a class=\"hupso_toolbar\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"lazyload\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\"\/><\/noscript><\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var hupso_services_t=new Array(\"Twitter\",\"Facebook\",\"Google Plus\",\"Pinterest\",\"Linkedin\",\"Tumblr\",\"Email\");var hupso_background_t=\"#EAF4FF\";var hupso_border_t=\"#66CCFF\";var hupso_toolbar_size_t=\"medium\";var hupso_image_folder_url = \"\";var hupso_url_t=\"\";var hupso_title_t=\"Historic%20battle%20has%20meaning%20for%20Jewish%20New%20Orleans%20%20\";<\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/js\/share_toolbar.js\"><\/script><!-- Hupso Share Buttons --><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":21248,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[6626,6629,6628,8790,8795,6627,8788],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21246"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21246"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21246\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21288,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21246\/revisions\/21288"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21248"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21246"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21246"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21246"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}