The first USS Louisiana, was a sloop

Sloop-of-war

In the 18th and most of the 19th centuries, a sloop-of-war was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. As the rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above, this meant that the term sloop-of-war actually encompassed all the unrated combat vessels including the...

 built in New Orleans in 1812 and she played a vital role in the defense of Louisiana

Louisiana

Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...

 during the War of 1812

War of 1812

The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...

 between the United States and the United Kingdom.

Career

Originally built as a merchant ship for the cost of $15,500, the USS Louisiana displaced 341 tons, and rated sixteen 24-pounder guns. She measured ninety-nine feet, six inches on the deck, beam of twenty-eight feet, and a fourteen foot deep hold. Louisiana was unmanned at the start of the campaign, and commanded by Captain

Captain (naval)

Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....

 Charles C. B. Thompson. From December 23, 1814 to January 8, 1815, the sloop Louisiana pounded advancing British troops, providing naval gunfire support for General

General

A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....

 Andrew Jackson

Andrew Jackson

Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...

’s forces. When British troops advanced up river beyond the range of the deadly cannon fire of the Louisiana, the crew did not let the absence of wind deter their support. Crewmembers waded ashore with mooring lines and towed their sloop up river against the currents of the Mississippi River

Mississippi River

The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...

to re-engage. The Louisiana was credited with playing a key role in the defeat of the British and keeping the valuable port of New Orleans in American hands.