January 8, 1815: free men of color and Choctaw warriors on the same field, and a promise broken (Chalmette, 1814–1815)

SUMMARYJanuary 8, 1815: free men of color and Choctaw warriors on the same field, and a promise broken (Chalmette, 1814–1815) [Connections: Louisiana (deep), Nov 5, 2026]

RECORDAndrew Jackson's proclamation of September 21, 1814 (from Mobile) promised enlistees "a bounty of 160 acres of land" (Verite News, quoting Bayou Life). 64 Parishes says two free Black battalions fought in 1815, "353 New Orleanians and 256 Saint-Dominguans." Joseph Savary, a veteran of the revolution in Ayiti, led D'Aquin's battalion. Federal officials refused the land, and the battalion was moved out of the city to calm white fears. The American Battlefield Trust says Captain Pierre Juzan mustered 50 to 60 Choctaw warriors who served December 17, 1814 to March 10, 1815, and that Juzan received "$131.70 and one blanket." In 1830 he went with Choctaw leaders to the council about giving up land east of the Mississippi

PATTERNMen labeled "of color" and Choctaw warriors defended the same city in the same battle. Afterward the "colored" soldiers were denied their land, and the Choctaw were pushed off theirs within 15 years

LENS (WW9)Both fought, and both were paid in broken promises. The land went to the colonizers

OPENNative ancestry of men on the battalion rolls; Jackson's proclamation text at a primary source (the Niles' Register reprint)

SOURCESBattalions of free men of color were made promises that were never kept (Verite News, 2025); Free People of Color, Early American Period (64 Parishes); Pierre Juzan (American Battlefield Trust); Major D'Aquin's Battalion (Wikipedia).