The United States Navy stood guard over the major water routes into New Orleans as the first line of defense against invasion. During the opening phase of the campaign, American gunboats challenged the approaching British fleet on Lake Borgne. Throughout the month-long campaign, naval vessels controlled the Mississippi River and dominated the open plains of the battlefield with punishing broadsides, providing an invaluable protective anchor to General Andrew Jackson's right flank. Many sailors from the USS Carolina also volunteered for service ashore and ably manned artillery batteries on the American line.
