Chalmette Plantation was named for Ignace Francois Martin de Lino de Chalmet (1755-1815), a veteran of the American Revolution who attained the rank of captain of infantry in the Spanish Army and retired about 1794. He purchased plantations below New Orleans and began acquiring properties in 1805 that became the Chalmette Plantation, stretching 22 arpents along the Mississippi River. The main house, sugar mill, and almost all outbuildings were destroyed in the Battle of New Orleans, the decisive engagement on January 8, 1815.