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Siege of Fort St. Philip Jan. 9-18 Attempting to reach the British army below New Orleans and provide it with additional supply and the support of naval gunfire, the British fleet moved up the Mississippi until it ran into Ft. St. Phillip. The fort occupied a bend in the river which required ships to slow to navigate the turn. This made ships easy targets and the British determined that the fort would have to be reduced before they continued. Once the British fleet was sighted, the fort's furnace was lit for hot shot. Heavy fire from the fort, with this hot shot, forced the British to stay at extreme range, which reduced the effect of their bombardment. Each evening of the siege the British attempted to land shore parties to assault the fort, but were driven off by small arms fire each time. The Americans suffered no casualties inside the fort until the 11th, when the British shelled a storehouse killing two men inside. The British switched to firing exploding shells over the fort on the 14th, causing another death and several wounded. Over 1,000 rounds were fired by the British, with over 100 unexploded shells remaining within the fort after the battle. Nearly all of the buildings were hit and many were left in ruins; the ground for a half mile around the fort was covered with bomb craters.
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