“A Taste of Louisiana with Chef John Folse & Co.” isn’t PBS’ heftiest educational fare. That doesn’t excuse Louisiana authorities supporting Folse, or PBS, for his attempt at serious documentary on the Battle of New Orleans. Top PBS products have their own serious factual problems (and cultural ones precluding correcting factual ones), but Folse stood out in mimicking them.
I saw Folse’s show in Washington last fall; it may have yet more national play. It credits several dozen staff, hawks pricey DVDs and books of itself — and notes copyright (2007) by the Louisiana Educational Television Authority and underwriting by (among others) the Foundation for Excellence in Louisiana Public Broadcasting and the Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism. Such imprimaturs make the show yet more offensive.
Incompetence — of all concerned — falsifies important history rapid-fire. Chronology, casualties, more, all wrong. A survey:
Folse & Co. seem to think the War of 1812 was all in 1812. Citing the June 1812 U.S. declaration of war, Folse immediately states, “in August [1812] the British captured Washington, burned the White House, the Capitol […].” No, Washington fell in 1814.
Focusing solely on Jan. 8, 1815’s fight as “the Battle of New Orleans,” Folse elides the campaign’s three or arguably four stages starting in December 1814. This compounds already gross errors on casualties.
Jan. 8, Americans in prepared positions legendarily savaged world-class foes, taking drastically few casualties. But Folse greatly overstates British and even understates American dead. He says British commander Edward Pakenham (consistently mispronounced “Packingham”; did no one see the name in print?) “was mortally wounded as were two other generals and two thousand British soldiers. There were only six American casualties.”
All that, besides Pakenham’s death, is wrong. General Samuel Gibbs died, while John Keane, wounded, survived. “Only” 385 Brits were killed.
By common citations, U.S. casualties Jan. 8 were 13 killed, 58 wounded, 30 captured. (Some cite killed and wounded only; those I saw agree Jan. 8’s U.S. figure was 71; i.e. 13/58.) But Dec. 23’s clash cost 213 American casualties, including 24 killed, 115 wounded against, respectively, 46/167 British. Dec. 14’s Battle of Lake Borgne just east of New Orleans felled 127 Americans (six killed) vs. 94 British (17 killed). Summarizing New Orleans as costing “six American casualties” is ludicrous.
Even minutes with elementary sources precludes these errors. More important is PBS editing incompetence, seen regularly even in top products.
Other battle description also errs. The “serious documentary” format includes four “expert” inputs from National Park Service ranger Aly Baltrus. Of pirate Jean Lafitte giving the Americans powder, she says simply, “That was the reason we won.”
Lafitte and crew earned their pardons. Jackson praised them. But they weren’t the reason compared to, let’s see, incomplete British engineering preparations and faulty execution attacking prepared positions, simple bad luck including a lifting fog — and confusion, paralysis and brave reluctance to retreat when commanders were killed or wounded. Brits stood or lay in the open waiting to be shot. Scruffy Americans obliged.
As Folse’s studio audience applauds all this misinformation on the battle that assured continuing U.S. independence — more than did the treaty about which none in America knew — Folse gushes, “What great history about the evolution of our state!” What shame.
All “authorities” contacted refused to discuss this. Shame includes media that refused to treat it: The Times-Picayune, Baton Rouge’s Advocate, Lafayette‘s Daily Advertiser and campus media at Tulane, LSU, Xavier and UNO. I guess they fear embarrassing the state and PBS. South Mississippi’s Sun-Herald promised for months this would run — then reneged.
America doesn’t discuss how regularly PBS’ best approach Folse/Louisiana’s performance. More important yet, by an array of specific behaviors, they and nearly all major media rabidly refuse to admit errors. Some entities, mainly government, even threaten and harass. The Park Service is one. Curious? Ask your paper for more. My files support hundreds of articles like this.
Mark Powell can be reached at
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