Lake Borgne offered two plausible lines of attack: If the British could take possession of this large inlet, they might move on New Orleans via Bayou Chef Menteur, which led to a mile-wide strip of dry land called the Plain of Gentilly. Or they could carry the boats some five miles from the lake toward the Mississippi. On reaching the far side, however, the army could then march along the dry land that bordered the river through a series of plantations directly to the city. These two attack routes seemed to pose the greatest risk.
