The Battle of New Orleans

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The first cannon-fire filled narrative of a defining moment in American history comes from a foremost Jacksonian scholar. Only Robert Remini, acclaimed for his majestic biography of Andrew Jackson, could vividly recount this pivotal but often overlooked battle. In 1815, Britain's elite troops, fresh from victories against Napoleon, faced a stunning defeat near New Orleans at the hands of a diverse army of citizen soldiers led by the fledgling commander known as "Old Hickory." This battle established the United States as a military power and affirmed its status as an independent democracy. A coalition of militiamen, regulars, untrained frontiersmen, free blacks, pirates, Indians, and townspeople marched to the tunes of "Yankee Doodle" and "La Marseillaise," enriching the narrative with a variety of characters and scenes. Among them were the swashbuckling Jean Lafitte and his privateers, the proud British General Pakenham with his beleaguered troops, and the spirited Creoles who resisted blacking out their street lamps. The agile Choctaw and Tennessee sharpshooters took aim at redcoat sentries by night. Jackson, tall and shrewd, declared, "I will smash them, so help me God!" This improbable victory united disparate groups and showcased the United States' sovereignty, propelling a once-poor orphan boy into the White House and forging a true nation from ex-colonies.